Alternator Conversion

Post by **shymoggie** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 12:23 am

Well Shy is away at the 'nice man' having the holes * brakes sorted out and I have been digging around in the garage for bits......

I have a Mini / Metro alternator and wondered if it could be fitted to the Ital engine we have in Shy, instead of the rather feeble dynamo. The practical (mounting & belting) side I can handle but does anyone know what needs to be done to the wiring - which wire, where and how ?

Thanks in advance......... I can't wait to get that car going !

Post by **rayofleamington** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 9:58 am

If you are running a lot of additional extra electrical's then it might be worth doing (fog lights, heated rear scren etc..). I think there may be a section in technical tips, but if not then someone on here will know how.
On the flip side the Dynamo seems to be 10 times more reliable than the Alternators of that pedigree, so the extra effort may well leave you broken down in the middle of nowhere.
[Ray remembers the Minor owner who'd broken down on the M40 oon last years London to Brighton....Alternator melt down, not to mention those other hundreds of times that Minor owners have had alternator failures]

The reason that most Minors still have the Dynamo after 40+ years is because it works well and is extremely reliable. Due to that, they keep going so long and eventually the brushes and bearings wear. A recon Dynamo at £25 is a bargain......

Post by **salty_monk** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 10:10 am

Bull Motif do a full kit incl new alternator, pulley, belts etc for £60+ vat. Don't know if it will your engine though. You could ask them, they are usually pretty straight.

Post by **g_land** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 11:50 am

Dynamo seems to be 10 times more reliable than the Alternators of that pedigree

surely there is an upgraded alternator that can be supplied that is more reliable

Post by **salty_monk** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:36 pm

Bull Motif told me that their's were & that they were very reliable....

I guess they would say that though....

Post by **Cam** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:58 pm

If the dynamo is working OK then it's probably best to stick with it, as Ray says it is a hell of a lot more reliable than an Alternator.

I have had countless alternator failures.

Post by **Kevin** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 3:25 pm

Bull Motif told me that their's were & that they were very reliable....

Salty did they say where they were sourced from / mad by as they are normally quite on the ball when it comes to parts and will change suppliers ect if there is a problem.

Post by **Alastair** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 1:59 pm

The alternator in my Ital-engined Traveller cooked the battery the other day, putting out a full, unregulated charge. A new control pack from my local Prince of Darkness agent cost £8 and took 15 minutes to fit with the alternator out. I find the advantage with the alternator is that you don't have to worry about the old style regulator - but I would agree that alternators are probably not as reliable and a lot more fussy than dynamoes.....
PS - the battery survived!
Alastair

Post by **salty_monk** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 3:47 pm

Sorry Kevin, I didn't ask for brand or manufacturer or whether they's changed recently, just a price & some info...

Post by **shymoggie** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 10:22 pm

How can alternators be less reliable ? Is this something to do with the conversion itself or the quality of the alternators used ? I have had loads of cars over the years and only ever had one duff alternator..... have I missed a trick somewhere ?

Post by **Gareth** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 8:07 am

Some on here had trouble with alternators - one of the problems being that you cannot tinker with them to try and cajole them back into action as easily as a dynamo.

Post by **Alec** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 8:15 am

Hello all,
my wife's traveller had an alternator conversion 5 years ago (Lucas 17ACR I think) with no problems to date. I have the same alternator in my Triumph and had to replace one after 2 years (regulator failure) I had an exchange replacement from my local electrical factor for about £30, really they are not worth fiddling with.
Shy, if you still want to go ahead then I can let you have the diagram to connect it. You'll need the alternator plug though.

Alec

Post by **rayofleamington** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 10:59 am

How can alternators be less reliable ?

My Volvo Alternator failed and fried the battery too - I had to be towed home £££ + expensive to fix. My sisters Alternator failed on a Fiesta - called the AA on the M6 as she was half way through a 300 mile journey. Her local garage then repaired it with a scrap alternator and she was stranded again 2 days later.
No end of people have had failed alternators on Minors - I expect that voltage spikes etc.. which cause no problems on a Dynamo are damaging the Alternator. (Maybe due to mig welding?? I've never worried as my Minors have Dynamos and they have been great)

Post by **Alec** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 11:37 am

Hello all,
Ray has a good point, alternators and electric welders do not mix. Modern cars, I understand, do not even like being jump started, the computers don't like the sparks. (I don't have that problem, the newest car I have ever owned was a 1974 model)
As I said I had a regulator failure giving an over high voltage. My warning light came on and I could see from the car voltmeter that something was wrong. So no damage was done nor did my car stop as I dealt with it quickly. Perhaps some drivers do not look at their warning lights etc?
By the way my sisters Peugeot had a Bosch alternator fail, again high voltage. Her garage changed the battery but failed to diagnose the problem so she asked me to have a look. I opened the bonnet and I could smell the problem, it stank of battery acid, a sure sign of overcharging.
Dynamos are fine but I do prefer an alternator as our classics are also our daily drivers and the UK winters take a lot of amps from the system.

Alec

Post by **Alastair** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 11:42 am

Regarding my comment about alternator reliability, I should have been more specific - I guess what I meant, and one or two of you picked up on, is that they are far more susceptible to problems caused by amateur tinkering with the electrics, which is something we are probably all prone to! I have a feeling that I made the classic mistake of not disconnecting the battery when I was fitting an accessory the other day, and decked a live wire.