Dissapointing and Expensive Alternator Upgrade.

J

Jim@sea

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 Feb 2010
Messages
4,598
Location
Glasson Dock
Visit site
When I bought my Colvic Watson last year (BMC Diesel) it appeared to have the Original Lucas Alternator from 1984.
(The type with the External Lucas Regulator and relays)
Rather than go to sea with 30 year old electrics I wanted to have the Alternator reconditioned and handed it to a (well known) boatyard who "knew sombody" who did this and they sent it off to them.
Apparently (?) they could not recondition it and offered to sell me a brand new Alternator and I was charged £165 Plus Vat.
The New Alternator has the Regulator incorporated within it, which means that the existing charging circuit, Lucas Regulator etc is redundant.
Rather than trying to wire up the alternator myself (as all new wiring was required) I had an Autoelectrician in to do it for me, and it dosent work.
He says that the new Alternator is faulty as when the ignition is switched on the ignition warning light does not come on.
I enclose a couple of photos of the new alternator in the hope that someone could recognise it. Unfortunatly it does not have any manufacturers number on it.
(the repairer broke the pulley of the old Lucas one so I cant even go back to using that one or even having it overhauled as there are people whi still do it, but perhaps not near the Welsh boatyard who supplied me with the new one)
So I have a choice, either the Auto-Electrician did not know what he was doing or the Alternator is faulty.
Any suggestions please.
 

Attachments

  • Alternator Rear.jpg
    Alternator Rear.jpg
    96.9 KB · Views: 0
  • Alternator Front.jpg
    Alternator Front.jpg
    97.9 KB · Views: 0
Can't really say very much, without seeing the whole set up any answer would be speculation. However I would venture that the alternator in the photo's does not look like a "Brand new" item to me. I suspect that you are getting a bit of a run around her. Did the "New" unit come in a nice box all properly packed? Can't your auto electrician test the alternator? Maybe he has done so and it is indeed faulty. You could also have it independently tested and if it is faulty return it with a bill for the testing! Sorry can't be of more help. Good luck!
 
Do you have a loose connection to the battery?
if the alternator gets disconnected from the batt while it is running, the diodes in the regulator will blow.[voltage spike]
Test the diodes with an ohm multimeter to see if they are still ok.
 
GrahamM376 said:
What's the problem? If it was faulty when supplied then you take it back to the supplier for a replacement or refund.
Click to expand...
Answer Its deciding if the Autoelectrician had wired it up wrongly (for £50) or is it faulty. (and the engine has not been run)
And next week I am taking the alternator to a specialist Alternator/Starter Motor re-conditioner for the Alternator to be tested.
If they find the alternator is ok I will give the Auto-electrician who said it was faulty a second chance to wire it up as I have paid him £50 and if he does not do it the nearest other Autoelectrician is an hour away and £40 an hour from when they leave their base and I will send the bill to the First Autoelectrician.
And having sent a photo to a specialist Alternator supplier they can supply a new one at £80 rather than the £165 I was charged by the Boatyard.
And it is a "Bog Standard" Alternator.
Just shows how boat owners get ripped off.
 
Last edited:
It looks to be a bog standard alternator, which is not a problem, but you have paid far too much for it. Also, internal diode are a pain as you have to send them off to be fixed if they fail (which they can do on a boat). IMHO get your money back on the whole lot. Get a Balmar marine high output alternator from various suppliers including Merlin Equipment, and get a proper external battery regulator charger arrangement such as Sterling which is good value if you can bear the awful customer service, or Adverc who are much more helpful and work brilliantly but are less of an out of the box solution, and get someone who knows to install it. I can recommend on the south coast, but not in Wales I am afraid.
 
I found fitting an adverc and new prestolite quite easy. And i think it is always worth knowing how your charging system works and wires just in case.....
 
If its a marine specific A127 unit they are more expensive than the std units fitted to just about all land rovers the world over up to about 1998.
Look on ebay for some idea, but have to agree 165 does seem ott
Simple thing is if the dash warning bulb has blown they will not charge, so test that first.
Std A127 can be modified to give a slightly higher voltage for under 20 quid
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top