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Alternators for O-360 Lycoming

dvalle

Well Known Member
Looking for some recent input?

I found a thread way back that spoke to alternators to replace the ND. It said use the 1986 Suzuki Samurai made my Altima from O-Reilly's as it worked great. I assumed they were made in China which made me cringe but, I bought a new one. Reading about failures, broken ears, etc, and a new plane to me...I worked to make sure no loads on alignment taking many hours, spacers, etc. Then, the last thing, pluggin' in the connector, and it didn't work. Many hours later with full removal to figure out why, it's just not the same quality as the Denso. There was interference with the outside portion of the connector and the metal housing and an internal mini box. After 3 alternators, I gave up and ordered another China made brand which turned out to have similar problems with quality. I modified it to make it work, unfortunately, the connector safety clip is loose and wonder if it will work its way loose.

It's a $100 part, what should I expect:)
Frustrated
 
To a certain degree, you get what you pay for. There are better deals out there, but you need do do your research. I’ve had three plane power alternators, and had problems with two of them. On my newest RV6, I’ve chosen a B&C 40 amp power supply because of its impeccable record and my personal experience. On my VFR RV6, I only normally see a 6-9 amp draw. If I upgrade to IFR equipment, I’ll see a 13-15 amp draw. Still within a reasonable margin. The L40 is smaller, lighter, and doesn’t require cooling.

Not as inexpensive as a ND, but reliable for most of us…….. externally regulated.
 
Why don’t you order the pigtail for that $100 alternator, and wire that into the plane?
 
Looking for some recent input?

I found a thread way back that spoke to alternators to replace the ND. It said use the 1986 Suzuki Samurai made my Altima from O-Reilly's as it worked great. I assumed they were made in China which made me cringe but, I bought a new one. Reading about failures, broken ears, etc, and a new plane to me...I worked to make sure no loads on alignment taking many hours, spacers, etc. Then, the last thing, pluggin' in the connector, and it didn't work. Many hours later with full removal to figure out why, it's just not the same quality as the Denso. There was interference with the outside portion of the connector and the metal housing and an internal mini box. After 3 alternators, I gave up and ordered another China made brand which turned out to have similar problems with quality. I modified it to make it work, unfortunately, the connector safety clip is loose and wonder if it will work its way loose.

It's a $100 part, what should I expect:)
Frustrated

Can expect a lot more if you shop wisely.

Nippon Denso is probably the world's largest supplier of Alternators and there is a reason that most every Asian car maker uses them. They don't last forever, but have a good track record. The only thing that soils that record is some of aftermarket remanufacturers use poor quality, non-ND parts and some skip key steps in the rework. FYI, both PP and B&C use ND alternators as base units. Differenc is B&C uses better parts that are added on.

I have had very good luck with ND re manufactured alternators (reman'ed by ND) on both planes. The one on the 6A has 850 hours and only cost $70.

Larry
 
It would be nice if the original poster would list the supplier, make, and part numbers of the alternators that he tried, both the ones that didn't work and the one that finally did. This info might help others in the future.
 
I would be more interested in the one that Larry has been using for over 800 hours.......:rolleyes:
 
I'm at 985 hours on my junkyard-sourced 1987 Honda Civic ND alternator. I chose that one specifically as pre-2000 4-cyl Hondas rotate CCW so that the cooling fans run the proper direction for Lyc usage. I swapped out the multi-groove pulley and made a billet bracket to get perfect belt alignment. I replaced the bearings and brushes with Honda-sourced parts (high quality bearings) and used a 1990 Camry regulator to get the 3-prong style, and modified it as PP does to enable absolute control over field power. So I have about $50 in parts and some labor hours to make the bracket and mod the regulator and overhaul the unit. About every 150-200 hours I take it apart to inspect bearings and brushes, as we all should be doing no matter whose alternator we have.

And you can get pigtails for any alternator; here's one for the round style ND: https://www.repairconnector.com/pro...Alternator-Repair-Connector-3-Wire-Round.html

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1001308&cc=1430219&pt=2412&jsn=819

334-1716_Primary__ra_p.jpg
 
Alternator

Sorry, I guess I caused some confusion. I'll try again. The first one I tried and had trouble with is the one recommended on a Forum thread way back. It was a new Altima purchased from O'reilly's....designed to fit an '86 Suzuki Samuri. If the plug would have worked, it was a perfect fit for the ND that I removed...including the pulley type and position. I could NOT find a new ND and I preferred new. New, for $100, is a REAL deal...lol, I've been flying certified aircraft for 40+ years, my Continental cores are worth $500 when they are shot!

I said 3 alternator attempts in the story because they tried getting me a second one and it had issues that they told me about before I even picked it up. The third had 2 more issues, the metal housing was too close to the plug preventing the fit and it was an O/H unit, again, I wanted new. With that, I gave up and ordered another new online which also had interference with the connector.

Hard to explain, the connector is the correct connector and is in perfect condition (a new one would not be any different). It is the alternator that is the problem. The 4th alternator even needed a bit of the metal cover bent away and' they used a washer on one side (why I don't know) of what looks to be a rectifier, that also caused interference. That little washer hit the connector and kept it from seating. I swapped the washer with the other side of the rectifier (which didn't have a washer) but I left the lock washers on both screws.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense, it's hard to explain:-(

Lastly, what is a B & C or L40?

I forgot to mention, I think mine was 50 amp.
 
I would be more interested in the one that Larry has been using for over 800 hours.......:rolleyes:

lester 14158

It is an ND alternator that is set up for CCW rotation (80's Honda Civic), so the fan is spinning in the correct direction and providing good air flow. It is rated at 50 amps and is externally regulated, which is my preference. The VR's are solid state now and living inside the Alt makes for a shorter life due to heat, IMHO. Putting the VR elsewhere increases longevity, I believe. B&C does the same. External VR also allows full control of the Alt by the pilot. It comes with a V belt pulley that works well for my smaller flywheel pulley. A larger pulley may be prudent to keep the revs in line with the more modern larger flywheel pulleys; You would need to run the calcs to insure that RPM stays below around 10K, which means a max of 4:1.

Larry
 
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