A worrying trend in the forum............

Nice one ... or rather two!

Bo ho: Whilst on the road yesterday the alternator packed up - bearings. RAC had a spare on board no less. Said he hadn't fitted an alternator on a RR Classic for about 5 years, the spare one he had shifted from van to new van over that period! Said they won't replace it now as very little call for them (obviously).

Yipee: On a positive note ("every cloud" and all that), when I fit a bigger high ampage alternator, I'll have a spare almost new alternator on board as a spare.

QUESTION - What sort of high ampage alternators do I need? Spotlights and fridge for now, but hopefully a winch later.

This isnt direct at you Tom, but loads of people ask me about this - and I cant see a good answer...

Could someone please explain why people feel the need to replace a perfectly good alternator with a higher amp one.

I know you'll be able to produce more amps, but there is only a certain rate that a battery can reliably charge.

Also, people have said that they need an alternator that can provide the same current that they are drawing when everything is turned on - which I think is crap. How many times have you had every single bit of electric turned on for a prolonged period of time - I dont think Ive ever done it and certainly not for a long while.

The argument for not needing a bigger alternator is this:
Once the vehicle starts, it'll charge the battery/batteries.
If it wont start, a bigger alternator wont help!!

Perhaps Im missing something, in which case, please enlighten me!!

Tom Mc wrote:

QUESTION - What sort of high ampage alternators do I need? Spotlights and fridge for now, but hopefully a winch later.

Ah, winching...
Tom, Id suggest you buy a good high amperage dual role (Odyssey PC2150 perhaps) battery rather than concentrating on the alternator. A winch will pull about 400A given half a chance. Weather you have a 65A, 75A, 100A alternator wont make much difference. The staying power of your battery however will.

Tom Mc wrote:

What sort of high ampage alternators do I need? Spotlights and fridge for now, but hopefully a winch later.

But most of your driving is during the day when you won't need spotlights.

As Jon says, not worth it for the winch. Just make sure the engine is running before and for a while after winching.
Also bear in mind that alternators tend to work best when the engine is running quite a bit above idle, so you can still run the battery down with the engine idling and lots of lights on.

Rather than another alternator, consider a larger capacity battery, and a voltage gauge so you can see if you really are using a lot more power than you're generating.

Hi there, can't agree more, I have a standard alternator, 65amp I think and a single good battery. I have been known to do several winch recoveries one after another. I leave the engine running, 1,000-1,200 rpm just so as I am putting something back into the battery and have not had a failure just yet, fingers crossed. If the battery/batteries are good and the alternator is good then I don't think we should have a problem. I hope I hope don't have to eat my words:oops:
Kieth, when you adjusted the wheel bearings, you didn't over tighten them I hope? It is always better for them to be a little slack. Ideally, they should just be as LR recomend.
I have started with my vehicle preparations for the rally today. Straighten the bent steering bar, the one behind the axle. Yes, I have a steering guard, it protects the 2 in front. When you fail to make a climb you inevitably come back down a different route catching whatever is in the way. Therefore the bent steering bar. Also found the track rod ends were shot. £22:00 lighter and sorted. Well nearly, just got to go and find a laser to get the tracking checked.
New pads all round, found one that was down to the metal:affraid: bled nice new brake fluid all through so we should be able to stop. All we have to do is make sure it will keep going and do a full service.

Heard you like a bit of slack!

I've a red top Optima ... is that the equivilant of the Odyssey PC2150 you mentioned? Seems to do the trick.

No. Optimas are role specific (red for starting, yellow for leisure). Odysseys are dual purpose so that can behave as a red or yellow top with no detrement to the battery. The PC2150 also has much more cranking capacity than a red top...

That said, if the Odysseys sit at the top of the tree, the red tops are only one or two branches down. so they aint bad in terms of power. but they simply cant mach the dual role capability..

A fridge and other "leisure items" will ruin a red top over time. But if you used a yellow top to start the motor, that would kill the yellow top also. With the odysseys, one battery does all. Two batteries & split charge = resiliance (and increased cost).

For your motor Tom, if the red top is still good, use it. if its old, swap it for an odyssey.

BJ's landy just caught fire.

Small electrical fire. Appears to be a faulty relay (which I've never seen before), but it was the wiring to the windings that went. Strange.
Guess I'll be re-rewiring that on Sunday, then!

oops!!

Nasty, fire extinguisher on hand??

So in the whole scheme of thngs battery related, where do the Exide maxxima 900's sit in the battery tree?

Also, where can i get one of these battery trees, sounds very good, and with proper care, could bring in a little cash...


:arrow:

andybloke wrote:

BJ's landy just caught fire.

Nightmare!! - I hope you get it sorted.

The race is now on to get our clutch fitted! :cyclops:

Lu :bom:

Thanks for the advice. Seeing as though I've just shelled out £80 for a new standard-size alternator, might as well leave it be for the present. Optima is really powerful, turning over the motor a lot off-roading last weekend proved that. Still going to take a spare battery in the RR engine bay ... just in case!

Don't knw what you are all worrried about. It ain't as ifwe will be tavelling alone.1 good battery 1 good alternator 1 pair of jump leads and 1 good mate. I have a problem in the last requirement. Billy no mates. That's me

That's what I am concerned about - the battery. That's the one thing that if it does give up (and every battery will expire sonner or later) then one is stuffed isn't one?

Okay if you can afford a new battery from the off, but I've had my Optima for a good while now, and while it still seems as stong as ever, what happens if it does fail in the middle of the dust bowl? STUFFED! That's why in my mind taking a spare is a damn good idea, especially as there's a space just sitting waiting to be filled. I know I'm going OTT, but being pesimistic is a good thing at times.

He's right you know, Ugly Trucker has hit the nail on the head ... not about the "1 good battery 1 good alternator 1 pair of jump leads", but about having no mates!

oh dear electrics

twice in this last week i have had to slam on the brakes and jump out as the inside of the landy is filled up with nice and deadly rubber smoke, fist time is was having the spotlights on for a long period of time but tonite i was just on delivery at the indian i work at for now
it is the dashboard dial illumination lights that are causing the problems,
have had so many electrical failures recently its beginning to not be fun

after most of my outside lights died before i went to china i tooke some casing off the rear electrics to find so many wires connected to nothing and behind the dash board its the same storey

does anyone know if its possible and where from i can buy a re wiring kit for my 1987 90 that has a 2.5 turbo engine?


cheers for any help

kieran

an :!:

sorry!

I'm sure someone does, best of luck though,
Mark

kieran wrote:

oh dear electrics

does anyone know if its possible and where from i can buy a re wiring kit for my 1987 90 that has a 2.5 turbo engine?


cheers for any help

kieran

an :!:

Hi Kieran

How are you doing with your wiring? It depends how much you need to replace. John Craddock do lots of seperate bits, e.g. a wiring harness for the instrument panel: http://www.johncraddockltd.co.uk/car_popup.asp?prodid=10402 etc., they also do salvage, so you may be able to buy a whole wiring loom from a 90 they're breaking, or failing that try a scrap yard, ebay or mud club. Hope that helps! :!:


We've fitted our clutch and not much else this weekend, because it's an awkward bu**er. We discovered the erason it had gone, because the slave cylinder was leaking very slowly and the previous owner had very kindly fitted a wading plug to the bell housing and left it in. The car had apparently not been off road, yet it had a wading plug in. Hmm...

Next jobs: clutch slave and master cylinder, brake calipers, pads and wheel bearings, timing belt, replace the rear diff and finish the service and fit the fluffy dice! Not many weekends left!

Lu and Tweedie :bom:

Fluffy dice! Aren't you worried about carrying the extra weight?

... not to mention the fire risk!

Just so that I dont feel left out I call the local LR garage this morning to ask them to check my gearbox out (on the new 110)... and also to put a new carpet holding screw in for me!!

Its going in tonight for them to look at it tomorrow.

Theres nothing desperately wrong with it but its all too easy to crunch 2nd and 3rd. I know all R380 boxes have this problem to a degree, I just think mines a bit worse than it should be & if i can get a new box for free, I may as well!!

I'll let you know what they say tomorrow.

Fingers crossed! That'll be a result!

All the best, mark

Quote :

and also to put a new carpet holding screw in for me!!

Sorry? Is that for what i think it is???????????


:arrow:

Probably! You know, the little plastic bolt type things that you push in and destroy if you try to take them out.

Figured I could have found one in the garage and done it myself, but hey, may as well take advantage of the kind LR technician types whilst I can!!

Good news...I think!

The Landy has been given a clean bill of health and I got my carpet screwy thing put back in!

Interestingly though, they wouldnt turn the lock stops out because it would invalidate the warrenty!!!!

They gave me a courtesy Freelander TD4 on an 06 plate (old model)... Couldnt wait to give it back - way too slow and car like, the 110 felt like a rocket when I got back in it, albeit a bit noisier!!

Give me a noisy, leaky Defender any day!

Hi Jon, what's the Landy? TD5 Defender by any chance? You would never accuse a tdi being quicker than a Freelander surely?