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Post by starider on Apr 24, 2020 10:00:58 GMT
Hi, at last some of the parts I've been waiting for have arrived and most fitted to the engine apart from the generator belt which when it arrived was too short.Because the previous owner had fitted an alternator the standard 33 belt was far too short, I had done couple of measurements using cord and thought I had is sussed, but no,when it arrived it was too short,I emailed the excellent company Bearing Shop UK, Ashford ,Kent,who asked for certain measurements i.e. O/side diameter of engine pulley, O/s diameter of the generator pulley and the distance between the pulley centres. I had to remove the plastic Air duct cowelling from the engine to be able to get accurate measurements. After a very short wait in a queue I managed to speak to someone on the phone[working from home] who very quickly told me the length of belt I needed and would be posted the following day! From my experience this is an excellent company who spent time to deal with my "problem" even though the belt was only around £5. Recommended!! As soon as the belt arrives[2nd class post up to 10 days +].It's engine in,fire up and check, then onto bodywork. Both doors are off so will have to wait for good second hand ones to be delivered once the lock down allows. I will respray the rest then the doors can be sprayed and fitted as and when.
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Post by bobdisk on Apr 24, 2020 13:44:59 GMT
Hi, Your 33 has had an alternator fitted in place of the dynamo. What make and spec (amp output) alternator is it, and what brackets (sizes and shapes) were used to fit it? The previous owner of my 33 had managed, amongst a lot of other mistakes and bodges, to burn out the regulator, by wiring the field connection from the regulator to the dynamo case! A replacement Bosch regulator is not far off the price of an alternator, so I was thinking of replacing the dynamo with an alternator. Could you please post a picture of the alternator fitted to the engine? Thanks, Bobdisk.
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Post by starider on Apr 24, 2020 23:30:21 GMT
Hi,I haven't a clue what the spec is,all I can tell you is that it's a Bosch and the previous owner told me he had fitted the biggest that would fit in the space on the engine.When I took the fan and the plastic fan shroud off, the brackets were obviously non standard and had been scratch built. I think I have a Bosch regulator if I can find it which you can have for the cost of posting.
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andrewthe33
Bigger Belter
I don't know what you've done to me, sir, but you've done me the power of good!
Posts: 158
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Post by andrewthe33 on Apr 25, 2020 8:20:17 GMT
Hi, Your 33 has had an alternator fitted in place of the dynamo. What make and spec (amp output) alternator is it, and what brackets (sizes and shapes) were used to fit it? The previous owner of my 33 had managed, amongst a lot of other mistakes and bodges, to burn out the regulator, by wiring the field connection from the regulator to the dynamo case! A replacement Bosch regulator is not far off the price of an alternator, so I was thinking of replacing the dynamo with an alternator. Could you please post a picture of the alternator fitted to the engine? Thanks, Bobdisk. Bob, Yours is the second car in two weeks I've heard of that's had this problem! As to retro-fitting a dynamo, I'm planang to do the same to my 33, and will be taking the professional advice from a local auto-electrical company near here, but only when the lock-down ends!
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Post by starider on Apr 25, 2020 9:24:17 GMT
Hi Andrew, just read your reply to bobdisk, do you mean retro fitting an alternator to your 33? Stay safe.
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Post by starider on Apr 25, 2020 9:28:25 GMT
Hi bobdisk, as I am still waiting for generator belts I can still quickly take off the alternator and find any numbers and spec. it may have on it.The problem I have noticed is that due to the size of the unit when on minimum adjustment it is almost in contact with the distributor and the maximum adjustment range is not that great.It all works so I will leave well alone.
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Post by starider on Apr 25, 2020 13:32:42 GMT
Hi, firstly an apology, I'm sure I was told that the alternator was Bosch,on removing it the label underneath says it's a Lucas LRA 743 12v with other numbers 9AR2973L. I think I've found the correct output of 65 amps.I think it's possible to cross reference to Bosch. Let me know how it goes. In all my years in the motor trade I never got involved with charging systems, there were always the experts who could sort these problems in a fraction of the time. I am still in contact with a good mate who was an auto electrician right from when he left school to when he retired.I only ring him if I'm totally desperate!
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andrewthe33
Bigger Belter
I don't know what you've done to me, sir, but you've done me the power of good!
Posts: 158
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Post by andrewthe33 on Apr 25, 2020 18:52:52 GMT
Hi Starider,
My intention, in the long term, is to fit an alternator to my 33. This is owing to the extra electrical items I have fitted to the car since owning it and also to help keep the battery charged, as a fair amount of my driving is urban, where a dynamo might not put enough charge back into the battery. Dynamos only put charge back once they're running over a certain speed, whereas alternators charge, no matter how slowly they're turning. The alternator I'm planning to fit has a built-in regulator, so I plan to wire the alternator in the following manner:
The dynamo has THREE leads fitted to it; one is the "+" feed, one is the "field" & the last is an earth. I plan to connect the "+" lead to the main output of the alternator and use the "field" wire for the ignition warning lamp. When a dynamo is used the warning light for no charge is conned to the regulator. With the regulator inside the alternator the "field" wire can be used to run from the alternator to the regulator and then to the warning light on the dashboard. So:
1/ Disconnect the battery earth lead, so that any short-circuits won't cause any problems. 2/ Bypass the regulator box, so that the wire "+" from the dynamo to the regulator is now unscrewed from its connection on the regulator box and is connected to the lead that runs to the starter motor and then to the battery. 3/ Fit the alternator to the engine, connecting the lead that was connected to the "+" on the dynamo to the "+" on the alternator. Adjust the fan belt as necessary. 4/ Fit the lead that was connected to the "field" on the dynamo to the warning lamp connection on the alternator. 5/ At the regulator, identify the wire that was connected to the "field" on the dynamo and connect it to the wire running to the dashboard warning lamp.
Once this is done, the regulator is electrically disconneced from the car's electrics and the alternator, battery and starter motor are directly connected, with the regulator and solenoids preventing all three running together all the time! You can leave the regualator box in place to help with connections, or completely remove it from the vehicle & use connectors to join the relevant leads.
6/ Reconnect the earth lead on the battery. Switch on the ignition, and confirm that the ignition warning light is ON. If it is, start the engine and confirm that the ignition warning light is OFF once the engine is running. If all's well, enjoy! If neither of the above 2 happen, immediately switch the engine OFF and check things over.... And call for help!
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Post by bobdisk on Apr 26, 2020 8:02:40 GMT
Hi all, My reason for putting an alternator on is that the previous owner wired the field connection (green wire) from the regulator to the dynamo frame, and burned the regulators coil out. The cost of a replacement regulator is not far off the cost of an alternator, so it makes sense to upgrade. Also much the same reason as Andrew. I would replace the regulator with a connection terminal box, and fit a suitable alternator, and connect it as Andrew says. Most alternators are a larger diameter than a dynamo, so fitting would require unique bracket(s) and a longer fanbelt.I read Starider's Van post recently how he found the required fanbelt. You measure the new distance between the engine and alternator pulley centres, and the outside diameters of both pulleys,(the engine pulley is about 110mm, a bit smaller than the oil cooler) and send the results off to Bearing Shop UK [Ashford,Kent]. ps, Andrew, did you get my pm on Owners about the tank connection?
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Post by starider on Apr 26, 2020 9:20:52 GMT
Hi, how accurately have you checked the engine pulley? I stripped the front cowl off to be able to measure the engine pulley accurately, it is 124 mm O/side diameter. Possibly not the same as your pulley, but the one on my alternator is 64 mm O/side dia. Finding the distance between the two pulley centres presented some thought, but I measured the diameter of the aluminium extension piece[which the fan bolts onto], halved that measurement,which I added to the distance from the outside of the extension to the centre of the alternator pulley,giving the distance as 232 mm.
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