Alternator Reliability Poll

[aerhed]

Lots of positives for the B&C, which is good. But, what I take away from this is that a plain jane miscellaneous fifty dollar car alternator is three times as reliable as a four hunnerd dollar Plane Power unit.

[Shadetree]

A 35% failure rate in 250 hours is sure not a good record for PP.

[BillL]

Originally Posted by aerhed

Lots of positives for the B&C, which is good. But, what I take away from this is that a plain jane miscellaneous fifty dollar car alternator is three times as reliable as a four hunnerd dollar Plane Power unit.

Sad but currently true. Read the aeroelectric site about the development of the B&C alternators. Auto alternators have a couple of issues for planes. One is no over voltage protection, but that is cured with an OV module from B&C. The other is that using the field wire to activate and shut off the alternator. Some, but not all, automotive will fail instantly if the field and load is removed, like shutting off the buss in flight. Bob did the testing on these in his lab. Again Aeroelectric has a protection for this that can be added to the auto alternators.

With those two things, one wonders if the auto might be just fine if either a remanufactured, or new one is used.

As a PP owner, I hope that HET will get their act together - fix the problem and offer a customer support program for premature field failures. Let's keep the pressure on them to do so.

Oh - the quality reman bosch 60A is over $200, a member in the autoparts business called the other rebuild as "Krylon Overhauls". Factory Remans (claiming new OEM bearings and lubricants) are available from ND too, if you go to their site.

[Captain_John]

I wonder how the meetings at Hartzell's are going post acquisition?

I would think that this poll has come up in conversation!

CJ

[bret]

Now I am interested in this thread but with a twist, the engine I bought came with a certified PP and remote regulator, which is on my sub panel, I wonder if some of theses failures, excluding stator wire breakage, but due to heat and vibration on the internal regulator? hung out there next to that big vibrating fan?

[Bill.Peyton]

I stand corrected CJ only one VR failure and that occurred outside the 250 hour survey.

I just finished removing my PP and replacing it with a BC and regulator. I did get 500 good hours out of the PP, but didn't want to push my luck based upon the high failure rate of the PP product brought out by this survey. What a pain finding a place to mount the regulator under the panel of the -10 on the firewall. I almost got myself stuck upside down under the panel at one point. ��. Had to have a buddy help extract me

[Captain_John]

Bill,

I was also wondering if that OP was using a Ford style regulator and not an LR3C.

When I am working under the panel I call it RV yoga!

Good choice converting over! The boredom is priceless!

CJ

[tc1234c]

I used a Canadian Aero 40 amp internally regulated Dennso alternator for 1,750 trouble free hours. When I replaced it with a PlanePower 60A unit 100 hrs ago, I found the mounting bracket cracked. Otherwise it still runs smoothly and charging.

O320 engine with fixed pitch prop.

[donaziza]

About 470 hours on a PP, then failed. Replaced with a B&C. Now about 60 hours on it. Somebody, a few pages back said we should have a poll on starters. I have a Skytec. About a year and 1/2 ago, I started a thread on what looks like "black grease" on my starter. That set off a firestorm, as apparently a heck of a lot of other guys had the same problem. I "think" Skytec started replacing them, although I'm still cleaning my old one.

Just click on my avatar, and scroll. You'll find it.

[Robski]

I had / have an ND alternator on my RV-6.

It was basically an automotive internally regulated one but with an aircraft company label on it.

After attending an aircraft wiring course I contacted the supplier (may have been PP - a few years ago now) about OV protection. I was told it was built in! I was a little dubious but left it at that.

A few months later I was in the cruise in close-ish formation. Did a panel scan: eeeek! Volts off the scale. Switched off alternator - no change. The ND start wire is just that: it turns the alt on but after that it becomes self energising.
Turned off the master. That 'fixed' it by blowing what was left of the internal regulator to heck.

Took the alternator apart, removed the regulator unit, modified the controlling brush to wire it to the 'start' terminal to turn it into a 'B&C'-a-like alternator, and fitted an external LR3C.

Been fine ever since, about 300 hours.