|
-
POSTING RULES

-
Donate yearly (please).
-
Advertise in here!
-
Today's Posts
|
Insert Pics
|
|
View Poll Results: On your current airplane, how reliable is/was your alternator
|
|
I have used an automotive alternator and had no failures in its first 250 hours.
|
 
|
124 |
25.83% |
|
I have used an automotive alternator that failed within the first 250 hours.
|
 
|
28 |
5.83% |
|
I have used a Plane Power alternator and had no failures in its first 250 hours.
|
 
|
145 |
30.21% |
|
I have used a Plane Power alternator that failed within the first 250 hours.
|
 
|
62 |
12.92% |
|
I have used a B&C alternator and had no failures in its first 250 hours.
|
 
|
118 |
24.58% |
|
I have used a B&C that failed within the first 250 hours.
|
 
|
3 |
0.63% |

07-06-2019, 12:47 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: bellingham, wa
Posts: 202
|
|
Our local electric motor shop stopped repairing alternators a few years ago. They couldn't afford the warranty claims. The biggest issue was voltage regulators, but they had bearing problems as well.
Obviously OEM's have better quality control, even if they come from China.
I would take a used one out of a low mileage wreck over any clone or rebuild.
My choice was brand "B" for a couple of other reasons, including the summary of this reliability poll.
|

07-06-2019, 08:08 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Vannes, FRANCE
Posts: 140
|
|
My first plane power failed after 100 hours no additional cooling. It was replaced under warranty by an other one and I added a cooling hose. Failed after 150hours.
Replaced with an other unit last week... let's see...
__________________
Van's RV8 3040 F-PVRB
Aerosport IO-375 turning WW200RV
Dual Dynon SV1000
SJ Wheel pants/plenum/cowl
Flying since 07/27/12
|

01-23-2020, 07:41 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 1,499
|
|
$32.11 free shipping
https://www.amazon.com/Stator-Leads-.../dp/B07HFGR9PR
Ensure movement of stator inside housing and of 4 stator leads are eliminated with high temperature sensor safe silicone. Unipoint and PP should have been ensuring this on their $500+ alternators. Its easier to blame out of balance props and lack of cooling blast tubes. DIY or take your airboat alternator to one of the few remaining alternator shops and spend 1/6.
Stator
Replace OEM(s): Denso
For: Nippondenso
Used On: Denso Alternators
Amps: 60 Amps
Amps Draw: 58 Amps
Amps Low Output: 60 Amps
Condition: New
Lam Stack ID: 3.031in / 77mm
Lam Stack OA Width: 25mm
Lam Stack OD: 3.937in / 100mm
Lam Stack Thickness: 1.051in / 26.7mm
Mounting OD: 100 mm
Slots Count: 36 Slots
Specification: 77X100
Voltage: 12 Volt
Weight: 1.66 lbs / 0.75 kg
__________________
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
Last edited by Wayne Gillispie : 01-23-2020 at 07:47 AM.
|

01-23-2020, 11:26 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Inver Grove Hgts, MN
Posts: 329
|
|
About 8 years ago I switched from the Van's 35a alternator to a Nippondenso, the one for a 70's Honda. I wired around the built-in regulator and retained my B&C external regulator. I had 2 failures caused by broken stator wires (covered by warranty). I stabilized the stator and the wiring as mentioned in the previous post and it's been fine ever since.
__________________
Mike Hilger
RV-6 N207AM w/G3X, 1,600 hours +
South St. Paul, MN (KSGS)
A&P, EAA Tech Counselor
We're all here because we're not all there...
|

01-24-2020, 06:35 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central IL
Posts: 5,516
|
|
Question about the guts . . .
The stators have a shoulder bolt that secures them to the housing. Are they loose? PP uses 2 of them but the design allows 4 to be used. More likely it is rotor orbit or rotor balance that initiates the vibration. Or the bolts were not properly torqued. I found a screw protruding from the belt end bearing retainer on one. It just was not screwed all the way in. A QC issue to be sure.
Question to you guys, what did the SRE (slip ring end) bearing look like? Did it have two plastic rings embedded in the outer race?

__________________
Bill
RV-7
Lord Kelvin:
“I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about,
and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you
cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge
is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.”
Last edited by BillL : 01-24-2020 at 06:39 AM.
|

02-01-2020, 03:16 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 1,499
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillL
The stators have a shoulder bolt that secures them to the housing. Are they loose? PP uses 2 of them but the design allows 4 to be used. More likely it is rotor orbit or rotor balance that initiates the vibration. Or the bolts were not properly torqued. I found a screw protruding from the belt end bearing retainer on one. It just was not screwed all the way in. A QC issue to be sure.
Question to you guys, what did the SRE (slip ring end) bearing look like? Did it have two plastic rings embedded in the outer race?

|
Yes, mine were loose. Star washers now installed.
__________________
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
|

02-03-2020, 05:41 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,009
|
|
I haven't read every post, but...
regardless of the reasons for failure, there are enough respondents to the OP to say with some level of confidence that:
Out of all respondents reporting failures before 250 hours,
[*]Automotive Alternators failed at a rate of 28/148 or 18.9%[*]Plane Power Alternators failed at a rate of 58/201 or 28.9%[*]B & C Alternators failed at a rate of 3/116 or 2.6%
Based on this survey, why would anyone buy a Plane Power alternator?
After that, I'm left with a choice of an automotive alternator that costs less than $100, is lifetime warranted, and has about a 1 in 5 chance of failing in the first 250 hours or,
I can buy a B&C (without a lifetime warranty?) for about 8 times as much,
knowing that the odds are very good that I'll make it past 250 hours without having to do a changeover.
I see that many respondents listed the time that they got out of their hardware before failure. This is a useful survey. Too bad everyone didn't list time to failure - that would have given us more useful information for decision making.
BTW, I'm now on my fourth automotive alternator, with total airframe time around 1300 hours. If I had a little extra cash laying around, I'd switch to B&C - my failures always seem to occur when I'm on an instrument FP and out of state.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP
|
| Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
|
| Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:12 AM.
|