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Alternator Failure

N941WR

N941WR

Legacy Member
After a really stressful day, I decided to pull the plane out and go play.

Preflight complete, buckled in, EFIS powered up, Master on, ignitions on, strobes on, fuel pump on, mixture full rich, CLEAR yelled, starter pushed propeller not spinning. What? Push that starter again and the prop hardly moved. Everything off, get out and move the prop by hand just to see if something is jammed. Nope, no problem there. Climb back in, turn everything on, press the starter button again. Again, nothing happens. A quick look at the voltage tells the story, only 12.1 volts. That is odd, I had just flown the plane on Sunday for 3.1 hours and it should be fully charged.

I plug in the charter and the battery quickly comes up to 12.5 volts. That should be "a plenty" as my Grandmother used to say. Sure enough, after climbing in, strapping in, and turning everything back on the engine fires right up with 12.5 volts.

Of I go into the wild blue yonder. Only one problem, instead of the voltage level increasing, as one would expect, I notice I am down to 11.6 volts and dropping. Hummm... It looks as though I have an alternator that isn't alternating. I enter the pattern and notice the flaps don't want to go down as fast as they usually do. Yep, my battery is getting weak.

After landing and putting it back in the hangar, off comes the cowl and a quick inspection and removal, in addition to an oil change.

I was stunned to find that the price of replacement Plane Power 60 amp alternator is over $450 and a rebuild is "only" $225. Man, I miss that ND 60 amp alternator I had with the old engine!

Saturday will be spent looking for a local shop that can rebuild it. I'll report back.
 
And this is why I continue to have ND's on my planes. Don't get me wrong - B&C makes a good alternator, Plane Power Makes a good alternator...as does ND. But "good" is not the same as "perfect", and there are many posts and threads here on VAF about failures in all of them. My personal take after reading many, many cases is that the failures are usually brought on by mounting problems or cooling problems - not generally the fault of the alternator - but that does happen as well.

The difference with an ND is that you can pick up a replacement almost anywhere, even on a Friday night (or a Sunday morning at most autoparts stores). Since I travel a lot, and don't like to get stuck waiting on a new alternator to get shipped out, I like the "operational reliability" I get from the auto part alternator. Ideally, we'd be able to buy an lternator that never failed - and that would be worth the extra cost. But I have yet to see one liek that, so I go with what leaves me grounded the least.
 
Bill, I find a digital voltmeter far more useful than current meter on most days.
When you got the plane started... and saw 12.5 volts with the engine running, it was already clear that there was a problem.
Taking flight at that point, and hoping it would rise to your "normal" readings of let's say 13.7 or so....was not realistic.
I keep a little reference card in the glove box with voltages, cruise fuel flows at various altitudes, misc. data that is interesting when cross country, etc.
There are some threads that have discussed the proper voltages when the regulator kicks in for lead acid batteries, lithium, Odyssey etc.
It is informative to go back and read them some time. Knowing what the alternator is supposed to do, in terms of voltage.... rather than just current flow in and out is pretty good to know.
Now, excessive current draw might clue you to other electric issues in flight... so don't get me wrong. I would not give up the Dynon bar graph in my plane for AMPS. Sorry you have to replace the alternator.... but check the other threads as well. Lots of substitute parts there that have been installed with good results and cheaper.
 
Just a thought here: Are you sure it is the alternator itself that is bad? It is the most expensive part in the system.

Good troubleshooting can determine what is really wrong in the charging system.

My troubleshooting checklist, item #1 is: Start with the cheapest part, like a loose wire, broken wire, loose push-on connection, bad ground, etc. etc. Move up the dollar chain, blown fuse, popped CB, bad regulator, broken belt, loose belt, ............ I believe B & C has a good troubleshooting checklist.

At least have the alternator tested before you buy a new $$$ one.

You may have already done all this, and if so, ..... "NeverMind". :p
 
Bill, I am sorry to hear about your alternator failure. Really... I am.

However I am going to take this opportunity to rag on PP and tell you to get a B&C.

Lately it seems this board has been littered with PP and cheapo ND (Suzuki Samuri) alternator failures. Both have been the topics of so many threads!

Walt, I know that you and Vlad are in my camp here.

The B&C costs more and it is a small price to pay for reliability.

Bill, take this opportunity to replace your old alternator with a B&C now!

You won't be sorry!

:) CJ
 
I'm firmly planted in the B&C camp, I think they have the best alt/reg system out there hands down. I also don't recall seeing or hearing of any failures, although I'm sure there must be some because like Paul said, nobody is "perfect".
 
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Walt said:
I'm firmly planted in the B&C camp, I think they have the best alt/reg system out there hands down. I also don't recall seeing or hearing of any failures, although I'm sure there must be some because like Paul said, nobody is "perfect".
Click to expand...

I'm 14 years "in" on my B&C alternator with no problems. Only one data point, I know, but I drank the Kool-Aid and offer it to those who inquire.
 
Inquiring Mind

N941WR said:
I was stunned to find that the price of replacement Plane Power 60 amp alternator is over $450 and a rebuild is "only" $225. Man, I miss that ND 60 amp alternator I had with the old engine!

Saturday will be spent looking for a local shop that can rebuild it. I'll report back.
Click to expand...

Bill, I searched the lester catalogs, with a guest login, and could not definitively identify the PP original manufacturer. It has a smaller OD stator than the B&C (ND based). My bet is that it is either the connector terminals, or a broken stator wire, so if you can get that shop to save your old parts an tell us what model stator he used it would be helpful.

I think it is the 100mm OD, possibly ND. If so the stator wires are short and straight, so if they were "tensioned" by installation of the screw then a little vibration, or thermal cycling would break them. The stators I found were in the $30-40 range. BTW ND makes a 100mm, 110mm, 118mm OD stator. The 100 is pretty rare in the field, maybe this is why.

Obviously, it would be different if one repairs, rebuilt, vs overhauls the old one, as in new bearings, brush holder etc. There are vendors that wind these stators as a will fit. They advertise to make what ever modifications one would want. It would seem a short braided pigtail would be cheap enough for us.

To Pauls post - if we can get a dozen clearly identified hours-to-failure and actual failure mode, we can easily construct a Weibull curve to pick your replacement with a confidence band of ones choosing. Then, just begin to carry a spare in preparation for failure, like Rosie. Probably too much work, but easy.
 
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B&C for me

I'm with Walt. Tried the others, and finally went B&C. I also put their voltage regulator on at the same time. That was $228 dollars of insurance for my expensive avionics. Let's see, that was thirteen years ago. I don't even think about the alternator much anymore except at annual time when everything gets looked at. I start up and the voltage reads 14.1 VDC. I press on.
Really guys. B&C are the best, and they are worth the price.
 
I work on airplanes for a living, when I fly somewhere my idea of fun is definitely not working on my airplane. If I have a component with such a high failure rate that I would have to carry a spare or plan each stop based on the location of the nearest Autozone... well that just ain't gonna work for me.
 
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I'm beginning to think alternator manufacturers are quickly overtaking primer/no-primer for the favorite religious argument topic.
 
I'm also a B&C junkie, but can attest to the fact that their stuff isn't perfect. I'm currently doing battle with a my rebuilt $$$ B&C alternator that doesn't work. Good thing I had a NEW one on the shelf.
 
The old engine had the ND Suzuki alternator and when I Super Sized my engine I thought I was doing a good thing by putting the Plane Power alternator on it. Not so, as it turns out. The reason for the change was that when I hit the trailer, it cracked the old alternator housing, along with a few other "minor" parts.

It turns out the one alternator shop in our little town is closed on weekends.

I might run out and buy the Suzuki replacement but for the life of me, I can't recall what bushings and fittings I need, so I doubt I will be able to salvage the trip I had planned today.

BTW, I had 440 hours on the alternator.
 
Eh
Walt said:
I'm firmly planted in the B&C camp, I think they have the best alt/reg system out there hands down. I also don't recall seeing or hearing of any failures, although I'm sure there must be some because like Paul said, nobody is "perfect".
Click to expand...

My B&C regulator crapped out after one year and a week before my airplane was to be picked up by its new owner!
 
scard said:
I'm also a B&C junkie, but can attest to the fact that their stuff isn't perfect. I'm currently doing battle with a my rebuilt $$$ B&C alternator that doesn't work. Good thing I had a NEW one on the shelf.
Click to expand...
Scott, you and I think a lot alike. I was thinking of just ordering a new one and having this one rebuilt so it is ready for the next failure. Only that isn't going to happen due to the price. :O
 
N941WR said:
The old engine had the ND Suzuki alternator and when I Super Sized my engine I thought I was doing a good thing by putting the Plane Power alternator on it. Not so, as it turns out. The reason for the change was that when I hit the trailer, it cracked the old alternator housing, along with a few other "minor" parts.

It turns out the one alternator shop in our little town is closed on weekends.

I might run out and buy the Suzuki replacement but for the life of me, I can't recall what bushings and fittings I need, so I doubt I will be able to salvage the trip I had planned today.

BTW, I had 440 hours on the alternator.
Click to expand...
Bill, just wondering, do you think cooling is the issue? I have one of these alternators installed, although not flying yet and have been wrestling with the pros and cons of putting a blast tube on to cool the back of the alternator.
 
Ironflight said:
And this is why I continue to have ND's on my planes. Don't get me wrong - B&C makes a good alternator, Plane Power Makes a good alternator...as does ND. But "good" is not the same as "perfect", and there are many posts and threads here on VAF about failures in all of them. My personal take after reading many, many cases is that the failures are usually brought on by mounting problems or cooling problems - not generally the fault of the alternator - but that does happen as well.

The difference with an ND is that you can pick up a replacement almost anywhere, even on a Friday night (or a Sunday morning at most autoparts stores). Since I travel a lot, and don't like to get stuck waiting on a new alternator to get shipped out, I like the "operational reliability" I get from the auto part alternator. Ideally, we'd be able to buy an lternator that never failed - and that would be worth the extra cost. But I have yet to see one liek that, so I go with what leaves me grounded the least.
Click to expand...

I do believe the B&C is a slightly modified ND. I've had good luck with them on 2 previous airplanes, have the Plane Power on the 8 and am waiting for the shoe to drop.

I wonder what it is that kills an alternator on an airplane? They seldom fail on an auto. My Honda Pilot has 235,000 miles, I replaced the it at 140,000 just to be safe but it was still running well. I've read they typically last 175,000 miles which is about 3500 hours of operation.
 
Could someone tell me how to wire the pins on the ND alternator? I don't have the plug and will use push on connectors.
 
N941WR said:
Could someone tell me how to wire the pins on the ND alternator? I don't have the plug and will use push on connectors.
Click to expand...

Never mind, the wiring info came with the ND alternator. What doesn't come with the alternator is the correct brackets.
 
It depends . . .

David-aviator said:
I do believe the B&C is a slightly modified ND. I've had good luck with them on 2 previous airplanes, have the Plane Power on the 8 and am waiting for the shoe to drop.

I wonder what it is that kills an alternator on an airplane? They seldom fail on an auto. My Honda Pilot has 235,000 miles, I replaced the it at 140,000 just to be safe but it was still running well. I've read they typically last 175,000 miles which is about 3500 hours of operation.
Click to expand...

Each application of an alternator is different. Each installation is different. Autos, trucks, tractors, etc have varying degrees of engineering validation (being kind) to ensure that they are operating within given envelopes. They have intimate access to the alternator suppliers that want the parts to live and will help ensure that happens. The experimental world does little of this. It seems B&C tries to do this in various ways, as does PP hopefully.

External factors: Thermal, vibration, Belt forces, operational cycles and then think about the range vibrations, g's frequency, directions, and the same for the other factors. Operating speed, revs per mile, etc.

Temperature limits (one time, cycles, and weight averaging) of the electronics would be reached sooner than a limit for the rotor or stator.

Components: List each component and consider what the limitations of each are in comparison to the listed external factors. This is a taste of why.

My opinion on negative factors for our birds:
bearings - high speeds and temperatures need premium lubricants - belt wrap is poor and needs higher belt tension. Increased temps for belt will shorten the belt and add to the bearing loads. ( worse but kinda rare - other things fail first)
Internals - vibration - the footprint for mounting seems narrow and the case attachment is likely very active - much more than an auto. ( seems to be the driver for the PP failures, affects internal wires, brushes etc)
Temperature - close proximity to exhaust pipes, but air flow wise should be better than auto with such high under hood temps, and high cooling system temps. If we actually knew the temps then they could be corrected. More installation than application. ( regulators/ rectifier bridge would be primary failures)
 
David-aviator said:
I wonder what it is that kills an alternator on an airplane? They seldom fail on an auto. My Honda Pilot has 235,000 miles, I replaced the it at 140,000 just to be safe but it was still running well. I've read they typically last 175,000 miles which is about 3500 hours of operation.
Click to expand...

I've been following alternator threads in experimental aircraft for over ten years, and it is my opinion that it is not as much the choice of alternator as it is the skill of the builder/mechanic that determines how long they last. Walt works on airplanes EVERY DAY - he knows that good alignment, cooling, connections, and belt tension are important. Same with Dany - and all of us that get good service from our alternators. If you really study the histories, as folks get more experienced, their alternator failures go down ( or away), regardless of brand. Brand wars are silly - they all fail, and they all last.

The biggest difference between the car alternators we use in our airplanes, and how they are sued in cars, is that we turn them a lot faster. We also mount them to high-vibration engines, and often cool them poorly. If you treat them as "plug and play", just bolting them on without checking things, they wont' make it very far.

In my experience, here are the key points:

Connections - no matter what brand you use, of the crimps aren't good and the wires disconnect, you won't get electricity.

Regulator Cooling - Internally regulated alternators need blast cooling. If you don't do it, you'll most likely have a reg failure. This is where the externally-regulated B&C has an advantage, and it is the biggest branch point in the decision tree about what brand to go with. It's nice to be able to adjust the voltage as well. However - blast-cooled internally-regulated units can and do last well over a thousand hours, and yes, you can get them anywhere if they fail. I don't carry a spare, and don't want to. But that's your choice.

Alignment - I have rarely seen an alternator and bracket that lines up the pulley with the flywheel perfectly right out of the box. Adjustment and shimming is necessary. Make those pulleys co-planar, and it reduces cyclic loads on the bearings and mounts.

Firm attachment - can't tell you how many times I have found alternators loose and rattling in their mounts because bolts weren't torqued and safetied.

Engine Balance - get a dynamic balancing done - smooth machinery is happy machinery. Shake, rattle and roll kills stuff.

Belt tension - too loose and you'll lose generating capacity. Too tight - you'll kill bearings.

My take-away - Take the time to mount whatever brand you use correctly, and it will last a long time.
 
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A friend reminded me of the following :

PlanePower? they sold out (to former Kelly).. hence the replacement cost.. had they stayed an independent shop the repair cost would have been a lot more reasonable.. Having said that yours lasted pretty long time... remember mine died at 70 hrs but has been going strong ever since
Click to expand...
 
Bill sorry to hear about your alternator trouble. Paul great key points and I checked all of them years ago. Probably that's why my little B&C thingy is still in good health. Merrily producing current after 2K hours on original belt rain or shine. :)
 
Moving to the "endless repair" phase

Paul's tips for setting up an alternator properly is excellent advice. It takes time to educate yourself and then set all the details up properly on an RV build and many builders just want to get to the finish line and go flying. Typically they rush things and then when the aircraft is actually flying they simply move from the "build" phase to the "endless repair" phase. :rolleyes:

Having said that I have been a member of VansAirforce for a long time (since the start actually) and based on the posts that I have read over all of those years there is no question that B&C has by far the best track record. In fact it is quite rare for people on VansAirforce to report failures of B&C alternators. Occasionally you hear of a failure but , as I said, it's very rare. Most people who have them swear by them. On the other hand it has been empirically observable via VansAirforce posts that a lot of people have had trouble with the Plane Power alternators. There is no question that, to date, the Plane Power alternator has not proven to be anywhere near as reliable as the B&C product. Anyone on this forum can use the archives to establish that fact.

As Paul has pointed out it is good to set up any alternator properly but that does not mean that all alternators are born equal.

My best guess is that most builders who have been on this forum for long enough understand that the B&C alternator has by far the best track record but most simply don't want to spend the extra dollars to buy one. They are quite expensive and the B&C external regulator is more money again.

Based on my experience I think that the alternator is an area of the aircraft where builders would be wise to pay a bit more for a more reliable product. ;)
 
Too important

Bob hit the nail on the head here. With today's mostly glass and often all glass cockpits you really require a dependable source of electricity. I don't understand spending $40k+ on a panel that is equipped and expected to be flown IFR and then cutting a few dollars on the alternator. And then to boot spending more time and dollars on dual busses. A robust electrical system with a proven alternator/regulator combination, installed properly as Paul mentioned, becomes extremely reliable, saves weight, and eliminates complexity. Quite candidly, the B&C primary alternator, backed up by the vacuum pad standby alternator, is really all you ever need. And my experience across many installations and thousands of hours in my own homebuilts with this set up has me carrying around the standby unit for decoration. It's never been needed except for piece of mind.

This is experimental aviation, and I get that and admire those who still experiment as well as those who have come before us. But for those who want and need reliability, and expect it, then there are reliable choices.

Vic
 
Autopsy of dead altenator

Do we have any consensus about what fails. It would be nice to know wether it is diodes or bearings or insulation of the windings that fails. Inquiring minds want to know

Gary Specketer
 
Gary 40274 said:
Do we have any consensus about what fails. It would be nice to know wether it is diodes or bearings or insulation of the windings that fails. Inquiring minds want to know

Gary Specketer
Click to expand...

no, i don't think so...
i also have a feeling, in many cases, the actual failure is not followed up and the failed alt just replaced (both with the aviation and the automotive parts) or sent in for repairs (without detailed feedback on what broke)

in our recent documented case, it was the field brushes or more specifically the wires from the brush-holder to the brushes that broke.
everything else appeared in ok shape. definitely wasn't an alignment / bearing issue nor an electronic/regulator etc... related issue.

regards,
bernie
 
Ironflight said:
Firm attachment - can't tell you how many times I have found alternators loose and rattling in their mounts because bolts weren't torqued and safetied.

Engine Balance - get a dynamic balancing done - smooth machinery is happy machinery. Shake, rattle and roll kills stuff.

Belt tension - too loose and you'll lose generating capacity. Too tight - you'll kill bearings.

My take-away - Take the time to mount whatever brand you use correctly, and it will last a long time.
Click to expand...

Paul, very good points.... I made the decision to go PP last year. I have the 70amp belt driven internally regulated Alt, and the 30amp vacuum pad driven secondary alternator for my second battery. I have a blast tube in place for the main alt.

So, this week, when I'm back out working on the plane, I'm going to go through my alternator install in every detail, check the pins in the plug, the mounting etc...

So, Paul or Walt, how do you determine the "propper" tension for the belt? And other then a strait edge and visual, how do you determine the alignment of the pulleys?

I've thought about switching to BandC, but I haven't even given my PP a chance yet. From that I know, if they are installed properly, they should last a very long time.
 
This seems like a good place for a stick-up! Or a query...

While on the subject of alternators, I have an issue, and hope you guys can help. Let's say a 'friend' has this plane... Anyway, the front alternator mounting hole on the engine case is ruined. I,,, I mean my friend, didn't notice it on the pre-buy exam. Can an alternator be mounted safely using the remaining 3 holes? The plane currently has a pad mounted low-power SD-8. So, if necessary, that can swapped for an SD-20.

Thanks, and you guys rock!

Lance
 
Lance, if the SD-8

is currently doing the job, and you just want a few more electrons, the SD-20 is and easier solution --- I installed one as a "standby" and it is pretty straightforward.

Ron
 
Are you talking about the forward of the two holes that attach the saddle bracket to the case on a flat pad surface?
 
4 holes!

The mounting pad for the bracket has 4 holes in a line. The hole farthest forward is ruined. So, just the three are useable.

Thanks, Lance
 
4? Hmm. They're typically mounted with 2 bolts. Parts catalog calls for STD 1838 bolts, quantity two.
 
Bluelabel said:
How do you measure? What tool and how?
Thanks,
Click to expand...

Those values are the torque on the alternator pulley that will cause the belt to slip on the pulley. Find a socket that fits on the big nut that secures the pulley, and put your torque wrench on it.

For a new belt, set a click type torque wrench to 11 ft-lb (132 in-lb), and it should click without the belt slipping. Then set the wrench to 13 ft-lb (156 in-lb) and the pulley should start to slip on the belt before the wrench clicks. If you have a beam type torque wrench, the belt should start to slip when the torque is between 11 and 13 ft-lb. Adjust the tension as required until it passes the above test.

For a used belt, replace the above values with 7 and 9 ft-lb (84 and 108 in-lb).
 
Gary 40274 said:
Do we have any consensus about what fails. It would be nice to know wether it is diodes or bearings or insulation of the windings that fails. Inquiring minds want to know

Gary Specketer
Click to expand...
No yet. My PP alternator will be dropped off at a local "rebuilder" and I hope he can give me some answers.

It doesn't feel like the bearings went bad as it spins as easily as the Suzuki alternator I bought, that may or may not go in the plane.

There is a lot of black dust on it, so it might simply be the brushes, or the diodes, or the ...

I'll post when I know more.

Bill L., I received your email and will try to get all the details on make, model, size, etc. as well.
 
aerhed said:
4? Hmm. They're typically mounted with 2 bolts. Parts catalog calls for STD 1838 bolts, quantity two.
Click to expand...
It depends on who's bracket you are using. The milled (?) aluminum bracket from Van's uses all four holes and the U shaped steal bracket from PP uses the front two.
 
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2 steel L brackets

Vans supplied me with 2 steel "L" brackets. One sits on top of the other. I imagine if two bolts will hold a bracket, then 3 will be fine. The bracket components are pretty heavy! I think I'll cut off the excess and weld it together... Maybe ad an arm to a nearby bolt. In the meantime I'll be leaving the SD8 on for a while until I feel I can trust the new setup.

Thanks, Lance
 
judoka5051 said:
While on the subject of alternators, I have an issue, and hope you guys can help. Let's say a 'friend' has this plane... Anyway, the front alternator mounting hole on the engine case is ruined. I,,, I mean my friend, didn't notice it on the pre-buy exam. Can an alternator be mounted safely using the remaining 3 holes? The plane currently has a pad mounted low-power SD-8. So, if necessary, that can swapped for an SD-20.

Thanks, and you guys rock!

Lance
Click to expand...
This really deserves its own thread as it has nothing to do with the alternator failure and would be something someone in the future might want to look up.
 
No body knows

So by the lack of response am I to conclude that we have all these failures and we don't have a handle on just what is failing. If that is true we need to dissect some of the dead ones and see what needs beefing up.

Gary Specketer
 
Installed digital temp probe

on alternator. Found that due to position of normal alternators just below front cyl temp is low in flight and gets high quick on taxi or other ground ops. After 2000 hrs in our RV6a and about 4 alternator fails; I find that brushes are the first to go or most frequent fail. Diodes may be next with regulators close behind, possibly ahead. I blame the general shorter life on higher vibration and also usually higher altitude of planes vs cars. I made a simple cooling plenum attached to the rear of my ND alternator with a 1 inch tube and a 90 degree branch off the heat input hose (2 inch) that goes to the heater muff. Now my taxi temp stays below 150 f, and flight temp is about 110 to 120. Agree with Paul's ideas too.
 
Gary 40274 said:
So by the lack of response am I to conclude that we have all these failures and we don't have a handle on just what is failing. If that is true we need to dissect some of the dead ones and see what needs beefing up.

Gary Specketer
Click to expand...

I actually think that what you're looking for is there Gary. Diode/Reg packs fail because of heat. Wire connections and armatures fail becase of vibration. Bearings fail because of cyclic overload or misalignment. It's not rocket science, and I have seen all of these things in various planes.

Now back in my certified days, I remember loosing the (big MOPAR) alternator in my Grumman. Pulled the cowl off and found the entire rear bearing assembly broken off the case. That was a $600 replacement, and only the approved part was allowed - so glad I have choices in the experiemental world!
 
Thanks!

Kevin Horton said:
Those values are the torque on the alternator pulley that will cause the belt to slip on the pulley. Find a socket that fits on the big nut that secures the pulley, and put your torque wrench on it.

For a new belt, set a click type torque wrench to 11 ft-lb (132 in-lb), and it should click without the belt slipping. Then set the wrench to 13 ft-lb (156 in-lb) and the pulley should start to slip on the belt before the wrench clicks. If you have a beam type torque wrench, the belt should start to slip when the torque is between 11 and 13 ft-lb. Adjust the tension as required until it passes the above test.

For a used belt, replace the above values with 7 and 9 ft-lb (84 and 108 in-lb).
Click to expand...
Thanks Kevin, that's really helpful. An easy test to do. Next oil change....
 
I bought a Nippondenso alternator (originally for a Honda, turns the correct way) and modified it per the instructions here: http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/Alternators/One-Wire_Alternator_Conversion.pdf I used my existing B&C external regulator.
Worked great but I had two failures fairly soon after putting into service. I found out the wires from the stator to the rectifier assy were breaking. I opened up the next one and stabilized the wires with some glue-filled heatshrink. No problems since. I never fly IFR but if I did my "science fair" alternator would be replaced with a B&C with it's all-new parts. Fun project, though.
 
The big DUH!

On Monday a friend dropped my Plane Power alternator off at a local repair shop. The shop spun it up and found nothing wrong with it.

So, back to the plane with an VOM to check my wiring. Nothing was out of sorts and everything checked fine.

I then cycled the alternator field breaker a bunch of times just clear that up.

This afternoon I started the plane and it was definitely charging the battery.

All I can figure is that either the breaker was not making a good contact or that one of the wire contacts were not making a good connection and that by reinstalling the alternator, it cleaned the contacts.

The shop that looked at it said it looks like a ND 60 amp alternator with some modifications to the case. (He wasn't real helpful with that kind of info.)

With that in mind, there doesn't seem to be any reason not to go with the Suzuki alternator.
 
N941WR said:
On Monday a friend dropped my Plane Power alternator off at a local repair shop. The shop spun it up and found nothing wrong with it.

So, back to the plane with an VOM to check my wiring. Nothing was out of sorts and everything checked fine.

I then cycled the alternator field breaker a bunch of times just clear that up.

This afternoon I started the plane and it was definitely charging the battery.

All I can figure is that either the breaker was not making a good contact or that one of the wire contacts were not making a good connection and that by reinstalling the alternator, it cleaned the contacts.

The shop that looked at it said it looks like a ND 60 amp alternator with some modifications to the case. (He wasn't real helpful with that kind of info.)

With that in mind, there doesn't seem to be any reason not to go with the Suzuki alternator.
Click to expand...

Probably the connector terminals. If so, it will recur in a few hours. Just get a new connector plug and pot the wire exits so you will be ready.
 
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