Howdy!
My 160 amp LN alternator appears to be shot. In researching on FF I have seen some reference to rebuilding it as a 200 amp. Is there any downside to that?
Thanks,
Trent
Who would be doing the rebuilding? I'm inclined to think the best solution would be to send it back to LN (just south of Cincinnati) to have them rebuild it.
I can tell you that I have been through 3 rebuilt alternators, averaging less than 10k miles each. I had the last one "autopsied" in the hopes of pointing me to potential problems on the coach that I could fix. According to the alternator dealer, a burnt recitifier could indicate certain issues while a bad stator would be something else, etc. What they found was a loose internal wire at the rectifier that caused it to burn up...clearly a poor quality rebuild. They are also frequently built with cheap parts. And they typically only replace the parts that have actually failed. So, you may get an alternator with a new diode or rectifier that is otherwise almost worn out. I'm just saying, make sure you trust your rebuilder if you go that way. I went ahead and bought a brand new LN this time, which has an upgraded rectifier design since my original unit. I haven't put any miles on it yet but I'm hoping to have better results this time. I am also going to do the battery sense wire modification that can be found in other posts to make sure I'm not driving the alternator any harder than necessary. And, I plan to rely on it less for charging my house batteries than I have in the past.
As far as 160 vs 200 amp, I doubt if you would ever use more than the 160 amp output. My alternator dealer lead me to believe that the upgrade would be wasted money...and quite a bit of it.
Thank you very much for this information.
Trent
One potential downside to the 200amp that you may want to look into is a decreased ouput at lower RPM. I think they told me that I would get less at idle, for instance. Not sure if it would be significantly less or not. I also seriously contemplated switching to a 3-wire Delco that is supposedly newer technology but it would have required providing an exciter wire from my isolator block. I was told that this also could reduce my low RPM output because of voltage loss across the diode in the isolator. The LN that I actually ended up buying was the cheapest alternative so I don't think the dealer had any reason to to dissuade me from either the 200amp or the Delco. He was an authorized dealer and had both in stock.
All of my previous rebuilds were over the counter exchanges at Houston Alternator. I can't really say for sure about the 1st 2 but the build quality of the last one convinced me to look elsewhere. Leece-Neville recommended Tracy Electric and he treated me very well. They would have rebuilt mine and I'm sure they would have done a great job but it was so close in price to a brand new one that it wasn't worth rebuilding. He was very helpful and he is actually a former Foretravel owner. Unfortunately he said that the day he sold it was one of his best days as an RV owner but he at least understands RV's and charging systems very well. 713-675-3981 if anyone wants to talk to him. I think his name was Larry Tracy.
After hearing all the mixed reviews on alternator rebuilds I decided to rebuild my own. They are very simple devices, quite basic internals. Mine had a loose output post which turned put to be a steel carriage bolt loosely fit to an aluminum diode block. The block was burned, bought a replacement block with new diodes, reassembled and all has been good since. Fifty bucks.
I recharge house bank with impunity though have wet cells with lower charge acceptance than gels. After looking at the build quality of LN, will replace w delco when it goes.
Chuck, now that is a statement since many insist LN is the best. ::)
Prestolite/Leece Neville alternators are easy to work on. They have internal regulators with either a fully adjustable (our U300) or 3 stage type. Diode testing/replacement is a 1 on a 1 to 10 difficulty scale. All that is needed is a good digital voltmeter, small conventional screwdriver, a paper clip and a short jumper. See the excellent site with DIY illustrations at: Prestolite - Leece Neville (http://www.prestolite.com/pgs_support/trouble_shoot_1.php)
Lot of other good brands also. Bosch makes an excellent product with replaceable diodes and brushes without even loosening the drive belt. Just two conventional screws.
Pierce
Pierce,
Thanks for the link. Those step-by-step troubleshooting instructions are awesome!
Trent