P38A Alternator Problem?

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Yes I borrowed a battery charger off a friend, I think it was an Acctiva Professional, it looked expensive anyway! Read the instructions and found a mode called refresh which is used to charge the battery if it is suspected that the battery has been deeply discharged (e.g. battery sulphated). Says using this mode the plates are reactivated (degradation of sulphate layer). Took 48hrs to complete but now with a fully charged/refreshed battery and a new alternator all is working perfectly again.
 
Good to see you have had a good outcome.
A slight hijack of the thread - if I changed the regulator on my twin battery 2.4 Vm (1988) would the existing wireing cope with the higher output? I tend to do a few short journeys per week, longest being a round trip of 30 miles once a month, find I need to top up the batteries every now and again in the winter when everything is on.
 
Good to see you have had a good outcome.
A slight hijack of the thread - if I changed the regulator on my twin battery 2.4 Vm (1988) would the existing wireing cope with the higher output? I tend to do a few short journeys per week, longest being a round trip of 30 miles once a month, find I need to top up the batteries every now and again in the winter when everything is on.

My thinking is that the power output is determined by the number of coils of wire and that isn't changing. Voltage goes up so current should go down and with less current the wiring will be fine. Also, the percentage difference between 14.5 and 13.8 is only about 5% so pretty sure it could handle it.
 
My thinking is that the power output is determined by the number of coils of wire and that isn't changing. Voltage goes up so current should go down and with less current the wiring will be fine. Also, the percentage difference between 14.5 and 13.8 is only about 5% so pretty sure it could handle it.
my understanding is voltage is regulated by turning the supply on and off, so the current would potentially be the same. voltage is increased by allowing the circuit to complete for longer periods of time.

I'd also say, changing the regulator is unlikely to help in this instance, although upping the voltage should be done anyways. if the alternator isn't keeping the battery topped up, a battery charger (possibly solar) is a better solution
 
Good to see you have had a good outcome.
A slight hijack of the thread - if I changed the regulator on my twin battery 2.4 Vm (1988) would the existing wireing cope with the higher output? I tend to do a few short journeys per week, longest being a round trip of 30 miles once a month, find I need to top up the batteries every now and again in the winter when everything is on.
Ask Datatek about his solar panels he uses for his cars. ;)
 
my understanding is voltage is regulated by turning the supply on and off, so the current would potentially be the same. voltage is increased by allowing the circuit to complete for longer periods of time.

I'd also say, changing the regulator is unlikely to help in this instance, although upping the voltage should be done anyways. if the alternator isn't keeping the battery topped up, a battery charger (possibly solar) is a better solution

That's a valid point but we're talking maxed out here.
 
The Lucas A127 body uses a mobiletron vr153a, which will give you the higher set point. Both of mine usually run around 14.3v. VR is just under 20 quid. Replacement VRs that fit may not have the higher set point. The challenge with buying replacement alternators is that they seem to come with the original spec VR, whereas, as noted, that's not what your modern battery wants.

VR for diesel is different...

Your Denso A127 was an OEM replacement, chances are you only needed to replace the VR anyway
 
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