Andy Moltu Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 My alternator died last night. It did years of service and as I recall 60amp. (Bosch pump, electric fan and heated seats) Any recommendations at sane prices? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 (edited) What type is it and how has it failed? It may be fairly simple and cheaper to repair the old one. Basically you get what you pay for. Many very cheap Lucas ACR style alternators are of far-east origin and can be a bit iffy. One based on the Denso mechanism will be more expensive but probably more reliable too. Edited September 8, 2023 by RobH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted September 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 Plan was to repair and keep as a travelling spare. Couldn't see anything visible but not removed it. Saw light glowing and reading 16v (Dropping on tickover) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 Sounds as though the regulator unit has failed. That is simple to replace on most alternators. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 Hi Andy, I have a Bosch alternator, rated at 55A; it looks very similar to the Lucas alternators. There are other Bosch part numbers that are a straight fit. Part number: 0986.036.020, but I think the xx.010 and xx.030 will be suitable too. Mine is fitted in a Ford Escort around 1990 but it was also fitted to other cars of that age. Avoid cheap repro’s, I have a 2nd hand Bosch as a spare, not needed so far. Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
harlequin Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 1 hour ago, Waldi said: Hi Andy, I have a Bosch alternator, rated at 55A; it looks very similar to the Lucas alternators. There are other Bosch part numbers that are a straight fit. Part number: 0986.036.020, but I think the xx.010 and xx.030 will be suitable too. Mine is fitted in a Ford Escort around 1990 but it was also fitted to other cars of that age. Avoid cheap repro’s, I have a 2nd hand Bosch as a spare, not needed so far. Waldi Thanks for posting the reference number for the Bosch alternator, I suspect that I will be getting one in the not to distant future as my alternator has been on my car for decades. Every time I go on a run I wonder if this will be the last trip for the alternator but still it runs on reliably. George Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 Hi George, My friend has a cheap (80 euro) repro, the bearings failed. Chinese bearings. So far the Bosch behaved well, as one would expect. Cheers, Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
harlequin Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 Waldi I suppose really I should change it before it finally dies, but have been reluctant to fit the replacement Lucas part that my local supplier has on offer. Also ofcourse if it fails it wond stop the car from driving and leave me stranded. George Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 1 minute ago, harlequin said: Also of course if it fails it would stop the car from driving and leave me stranded. Not necessarily. As long as you are not using headlights or anything else that draws considerable current, and minimise use of the starter, you can drive for some hours on the battery alone. The ignition only draws about 4A so the battery can supply that for quite a while if fully charged.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
harlequin Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 3 hours ago, RobH said: Not necessarily. As long as you are not using headlights or anything else that draws considerable current, and minimise use of the starter, you can drive for some hours on the battery alone. The ignition only draws about 4A so the battery can supply that for quite a while if fully charged.. My car gets used most day but only locally, I do do longer trips but then it's often in the company of other TRs. A friend had his alternator die on a dark and rainy night on our way back from a trip to France a couple of years ago, we kept going by swapping batteries when his started to run low. You have to love TRs, they nearly always seem to limp home under their own steam George Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted September 9, 2023 Report Share Posted September 9, 2023 18 hours ago, RobH said: Not necessarily. As long as you are not using headlights or anything else that draws considerable current, and minimise use of the starter, you can drive for some hours on the battery alone. The ignition only draws about 4A so the battery can supply that for quite a while if fully charged.. The alternator of a friends TR6-PI failed last year on our way home. By minimising current consumption (lights, fan, even wipers), we managed to get home, about 100 km (motorway) after it failed; by the time we got home, the brake lights nearly were invisible. So I think 1-2 hrs is the limit with a PI, when the battery is in good condition and large, like 70 Ah. Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Smith Posted September 9, 2023 Report Share Posted September 9, 2023 (edited) Edit: I see the plan was to repair anyway, so remove my post. Edited September 9, 2023 by Andrew Smith Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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