[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] [New Search]
I switched to an alternator as it was cheaper than getting a replacement generator. Picked up a dirt cheap RX7 unit from a local Japanese Car salvage yard. This conversion is on my stock 1600 pancake setup. However there is another reason for switching to an alternator. Admittedly it is a rare situation for a Type 3 setup, but... I'll be switching to an upright Porsche cooling system when my Type 4 engine is built. The Porsche cooling system use an alternator. Just thought I'd mention it. cheers, Dan ---- On Wed, 2005-03-23 at 05:20, type3-d-request@vwtype3.org wrote: > > ______________________________________________________________________ > From: Jim Adney <jadney@vwtype3.org> > To: type3@vwtype3.org > Subject: Re: [T3] DBB alternator > Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 22:38:50 -0600 > > It's not that I enjoying raining on other people's parades, but I it's only > fair to point out a few things about the whole concept of an alternator > conversion. > > The main thing to understand is that while alternators ARE really cool and > interesting things, there is absolutely no advantage to them for the vast > majority of owners. The generator system works well and provides more than > enough charging for most people. It's also fairly bulletproof and simple. With > reasonable care the generator will outlast the car, although you may have to > replace the voltage regulator and brushes every 7-12 years. > > Let me address the reasons that people give for doing the conversions, and > answer them: > > 1) I compete in rolling boom box competitions and my battery goes dead in the > middle. My generator can't keep up when my car is just idling. > > While such events are certainly not my idea of a good time, they would be just > about the only reason that an alternator would have an advantage over a > generator. This is simply due to the fact that, at idle, an alternator will > generate some current (certainly not its full rating) while a generator will > put out little or nothing. > > 2) My battery wouldn't stay charged because the generator charging system > wasn't working right, so I just replaced it with something brand new. > > The only problem with this approach is that the alternator is a more > complicated (and expensive) system than the generator. When you have trouble > with IT, you'll have even less chance of figuring it out yourself. I guess that > would be a good time to replace everything again, perhaps with the old > generator, which we hoped you saved. ;-) > > 3) I like the idea of a system that puts out 70 Amps. It just makes me feel > more secure knowing that I have all that power flowing out of my new charging > system. > > A 70 Amp alternator puts out 70 Amps ONLY when that much is needed. Most of the > time a perfectly functioning alternator conversion will be putting out only > about 10 Amps; the same as a generator would have. What happened to the rest? > Well, it will come when the demand is there, which is almost never, but when > the car only needs 10 Amps, that's all the charging system, any charging > system, will deliver. > > Now I'm sure there are several of you out there who are just sure that your > excess electrical loads need extra power, but I wonder if any of you have > actually measured your charging system output under a variety of circumstances. > If you did, I think you'd be surprised at how low it was. Short spikes of > current draw have to be time averaged when you consider this; that's one of the > reasons we have a battery. > > Keith Park probably had more electrical gagetry on his squareback than most of > us can imagine, and he uses them constantly. He just has the stock generator > system and drives cross country with no problems. My generators are all the > originals. I don't think I've ever had one go bad on me, although I do replace > brushes and VRs every decade of daily driving, or so.... > > 4) I like to play the radio really, really loud. > > Go ahead. Be assured that most of the rest of us aren't overly impressed by > this, so you might as well do it with the windows rolled up. A few years of 20 > Watts in an enclosed space will assure you of hearing aids by age 40. OTOH, > that amount of power is something that the stock battery can put out for more > than 20 hours without draining it, so the generator/alternator argument doesn't > really come into play. > > 5) I like the cool factor of being able to say that I've got this really modern > upgrade. > > Well, I guess that's a matter of taste, but if you really want to spend money > on bragging rights, why not get something that brings an actual advantage with > it. For the same money you could get a counterweighted crank, or a full flow > oil filter system AND case savers, or a good 4 angle valve job. Each of these > comes with proven benefits. > > OTOH, if all you're into is appearances, I've got rub-on decals of my > signature. One of these on your dash will instantly signal to the Type 3 "In > Crowd" that your car is one of the elite. These are extremely limited > production items, but I'll sell them for the same price as the alternator kits, > and throw in a Salad Shooter, and a Popeil Pocket Fisherman, for free! > > Signatures come in your choice of black, yellow, or red.* > > > (*This offer subject to revision at any time.) > > ;-) > > -- > ******************************* > Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org > Madison, Wisconsin, USA > ******************************* > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~