ned
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 posted on 17/6/06 at 10:53 AM |
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fried alternator?
ran the engine up for 10-15 mins this morning to check for an oil leak that I have now fixed. I let the engine get warm so the oil would be upto temp
to check it properly. The fan was cutting in correctly to keep the engine to correct temperature etc etc.
3 or so mins after I'd turned the engine off (but left the battery cut out switch in) I noticed smoke coming from beneath the exhaust so quickly
killed the battery master. My alternator is mounted below the exhaust on that side of the engine and it smelt platic/electricy. I couldn't see
any damaged wiring/melted wires or anything like that.
I left it a couple of minutes to cool down further and then restarted the engine which runs fine but putting the multimeter across the battery I was
only getting 12ish volts which appeared to be very slowly dropping off (hard to tell without running the engine for a long time).
about 4-5 mins of running the engine the same smoke appeared, but much worse so I quickly killed the engine and battery again.
Still no sign of anything burnt/damaged so I still think it must be the alternator due to the lack of volts across the battery when its running (it
was 14.5ish when checked previously)
I am trying to figure out what could have caused this, obviously i need to source another alternator but want to find out the cause before I risk
fitting another. Its a daihatsu small nippon denso type.
It had run fautlessly for several hours on the rolling road, the only difference I can think of is potential heat soak from the exhaust - i'm
not sure I've run it for this long whilst stationary in the garage and at the rolling road it had large cooling fans pointing at the engine.
Any comments/suggestions/ideas?
cheers,
Ned.
[Edited on 17/6/06 by ned]
beware, I've got yellow skin
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joneh
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| posted on 17/6/06 at 12:03 PM |
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Ned, do you have a build diary? I notice you're using a vauxhall engine, did you get a rwd box for it? Looking good btw.
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ned
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| posted on 17/6/06 at 01:18 PM |
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i did have a site at locostbuilders/users/ned but since chrisw did a backup or something when this site got hacked a while back it doesn't work
anymore. I've contacted him about it but he's too busy/not bothered so I've given up trying. I've not got copies of the stuff
that was up there either so can't be bothered to do another from scratch and I've lost a load of myearly photo's in the process
aswell
[Edited on 17/6/06 by ned]
beware, I've got yellow skin
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joneh
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| posted on 17/6/06 at 01:34 PM |
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Argh. What a pain. Which gearbox did you use?
Cheers, Jon
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ned
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| posted on 17/6/06 at 02:56 PM |
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type 9 with adapter bellhousing.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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Macbeast
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| posted on 17/6/06 at 04:49 PM |
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I would guess that the heat killed a rectifier so the battery is now discharging through the alternator windings.
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ned
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| posted on 17/6/06 at 05:17 PM |
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i had planned to make a simple heat shield out of ally but now thinking wrapping the exhaust headers might be better?
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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martthefridgeman
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| posted on 17/6/06 at 06:43 PM |
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can you not fit the alternator on the off side?
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ned
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| posted on 17/6/06 at 06:56 PM |
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i'll try and get some piccies in a mo martin but its rather busy on the other side with water plumbing, throttle bodies, remote oil sender, oil
take off, fuel reg and steering column downlink, what are you doing for an alternator on yours/where is it mounted? I am thinking I might have been
better mounting it lower like nsdev has done but i wanted to leave space for a dry sump pump. I guess the other option is the sbd bracket which is
stupidly expensive
cheers,
Ned.
the feckin bitch has taken 1 AA battery out of my digicam (uses 4) without bloody asking or even bothering to tell me. can you tell i am just a little
bit pissed off now? its not like battery's are expensive and she's in france all day and I am left with a camera short of a battery 
i know I can go and buy some but its not the flippin point!!
[Edited on 17/6/06 by ned]
beware, I've got yellow skin
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Peteff
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| posted on 17/6/06 at 08:09 PM |
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Repeat after me.....
Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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ned
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| posted on 18/6/06 at 09:21 PM |
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well i found out what she needed the battery for 
beware, I've got yellow skin
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James
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| posted on 19/6/06 at 11:13 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ned
well i found out what she needed the battery for
Really?
I thought it was mains powered! 
Cheers,
James
P.S. Can't you take one out of the remote?
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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ned
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| posted on 19/6/06 at 09:59 PM |
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now i have batteries here are the pics:
 
alternator location
 
alternator location again
beware, I've got yellow skin
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DIY Si
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| posted on 19/6/06 at 10:08 PM |
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That shouldn't get that hot there. I was expecting it to be much closer than that.
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ned
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| posted on 20/6/06 at 07:27 AM |
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at the closest point its probably about 2" from the front exhausts header. I think I will wrap the exhaust anyway as the water outlet and
thermostat is very close as the exhaust curves towards them to get the lengths equal.
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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James
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| posted on 21/6/06 at 09:47 AM |
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Mate,
You sure it's the heat that's killed it? Not just some dodgy wiring or 12v ignition feed or something?
From what I saw last week it looked more than far enough away... it's certainly further than mine!
Have you got a charge light bulb? Or are you relying on the Bright6 like me? My Dad reckons the Bright6 might well be pretty marginal at supplying the
necessary current. Which may well explain why *my* charging is apparently intermittent.
HTH,
James
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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ned
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| posted on 21/6/06 at 01:49 PM |
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I had problems with the charge light on the bright6 but we put it down to probably a broken diode in the alternator - we also checked it using a bulb
which made no difference so didn't think it was the bright6.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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martthefridgeman
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| posted on 21/6/06 at 09:08 PM |
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mounted on off side with a bracket from a 1.6 astra
 
Rescued attachment P2120678.JPG
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ned
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| posted on 21/6/06 at 09:15 PM |
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wot that £70odd kit from sbd is just a standard bracket off a 1.6 astra?!
what year/mk of astra?
cheers,
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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