Alternator problems

[Gmg31]

I seem to have made a mistake. I took my original alternator to a local auto electrician last summer and asked him to recon it. When I went back he said it easier to get a replacement and presented me with a new replacement. I wasn't worried, he's a top bloke, but I fitted it yesterday and discovered it about 1" too long. And the dist will not fit.  Went back to see him today and he doesn't know what replacement to order. My original is long since gone and I'm stuck with a brand new expensive alternator that doesn't fit.  Does any one have any model  numbers I can give him to order a replacement please.

[EuropaTC]

I have a standard 16ACR on the Elan and 17ACR on the Europa. I have no idea if these will fit on your car but I'm quite willing to measure them up (mounting flange distance, overall length) if you still have your old one to compare with ?

Brian

[BDA]

Brian,

A few years ago I spent a ridiculous amount of money to have my stock alternator rebuilt and supposedly enhanced so I don't need a new one now but I'm curious about those 17ACRs. It looks like the "adjustment ear" is on the "wrong side" - or at least the other side from the original Delco unit on the TC. Can you please provide a picture of how it all goes together?

Thanks!

[EuropaTC]

It's been a while since I fitted this one, but IIRC you can get both left and right handed units. I'm not certain and will have to check that one but I do seem to remember looking up model specs when I bought the last one.

In truth I'd have been better with the lower output model as this one is a very tight fit and I think I measured the 16ACR as being 1/4" smaller, which would have been better. I'm quite happy to measure up both units if it'll be of help to anyone else in the same position.  New ones are ridiculously cheap in the UK - mine was around £50 brand new.

[BDA]

That's pretty cool! That almost looks like a direct replacement! Now that I look closer, it looks like all the sites that have the 17ACR seem to be in England or Australia!

 I remember somebody - maybe it was Jay Leno talking about his monster Elan - implying that he used an alternator off a lawn tractor!

[Gmg31]

This is the new incorrect alternator it's about 1" too long

[Grumblebuns]

I have a Delco Remy installed in my S2. The numbers stamped on the casing are:

1100121 63A
0H29 12VNEG

I believe Delco Remy's were aftermarket and will need to fab up a bracket to fit.

[jbcollier]

Didn't all the Renault engined Europas come with Motorola alts?

The one you have shown as too big is a "high" (45-ish amps) output Lucas alt.  There is a "low" (35-ish amps) output version with a narrower stator which reduces the overall length of the alt.

[EuropaTC]

This is the new incorrect alternator it's about 1" too long

As John says, that looks like one from the Lucas alternator series. This page has the Lucas manual which covers the 15, 16 & 17ACR series and quotes outputs of 28/34/36 amps. It notes the 17 ACR model is 6mm longer due to additional windings but doesn't give overall measurements so I'll measure the 17ACR later today and post up.

IIRC the ones fitted to MGBs were higher and more like the 45amp mentions but I don't know what the dimensions are, presumably it's even longer than the 17ACR ?

http://www.lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/electrical/17acr.pdf

Brian

Edit to add : the 17ACR is roughly 15cm long with 8.5cm between mounts and having looked at it again, it looks very much like what you already have. The measurements here were only taken roughly from a ruler held alongside, if it becomes mission-critical I'll take them again with a vernier. But I suspect these are too large for your application ?

Some Japanese alternators are small, the one on our MR2 was tiny in comparison but needed a modern pulley belt rather than the older V belt. You might be able to change pulleys but once you start into that game you might just as well look for OEM ?

[jbcollier]

Thanks for the correction on the amp outputs.  The 28 amp alt is shorter.

[Rosco5000]

 I remember somebody - maybe it was Jay Leno talking about his monster Elan - implying that he used an alternator off a lawn tractor!

The really tiny alternator that Leno was talking about was from a Kubota tractor. The top spec Mini racers in England use them as well.  If I remember correctly the voltage regulator is a separate unit making it smaller.  I know I have looked at using some small alternators from newer cars like the Geo Metro but I don't have a part number.
Ross

[Rosco5000]

Here is an interesting few ideas from Jalopyjournal

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tiny-alternators-hide-one-disguise-one.276136/page-2

[Gmg31]

It's taken a while to get to the bottom of this.  Richard advises my car was originally fitted with a French alternator which are now very rare and required a regulator.  Some people including, my car's original owner, upgraded to a slim alternator which includes a regulator and had to change the wiring.   When I traded it my supplier didn't realise how important the length was and obviously the replacement was too big.  Richard has supplied me with a re conditioned original, then my local auto elec found my old alternator but couldnt refund me for the new one because it had been fitted.  So I've fitted the correct one, I'm having the short alternator reconditioned and I've listed the long one on eBay.

Left: recon original. Middle: short alternator. right: long alternator