Replaced Alternators with ..

[swansnest]

Has anyone replaced their Leece Neville 160amp Alternator with a 200 amp L/N or a Delco Remy 200 amp on their Alpine?

[Ed & Diane]

We just replaced our alternator 6 weeks ago with a Bosch 200Amp School Bus alternator. The sense wire is wired differently, and my ign wire is not connected. (This is #5 for us, all previous were the Leese Neville, 160A.) Call Jim at Smith Auto Elec in Yakima. Ph 509-453-8275. He is very helpful in working with you and will advise you on installation. We will drop off our old alternator within the next two months so he could dissect it and determine the cause of the failure. Also, Jim can look at our Apex wiring and how the electrical pieces interrelate.

Ed

[swansnest]

We have been having all sorts of electrical problems -( I won't post -on apex yahoo -until we get it squared away for sure) but we have spent nearly $2000 on diagnosing & trouble shooting. They now tell us that our problems are originating with the Leese Neville alternator we had replaced in Barstow on the way to FMCA in StPaul last July. Tris just bought a 200 amp DelcoRemy (that came highly recommended) to have put on. Supposedly the one put on had only 2 wires instead of the 3 wires and the sensor wires were put on top of an ac pins on the back of the alternator, causing it to short internally which inturn caused it not to send the right cutrrent to the ECU.

[EngineerMike]

I was told by Mark Harrah that an 8 house batt rig that sees heavy cycling can hit 205 amps draw on the alternator (if the chassis batt's are down some also IIRC). Doesn't happen often on average, but there may be a few owners who get there regularly based on their use. Apexers are likely candidates due to the heavy use of house batteries.

[takepride]

eMike:

Can too much draw ruin an alternator? Or does the alternator just not supply sufficient (maximum rate of charge) juice to the charging of the batteries?

[swansnest]

I took the DelcoRemy 28SI 200 amp Alternator to Rincon Friday to put on. The Technician was very impressed with it and said it was the 'state of the art" in technology. Tomorrow we will go pick up the Apex and see if that "cures all"! We asked the shop to keep it plugged in over the weekend so the batteries would not be drained when we come.

Mike is right that the Apex's have a heavy draw and it was absolute craziness to only put in 160 amp Alternators to start with. I read somewhere that the Alternator can even be the source of drawing down the batteries when it is in storage??? We are replacing the original chassis batteries with AGM batteries next so there won't be a conflict there when they charge.

I hope Ed doesn't have a problem with having the Alternator wired differently - which is what caused our problem with the replacement Alternator.

And Yes - too much draw can ruin an alternator...as can too much heat. We had just had louvers cut in our engine cover so the heat can escape by the Paint Dept. It will also mitigate some of the engine heat in the bedroom. I will try to remember to take a picture and post it when we get it back!