Alternator 'spits it' with driving lights on! Also, anyone used SUPER LOOM?
Submitted: Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 11:10
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Rowen
Howdy campers.
Just finished hooking up some second hand (barely used) Cibie Super Oscars to the old 'Betsy' Tojo 60 series. Used the Ziel wiring kit, made up some stabiliser brackets & installed a LED switch for effect. So, I was quite happy 2 hit the 'frog & toad',
test em out & not have 2 rely on the 'using the FORCE' to navigate on those windy slow roads (even with the new H4 inserts, the main beam is pretty ho hum).
So, on a couple of hour long drives, those impressive 100watt Cibie's (certainly seem a good unit!) took their toll on the alternator & started to drain the batteries! Buguar. So, the question is whether the alternator's stuffed ( can u get it reconditioned? ) or whether the 30/40 amps or so that its rated to just doesnt cut it & therefore i need an upgrade. Has anyone else had similar experiences?? replaced/ reco'd an alternator from a 60 series? Any recomendations gang?
Also, considering the PYRANHA SUPER LOOM for the headlights. they brag 25% increase in power which for the winter driving i do would be beaut. Anyone tried it? does it get that much increase? Minimal voltage drop? price?
alrighty, cheers guys & I look forward to any
feedback.
'Motivation may come & go, but life's quests - they stay alive'
Ro
Reply By: Member -Bob & Lex (Sydney) - Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 12:20
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 12:20
Rowen, I presume you fitted relays for each light so it sounds like the alternator is to small. Chuck it & get a 70 or 90 amp one & you should have heaps of power. Can't help with super loom sorry.
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61931
Reply By: Lone Wolf - Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 12:27
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 12:27
I am not able to help you with any of the questions you have raised, but I too have also wondered about the loads I sometimes place on my alternator.
Let's see, Waeco 35, Blue Apple Outback, 100 Ah Deep cycle thru Anderson Plug. 2 x 55 Watt Spotlights, & normal
driving lights, must be getting close to the limit, surely.
What do you do in our situations?
Would a second aftermarket Alternator / Regulator be a wise idea to run non vehicle accesories?
Eg... Fridge, second & third batteries, and anything else that is not a prime relative to your vehicle?
Or do you somehow fit a larger Alternator, and hope the wiring can cope with it all?
AnswerID:
61932
Follow Up By: Member -Bob & Lex (Sydney) - Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 12:54
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 12:54
The Patrol has a 90 amp alternator & runs every thing fine, fridge , 3 batterys , radios , lights , inverter. there's no room in a 3.0ltd Patrol for a second anything.
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Follow Up By: Lone Wolf - Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 13:40
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 13:40
Hmmmmm..........
Friend of mine 2 weks ago took delivery of a new Paj. 125 Amp Alternator. I'm now starting to suffer from Alternator Envy!!
I don't know how big mine is, probably around 30 - 40 Amps, I do have room to fit another if I cant fit a heavier dut unit to fit into the confines of the existing unit.
I might wait & hang out for the LPG Energy cell........
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 22:45
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 22:45
yours is probably around 100 amps anyways Loney, what u got again? A CRV?
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Reply By: eric - Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 15:06
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 15:06
I have fitted the pirhanna super loom to my GU and found it to be great. I had the 90/130 globes in the truck first and the standard wires were not handling the heat too
well. With the loom and the globes I could do without the cibies oscars almost.
AnswerID:
61941
Follow Up By: Member - Roachie- Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 21:45
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 21:45
G'day Eric,
I've always shyed away from putting in the 90/130 globes (or anything else higher than what it came with, cos I've read that the Nissan redlectors might melt or at the very least discolour and be useless.
I gather you have not suffered either of these problems?
I have a great set of
driving lights (Lightforce 240 Blitz),,,,,,,only trouble is that when I dip down for an oncoming car it's a case of "where the flock are we??????" for about 10 seconds.
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Follow Up By: eric - Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 10:33
Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 10:33
I had these globes in for about 2 years with a reasonable amount of night driving and didn't notice any impact or discoloration in the reflectors. The lenses being glass aren't affected at all. The globes without the loom did cause some damage to the back of the reflector due to heat generated in the standard wires. The pirhanna loom fixed this problem. Heat build up inside the light itself might cause problems if you are running them in high ambient temperatures, but we don't see this much in sunny
Melbourne. lol.
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Reply By: robb - Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 17:30
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004 at 17:30
If the 60 series is a diesel, the alternator should be a 55amp. Same as mine, a little piddly when you want to run a more than a few accessories. Auto electrician is your best bet. They will test the one you have and more than likely will have an exchange one that will bolt straight on.
Cheers
AnswerID:
61950
Reply By: Member - Rohan K - Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 10:57
Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 10:57
Rowen, I used to run an FJ60 and its alternator was a 55 amp one. Having said that, if yours really is only 30 amps and wasn't working optimally, it could well be the problem.
Your new Cibies will draw around 17 to 20 amps. Your H4 headlights will be drawing another 10 amps or more so it wouldn't be hard to outstrip a piddly 30 amp alternator output.
AnswerID:
62038
Reply By: Member - Don (QLD) - Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 15:51
Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 15:51
Rowen,
I had the big loom from arb and the high watt lamps.With the cruiser i now run the new lamps from ipf which draw 55w/65w with a light output of 110w/130w. I found
these lamps to be excellent.Hardly any current draw.they are a little pricey but they last the distance - so they tell me.
Good luck
Don
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62076