Outer Limits 4x4 Board

On the 3.5, are ther any external fan units that will fit into the origional bracketry ?
Or even one with an external reg that would suit, very easy to carry spare reg and brushes on a trip, rebuilding an internally regulated unit is a PITA.

So .. looks like I am getting a rebuild on the factory jobber ...

The 3.5 has a 90 amp alternator.
When mine gave out they rebuilt it to have 125 amp capacity same as late model Magna's they just used some of the guts of the Magna one.

Bitsamissin wrote:The 3.5 has a 90 amp alternator.
When mine gave out they rebuilt it to have 125 amp capacity same as late model Magna's they just used some of the guts of the Magna one.

Thanks .. will ask about that when I head to the auto elec today.

My car is posessed by an alternater hating life form. 3 alternators in less than 12 months.
1st one was brushes .. I can accept that, its an 11 year old vehicle, the second one was a second hand history unknown, apparently the rectifier died but now, I have expired the 3rd alt (brand new out o fthe box 6 weeks ago) this on has been 4wding once ... with one small boghole so mud should not have been an issue. ..

back at the auto elec now to see what can be done .. hope the alt was just a dud from the factory ..

I am thinking I might get some exhaust tape\insulation stuff in case the back of the exhaust manifold is cooking it.

Hmmmm the dreaded 3.5 alternator disease.
A mate in the Paj Club had the very same issue - virtually every trip to Toolangi he would fry an alternator.
After much research we discovered the NL 3.5 V6 had a very subtle factory mod to help protect the very low slung alternator.
There is a plastic guard behind the front bashplate which clips onto the front crossmember at the top and is held in by the bashplate on the bottom.
If you remove the front bashplate and look through the alternator is a sitting duck for mud/water and won't last long. You can make something up yourself to slot in there instead of the factory guard.
My mate bought this guard from Mitsi and also added a piece of checkerplate to close the gap between his ARB bar and the front bashplate and he never had this issue again.
I even found the old thread http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/ftopic1212.php
Unfortunately the pics are well and trully gone now.

The plastic splash guard is still in place. The 2nd one that died I pulled apart (after having it tested) and it was quite clean inside ..
As this one was a brand spanker and under warranty I have not touched it.

Is there any kind of wiring issue that could possibly kill an alt in next to no time .. Last weekend (7 days ago) it was making 14.02 volts with fan on full and low beam on .. no mud etc since then

Hmm wonder if I need to "increase" the protection with a bit of stiff plastic bent back under the alt as well .. hmm will take a look and see how bad it will interupt airflow .. It that or run 44's so the motor is well clear of the gooey brown stuff

okeyy.. i'm doing a conversion of a 3.5 into my gen 1. this topic is going to be on my watch list.

OK just noticed something odd ..
Last night replaced the alt with the brand new one, was only making about 13.7 13.8 V (reasonable quality Fluke multimeter verified the voltmeter on the dash) with nothing else switched on.. Bugger ...


This morn as I headed to work to drop the car at the auto elec as it is clearly possessed I see the volt gauge on the dash well up near the 14V area with the AC on and fan flat out .. turn on the headlights and driving lights etc .. it stays right up there .. Pull out the multimeter and check .. yep 14.1 volts with everything on .. sweet ..

Drive to work .. (40k's at 110 open road running)

As the engine bay heats up the volts go down .. was back to the high\mid 13's again by the time I get to work .. sooo are these things externally regulated ( I know there are heat sinks and diodes etc in the alt itself) as hopefully it is something as simple as replacing a heat effected regulator that's going high resistance as it warms up ..

love_mud wrote:My car is posessed by an alternater hating life form. 3 alternators in less than 12 months.

i thought i was having a bad time with mine

love_mud wrote:As the engine bay heats up the volts go down .. was back to the high\mid 13's again by the time I get to work ..

This isn't necessarily bad.

Charging batteries is a chemical reaction. At "room temperature" 13.8V is the "desirable" charge voltage. Alternators typically run a little higher to charge a little faster, which is why low 14s are not unusual.

As the battery gets hotter the chemical reaction occurs easier - so less voltage is required. Mid to high 13s for a hot battery is good. Mine often drops to mid 13s on the dash gauge, and this doesn't bother me.

The real test is to find out if the battery is fully charged by this regulator. Measure battery voltage first thing in the morning, before you turn anything on (preferably, open the bonnet the night before, so the interior light doesn't come on with the door). If the battery is at 12.6V or higher you're all good.

-Scott- wrote:

love_mud wrote:As the engine bay heats up the volts go down .. was back to the high\mid 13's again by the time I get to work ..

This isn't necessarily bad.

Charging batteries is a chemical reaction. At "room temperature" 13.8V is the "desirable" charge voltage. Alternators typically run a little higher to charge a little faster, which is why low 14s are not unusual.

As the battery gets hotter the chemical reaction occurs easier - so less voltage is required. Mid to high 13s for a hot battery is good. Mine often drops to mid 13s on the dash gauge, and this doesn't bother me.

The real test is to find out if the battery is fully charged by this regulator. Measure battery voltage first thing in the morning, before you turn anything on (preferably, open the bonnet the night before, so the interior light doesn't come on with the door). If the battery is at 12.6V or higher you're all good.

Thanks .. that has put my mind at ease a bit (battery was at 12.7)