In search of reliability I’m thinking of fitting one of these to my standard S1.
Has anybody done this and is it needed on a std engine Tracked at least 1/2 times a month??
It’s got to be a help in protecting the alternator. However, the main cause of alternator failure is the high speed revs at which it is asked to operate in the Exige. IIRC mine packed in at around 21K miles, & rather than buy a new one, I exchanged it for a recon one for about �80.
i’ve also got a pipe directed from the side vent onto the alternator and that helps
… the main cause of alternator failure is the high speed revs at which it is asked to operate in the Exige…
Which is why I installed a smaller crank pulley, to bring down the alternator revs.
Eliseparts and QED sells tham too.
Have the ducting too!
the main cause of alternator failure is the high speed revs at which it is asked to operate in the Exige.
Mine failed at about the same mileage but it was down to a fried rectifier which I put down to the heat rather than the speed…can the additional revs contribute to a non-mechanical failure? I would have thought that bearing failures, damaged brushes, etc would be more symptomatic of the revs.
Do other people know what the actual cause of their failures were?
My bearings failed at about 30K miles … was a squeeky rumble when starting or reving from idle - I had no warning light on so recitifier was ok … but I do have a heat shield and a duct …
I think that both failure modes are “normal” - typically the flashing red light at high revs is rectifier failure, but I think high revs can cause that as well as I had that problem all the time in road rallies when you have about 600w of lights on and Escorts and minis have good cooling to the alternator
[quote…I installed a smaller crank pulley, to bring down the alternator revs.[/quote]
Doesn’t that drop the volts?
Ian
IDG
there is a regulator in the alternator that keeps the output volts constant (about 14v) regardless of the speed of rotation of the alternator… assuming its all working of course
the rpm will relate to the frequency on the ac side and this in turn will relate to the power generated but the output voltage won’t be affected by the speed - well once its up and running anyway…
Cheers.
Given that the std set-up causes the alt to spin well over specification and it is well known that alts fail (QED), why weren’t smaller crank pulleys fitted as std/a more common upgrade?
Or is that one of those questions with no obvious answer?
Ian
So A heat shield is not the ultimate answer ???
Mine’s done 27000 miles so looking at the posts its about due to fail…ugh.
New or replacement unit due So next question …
.is the Elise parts lightweight unit worth going for ??
How dificult is it to fit a replacement??
cheers
Cheers.
Given that the std set-up causes the alt to spin well over specification and it is well known that alts fail (QED), why weren’t smaller crank pulleys fitted as std/a more common upgrade?
Or is that one of those questions with no obvious answer?
Ian
its another design feature that has been overlooked
there are some other things that probably give advantage in th ecrank pulley being a little bigger - belt stays on better, more adjustment in the tension of the belt and stuff i guess. not to mention it would cost money to change it and Lotus/PTP prolly had that on their minds?
mines done 34k miles so far…
Look out for the tell-tail sign of the batt light flickering at high revs under full throttle with full beam (+stereo on, ie. high drain).
Although I understand it is common for them to pop with no warning.
Ian