Delco alternator conversion
My 1995 Disco 1 languished all winter in the car-port because I'm too cheap to shell out $250 or more for a rebuilt alternator. The fact that many owners report refurbished alts going belly-up within six months of replacement was also cause for hesitation. Here's my solution.
John Brabyn, at rangerovers.net, has some very useful info about RR, including a link on its alternator conversion page to John Purnell's site, jpurnell.com/RR/repairs/DelcoAlternator.htm. Refer to "Trent's" conversion on Purnell's site.
I bought a Delco cs-style alternator (Delco #321-1086 or GM #10463624)from a salvage yard that is supposed to put out a little more power than our 100-amp LR specials. It requires a four-wire pigtail (part # EC268) from NAPA to wire in correctly. The pully off the Disco alt was a direct swap to the Delco.
Bolt it to the top of the factory mount, using a spacer or washers, then make a small tab from flat steel to bolt the stud on the other side of the alt to the bottom hole on the mount. I had to file the top side of the mount to make the alternator fit.
I used washers to align the alt pully with the rest of the serpentine system.
Wiring is easy. Here's how Trent explained it:
Wiring up the Delco meant ID'ing the PLF/IS connections on the clip and the pigtail. When assembling, F (field) & I (ignition) are the same pin. Here's how it went:
1. P gets wired to the white rover wire which feeds the tach. 2. L & I/F get joined to connect to the yellow rover wire. 3. S gets bold to stud on the back of the alt along with the 1/2 inch braided rover wire.
The wiring identifications are located on the pigtail clip - like i said, easy. I haven't soldered the wires yet - wanted to make sure it all worked. The crimp connections I used, including a three-way for the L, I/F, and yellow rover wire, are holding together.
It took some heft to twist the tensioner far enough to get the belt back on. Maybe locate a slightly longer belt later? The fan cover also needed a small notch to fit over the alt pully, which is about 1/2 to 1 inch higher than the old pully location.
After charging the battery, the Disco fired right up. The tach works, and I'm getting about 14 volts out of the system.
I can't make any guarantees about this conversion, as I'm no great mechanic, but it seems to be working fine. The battery is charging and electrical systems still working after about a week of use.
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