carstenb
Junior Member
Posts: 11
Country: Denmark
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Post by carstenb on Feb 25, 2015 10:08:58 GMT
Hi
I'm looking to upgrade the standard 80 amp alternator on my Yanmr and want to go to say 150 amp (going on an RTW). I'll be charging 640AH AGMs.
I realize I'll have to add an extra pulley or go with serpentine belts, but these will give me an issue withthe front engine cover.
How have the rest of you solved this issue?
Thank you
carsten
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Post by sailingsouth on Feb 25, 2015 13:15:25 GMT
I have a 4JH3-TE, I installed a Balmar 150amp alternator, a Balmar regulator and a Balmar duo charge to charge start battery. The alternator was the same size as the Hitachi. I got rid of the battery isolator. Took about 6 hours to remove and rewire the whole system after I made new cables. I had to upgrade all the cables. I have not yet installed the serpintine belt yet, I also had to de tune or turn down the regulator output to about 75% till I upgrade to the serpentine belt.
Hope this helps
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Post by nornaj on Feb 25, 2015 14:02:50 GMT
Both Balmar and Electromaax supply serpentine pulley kits for the Yanmar small diesel range of engines. We installed the kit on our SO39i's Yanmar 3JH5E and the belt cover went back on with interference. A 100amp alternator seems to be the absolute maximum that can be handled with a single V. best NornaJ
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Post by chuckr on Feb 25, 2015 14:05:37 GMT
We bought SoulMates new - with a Yanmar 4jh3e. We had a 150 amp alternator put on before launch and a battery isolator. Worked great until we got hit by lightening and in the repair the electrician put on a battery isolator that was smaller than the one that was initially installed I did not know it. Worked great for a long time until someplace along the line the battery isolator fired and I could not figure out why the engine would not charge. My mistake in not checking on the battery isolator.
Had a guy in the eastern carib come on board to try and figure it out and said he needed to take the alternator and check it out which he did and then crossed some wires when reinstalling it and burned it. Long story short the Jeanneau dealer in Martinque figured it out and got it running but it was damaged. We kept getting it repaired along the way and finally it gave up the ghost coming down the eastern Italian coast so we got a new 80 amp one and pulled the voltage regulator.
My son is an ee and said just get it rewired and it is a go. I will do so in Turkey next winter but in the meantime we will continue to use the 80amp. But the 150 was great and we did not need an extra pully but when the alternator kicked in there was a noticable draw on the engine.
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Post by rxc on Feb 25, 2015 16:30:14 GMT
I have a Balmar 120 on my 4jh3TE, but it is limited to 100 amps output, because only have one 1/2" belt. Belt quality and tension are critical with these alternators, and you need to re-tension it a few times after first installation. I only use Gates Green-Stripe belts, and they have worked quite well.
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Post by DUET on Feb 25, 2015 18:22:20 GMT
On a 50 DS, I have the Yanmar 4JH4-HTE engine and found the standard alternator woefully inadequate. I added a Balmar series 95 165 amp alternator along with a battery for a total capacity of 684 amps. The kit used was from AltMount and, of course, required removing the cover. Additionally, to fit into the space, I needed to cut (very little) into the engine support bed and the stairs. At the same time, I installed a Balmar MaxCharge Temperature sensor, Spike Protector and a three stage regulator. The result has been fantastic in that I seldom need to use the genset with the house batteries providing so much backup. I also rewired the system to enable me to use either alternator should one cease to work. A little pricy, but worth the time and expense.
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Post by abgreenbank on Feb 25, 2015 19:02:39 GMT
2014 50 DS with 4jh4 te comes with 125amp alternator and ribbed belt, so if you use an additional external alternator regulator/3 stage charger it will output 125amps for more than the intial few minutes after engine start. well mine does, and saves the expense of large alt and belt kit, and 165 amps reallly needs a battery bank of over 900 amp hrs. I have this one. sterling-power.com/products/alternator-to-battery-chargers-up-to-400aab
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Post by DUET on Feb 25, 2015 19:17:00 GMT
Its really a matter of how much draw you require and the speed of recharge desired. On my DS, I have an ice maker and several other high draw items. Before installing such a system, a survey must be conducted, hence my setup.
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Post by abgreenbank on Feb 25, 2015 22:42:50 GMT
Well I was more on the don't charge the batteries too quick, ie max around 15% of battery bank capacity! unless of course you have lithium type batteries. love to know how your survey was done. rgrds ab
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Post by DUET on Feb 26, 2015 0:49:26 GMT
I'm not sure where the 15% comes from, but the survey comment meant I calculated the daily needs for amps out on anchorage and not wanting to use use the genset or engine for a few days. My refrig & freezer are 12v and I need the inverter for the microwave and ice maker. TV & electronics including cpu's, readers and tablets don't use much. Having excess battery capacity and strong charging ability I suppose is like one can never have too big or too many anchors.
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Post by ianpowolny on Feb 26, 2015 12:38:49 GMT
An interesting conversation. We looked at upgrading our alternator on Affinity before we set out on our 6 month trip last year. I’m glad we didn’t make any changes as the system we have is working fine and recharging takes about 1-/2 hours. We do plan to buy a petrol generator this year; that should cover the toast, hairdryer and coffee machine when we’re at anchor. Does anyone have any experience of replacing the Hitachi LR-180 (Yanmar) alternator with a cheaper replacement like the ones you see on eBay?
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Post by sailingsouth on Feb 26, 2015 14:32:26 GMT
When I was having my electrical problems and toasted the Hitachi LR-180 I couldn't find another exact replacement. I did find a $140 off brand (don't remember the manufacturer) that was supposed to be the same. The ground bolt on the back was much smaller as was the power lead stud. It probably would have been fine? But I toasted it too due to the other problem I had. If you could find the Hitachi brand, I'd go with that. It's physically a better built alternator.
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Post by sleighride on Feb 27, 2015 20:52:50 GMT
I have had a 4JH3-TE for 12 years on my DS43 with no problems charging AGMs with 420 AH. I just purchased a replacement for the Hitachi LR 180 in case the old one fails; and the cost for the new one was $475 US. The Yanmar dealer told me that the new one was built by Hitachi and was the same as my original, but without the Yanmar label. They also told me the Yanmar replacement (by Hitachi) with the Yanmar label would have cost over $1,000 US. The part number on the outside of the shipping box is 12272N and below that it is marked HIT IFEF 12V 80A YANMAR. The alternator appears to be identical to my original which is still functioning perfectly on the engine.
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Post by Mistroma on Feb 28, 2015 22:16:02 GMT
I'm surpirised that nobody has asked OP about his batteries and charging setup. Posts from abgreenbank & DUET did mention battery limits and power use but might not have given enough detail for the OP.
I have 450Ah flooded lead acid batteries and the manufacturer recommends charging at a max. current of 45 - 59A. I can add about 12A for fridge, engine fan and sundries, making a total of around 57 - 71A. However, the batteries won't usually accept this charge rate for long using a standard alternator regulator.
The point I'm making is that the OP should look at his battery type, electrical items normally run when charging and regulator being used.
My own set-up limits the usefulness of an alternator upgrade. I'd normally only get about 40A into the batteries from the standard alternator and that would taper off fairly quickly. Regulator mods. can boosting the voltage and result in a higher charge acceptance. However, I'd still stick to 60-70A to follow manufacturers advice, so no point in just changing the alternator. I do have a 110A alternator as a spare but it has never been used.
The OP would benefit greatly from a larger alternator if he has a larger battery bank, improved regulator and/or AGM batteries. So worth looking at these points first. Obviously worth upgrading once the alternator is being made to work anywhere near max. output for a significant length of time.
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Post by Trevor on Mar 1, 2015 4:36:03 GMT
I have a Balmar 120 amp alternator (brand new) and a Balmer MC614 (brand new) external regulator. The engine idles at 820 RPM. The alternator at idle runs at 1488 RPM. I noticed at idle that the battery charge light on the helm station came on and I noticed that at idle I was actually draining the batteries and not charging them. If I lifted above idle the smallest amount the problem was resolved.
I wrote to Balmar about a number of issues and one was the idle charge situation. The guy I contacted was very good and advised that some alternators may take a little more speed to kick in and thought if I reduced the alternator pulley from the 2.7inch (as shipped) to a 2.3 inch it would increase the idle revs a bit and resolve the problem.
I am in the process of getting another pulley to do that. I know the surface area will be less and may subject the system to a higher possibility of the belt slipping but I figure I cannot have the system draining the batteries when my engine is idling.
I thought I would add this to the debate because it is something I would have never thought could happen.
Regards,
Trevor
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Post by Trevor on Mar 23, 2015 11:22:01 GMT
Just to complete the post, I did get a smaller pulley to increase the speed of the alternator when the engine was idling. It was a 2.2 inch pulley instead of the standard 2.7 inch pulley as advised to do by Balmar technical support. Attachment DeletedNow the alternator runs at 1745 RPM when the engine is idling at 805 RPM. At Idle it now is capable of providing 22 amps. At an engine speed of 1815 RPM the alternator runs at 3915 RPM and the photo shows it providing 103 Amps at this speed. If anyone wants to know how to change over the pulley let me know. It is not quite as easy as first thought and did turn into a significant learning exercise (and character builder). regards,
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Post by freeflow on Jun 17, 2017 15:13:16 GMT
cross post but may be useful information My new to me 03 43DS had a 120 amp alternator added on custom bracket in the bilge in front of the fly wheel. This was run off the double pulley. Well it was not a reliable setup. The alternator was mounted very rigid while the engine is on rubber mounts. Thus the alternator housing cracked and bracket cracked and resulted in total failure. Reminder this was not the Yanmar original alternator or setup. So I decided to go back to the OEM installation and was looking to get the Hitachi LR180-03 rebuilt. My rebuild shop found a recent release of a J&N alternator (#400-44109) that was a Hitachi replacement BUT is rated at 120 amps. They also have a 94 or 97 amp version. I thought I would give this a try. Paid $150 for the unit from my local shop. Supporting local business . I know there are some replacement for the Hitachi also sold on amazon etc at about $100. I have a spare on board The unit is very close in size as the hitachi and I was able to install it with simple plug and play into the Hitachi location. I know single belt should be limited to 100 amps, but will it ever get there? I did have a bit of an issues getting a brand new Yanmar belt on and went with one slightly longer. I know this is a Chinese built unit and I am willing to give it a try in my low use scenario. The shop said they have had good service out of J&N products. So time will tell on how reliable it will be. Anybody have any experience with this alternator as a replacement for the Hitachi? Read more: jeanneau.proboards.com/thread/2150/hitachi-lr180-alternator-80amp?page=1#ixzz4kGyXV3Wx
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