Club 80-90 Forums

My van has a non standard lucas alternator
in an attempt to get the right bosch one i have purchased and aquired three second hand ones, one is early spade connection type labeled 65A so no use the other two are late stud type have no lables

I was told the left hand one came off a 2.1 and its bigger so i assume its a 90A Bosch and the right hand one is a 65A Bosch

can anyone confirm?
they both have different pulley offsets to mine also

Well you can butcher the wiring to accept the spade. Mine (if I remember rightly) originally had a plug for the alternator but I cut this off entirely and fitted a golf 90amp alternator which had a spade and bolt connection. If you can get the pulley to line up when its bolted in situ and all connections match, you're away. I think I had to bend alternator adjustment bracket slightly but that was all. Hard to say what you've got there. There are quite a few that are similar. In some instances you can just change the pulley and it sorts itself out. The one on the right looks the right one to me.

Can't give you any 'definite's' but can confirm that studded (later Bosch) alternators fitted to our vans could be either 65 or 90amp. I would also agree that a slightly longer body is likely to suggest it's a 90amp unit.
If the alternator had it's original sticker it would have been pink/red colour on a 90.
Make sure the pulley is correctly aligned when mounted.

Martin

Thanks
Was a bit of a mong and didnt notice the pulley offset was out, ran the left one for a month or so and the bearings are now shot

think im going to have the left one rebuilt as it looks to be the 90A

itchyfeet wrote: think im going to have the left one rebuilt

If it's not urgent, DIY it, easy enough and the bearings are readily available.

They are indeed, I'm about to rebuild an alternator and a starter motor at the weekend. Mostly its brushes/regulators with these things but you can definately get new bearings or bushes if needed. Works out a fraction of cost of a recon and you'd be anazed how many just want a good clean to put them back into serviceable condition. Solenoids you just replace unless its a simple problem.

I get used to changing bearings. Some of my high performance model aero engines need them doing at least once per season (28,000 rpm )

Well I took the older spade one appart to see if it was easy and I'm now stumped as to how I get the rotor off the front casin

I tried to undo the pulley bolt of the 90A one and can't get it off

So like you John I may just pay somebody else to do it its £60

Aye, I have just remembered the hassle I once had with getting the pulley off an alternator. It was glowing red and getting walloped by a big hammer before it parted company with the shaft !

So i took it in this afternoon, real old school place on a farm, not even a sign up, scruffy bloke alternators and starters everywhere
Had a good chat and hes going to take it appart and let me know

he said bearings need pressing off not walloping with a big hammer

i'm still going to have a go with some of the other alternators i aquired but i want one thats done professionally

he said bearings need pressing off not walloping with a big hammer

Any 'farmer' could've told you that. Tonnes of hydraulic presses on eBay, cheap as you like.

If only id thought of googling images of 90a bosch alternator and 65a bosch alternator
it confirms the origional pic is 90a on the left 65a on the right