First Spins! and Recharging issue questions

[Tournesol]

Good evening All,

This week end's weather has been dry and (relatively sunny) so I had the luxury of taking the car for a couple of little spins and tried to work on the electrical issue I am facing. The dynamo doesn't seen to recharge the battery whatsoever so I end up having a flat battery after a while driving (the ignition light does come on the dashboard at pretty much any revs). Tried to clean the connections to the box etc.. but it doesn't seen to have improved anything. The car will go to a specialist car electrician this week and see what's what exactly. Apart from that it behaved very well and brings smiles to my face (in buckets!!) I am thinking of doing a conversion to an alternator, or replace the dynamo. My car is positively earthed and still runs on dynamo. I thought that all alternators were coming as negative earth and that therefore to convert you first needed to do a conversion to negative earth, but then I found this on the internet http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/p ... tegory/141
It seems expensive but is it a dynamo or alternator working on positive earth? If it's an alternator on positive earth, is it a matter of taking the dynamo out, putting it in and wiring it to the box?
Excuse my lack of knowledge but am a beginner in all this!!
Thanks for your help though.
Tournesol

[Sea Ranch]

Nice looking parts from that website.

Appears that the Dyanlites are still generators (as we call them in North America) or dynamos, not an alternator.

This company does offer dynamo-looking alternators: their Dynator line, which are available in positive earth. Very nice parts, it seems, though expensive.

You would have to decide how important originality is or, next to it, original appearance. No question the extra output can be put to good use, in any case.

Randy

[Sea Ranch]

Nice looking parts from that website.

Appears that the Dyanlites are still generators (as we call them in North America) or dynamos, not an alternator.

This company does offer dynamo-looking alternators: their Dynator line, which are available in positive earth. Very nice parts, it seems, though expensive.

You would have to decide how important originality is or, next to it, original appearance. No question the extra output can be put to good use, in any case.

Randy

[bob_rich]

Hi

For most road use if the car is standard and without too much in the way of added electrical load then a dynamo should be fine. My instinct would be the dynamo brushes are worn and if the car is not used much they may just be a bit sticky in the brush holders. A new set of brushes is an easy and low cost fix. A dynamo replacement even if its a swop should not be too expensive and it would not effect the wiring loom at all. If in the future you wanted to go -ve earth it is an easy fix to re-polarise the existing dynamo.

Most alternators have the regulator built in and are for -ve earth and so some (minor) reworking of the loom would be required.

It probably hinges on just what is wrong with your car - I think I would decide after your auto electric guy gives you the rundown on the problem.

best of luck

Bob