Anything and everything GT6.

Alternators, dynamos, lights, wipers, etc.

Hi,

I'm new to triumphs - having fallen in love with and bought a mk1 GT6 on ebay! She's from 1968 and has required a few things needing done like all the best ones! It's given me a good chance to have a fiddle.

On a trip up north I noticed a new smell in the cabin, an electricy burny smell - not nice. Opening the bonnet I found that the dynamo had died and was in the process of cremating it's self.

Of course I was not familiar with the difference between a dynamo and an alternator so ordered a "replacement" alternator which I duly fitted (18ACR Lucas type).

Currently I have it connected the only way possible with the old connectors (big to big and small to small connectors). I havn't been convinced that it is charging the battery though. The alternator does seem to put out a bit of current and some 15v with the engine idling.

I had a look around the other postings and found a link sugggesting that a wiring diddle was required and showed how to convert a triumph herald, but my car has a fuse box. Would this same diddle make mine work?

Given my mistake what do I have to do to make the car and the alternator get on with each other? Can anyone explain the exact difference between the two?

Any help would be well appreciated.

Thanks

Dave Howie - Edinburgh- Drivin' it like I stole it.

david,
an alternator generates ac voltage which is then converted to dc by means of a rectifier pack within the unit and the current is then normally fed back to the battery and the wiring system direct by the large wires you describe,now as for a dynamo it produces dc current from the start but as i'm aware the current goes through a control box which regulates the load to the batt and wire loom by switching contacts within the box.this is only going on my experience with our old moggie minor we used to have and the control box was mounted on the bulkhead so it would have needed bypassing to wire direct to the loom/batt to enable the alternator to work.as for the gt6 i do not know where the control box would be,it is not usually on the dynamo.anyone any better advice on this?

yes you should get between 14-15 volts output but don't run the engine for too long without the load from the alternator being absorbed by the battery as it could burn out the rectifier.

Its an easy job to do, I did this 20 years ago on my herald. The GT6 will be just the same. Someone will post a wiring diagram I'm sure, as I don't have it to hand (It was in the courier in the late 80's) but the key is to make a nice neat job of joining the wires as they carry some current!
You remove the control box from the bulkhead, and I used a heavy duty electrical junction box with the whole thing sealed inside a small plastic box to keep it dry and clear of any potential shorts.

I did this on the Herald using instructions from the following link. Worked a treat even if it was MG.
http://www.mgcc.co.uk/Pages/PartsServices/Technica...

Trev

Here's the same procedure on a mini:
http://www.minimania.com/web/DisplayID/1717/SCatag...

Note re the brackets: on the 1300 engine this involved getting the spacer block and bracket from a Toledo to mount the alternator. Did you need something similar for the 6-pot?

Added - here's the proper link for the spitfire:

http://www.ziplink.net/undo/genalt.htm

The wiring diagram shown is a good way of doing the conversion. IF the layout of wires is more convenient, you can actually modify the redundant control box to act as a wiring connector. You must disconnect the earth wire and ensure the insulation through the mounting bolts is still effective. Then, with a POWERFUL soldering iron, solder a wire across the back of the BIG connector terminals. Connect them all together. Then you can mount the wires just as they were for the dynamo, except that the small wire is connected to the WL terminal (the only little one). A piggyback connector with soldered or crimped connection is fine for connecting the wire FROM the alternator to the wire TO the warning light.
However, depending on which alternator you have and how much current it is putting out compared to the dynamo (approx 24, or was it 27 amps? from a C40L) you may need to replace the big wire from the alternator to a thicker one, or duplicate it with a second wire to share the higher current output.

Thankyou all very kindly. I have managed to re-wire it without any problems. Just twisted the ends together of the required wires and soldered them. Like the idea about altering the existing box - much neater, but impatience made me lazy.

It seems to be working fine, I'll see if the battery stays charged.

Now on to all the other problems with the engine, it's not running well at all!

Thanks again, Very much appreciated, will keep you posted how it fares.

dave

Section : Electrical Equipment

Converting Dynamo to Alternator Mk1 GT6?

Followups :

Converting Dynamo to Alternator Mk1 GT6?

Converting Dynamo to Alternator Mk1 GT6?

Converting Dynamo to Alternator Mk1 GT6?

Converting Dynamo to Alternator Mk1 GT6?

Converting Dynamo to Alternator Mk1 GT6?

Converting Dynamo to Alternator Mk1 GT6?