As stated below, try automotive header wrap. Keeps the heat inside the pipe It has been used for many years to keep temps down under the hood of high performance engines. It works. Beautiful plane. Just started on a RV8. Hope it turns out as nice as yours.
.. use stainless hose clamps on your Ends instead of what they Supply, unroll & soak in a bucket of water before Applying so that it Stretches a bit ..
you might consider an aftermarket alternator designed for heavy duty / harsh environment use.. like Mechman Racing alternators.. Mechman is known for their high amperage alternators for audio sound systems.. but they also build super nice 170amp heavy duty racing alternators.. big heavy duty diodes.. about $350... way less than certified... and should last longer than your run of the mill automotive alt..
Did you change the fan on the alternator, an engine on the airplane turns backwards to an automotive engine. So you have to have an aircraft fan on the alternator that turns backwards of an automotive. It won't cool enough with an automotive fan.
Good eye an you are correct, On a plane the alternator is running in reverse compared to a car. The alt. doesn't care so makes no difference... except as you mentioned, to the airflow. This is why I now have total of 4 ambient air blast tubes in place. I do believe it's going to help.
NO, the reason being you are not going to get rid of the "Hot Spots" in the alternator. You will have air coming from two directions so end up with very little cooling, I will be that there is some engineering in the internal cooling. My advice is get a aircraft alternator, mine is a plane power it's small light weight and will last over 2,000 hours.
Most standard alternators go bad due to failed regulator rendering the whole alternator defective. My solution would be an alternator with seperate external regulator on a isolated heatsink. The heat disipation can be monitored independently also.
Thanks for the information! I believe in the two failures I've had, the first was like you said, the voltage regulator and the second was the at least one diode. As you can see in the video, the exhaust, literally about 1000 degrees at the point, just a couple inches aft of where the electrical components are located at the aft end of the alternator. I am HOPING this shielding and increased cool airflow helps.
That looks like a good plan you formulated to improve the longevity of your alternator, heat being the real nemesis of solid-state electronics components. I know that in automotive applications, the decline in the battery health can impose a higher load on the alternator, as the alternator is forced to operate on a longer duty cycle to keep the battery fully charged, resulting in a shortened alternator life. I was wondering if the replacement of a lead-acid battery with a lithium battery with increased charge capacity might impose less of a working load on the alternator and thus extend its life. I'm assuming that the plane's electrical system functions similarly to that of a typical automotive system, with the battery essentially being the power supply to the electrical load and the role of the alternator being mostly to maintain the battery's state of charge.
Hey, you are correct as far as my aircraft electrical system, pretty much just like a cars. I know my battery is in good shape. I've checked it. Thank you for your comment.
Hey Dave and thank you. I don't know what the original was. Whatever came with the kit. I just new when it quit after 5 years I didn't want to pay the prices ACS and others were asking... not to mention the wait time to receive it. Thats why I made the switch. I feel I should be able to get a decent life span from these so hence the push to keep it cooler. Happy Thanksgiving.
As stated below, try automotive header wrap. Keeps the heat inside the pipe It has been used for many years to keep temps down under the hood of high performance engines. It works. Beautiful plane. Just started on a RV8. Hope it turns out as nice as yours.
Great idea, I'll have to check them out.
.. use stainless hose clamps on your Ends instead of what they Supply, unroll & soak in a bucket of water before Applying so that it Stretches a bit ..
in the last 10 yrs you are lucky to get 2/3 yrs from an aftermarket Alt ..have replaced 3 on sisters Toyota Camry
you might consider an aftermarket alternator designed for heavy duty / harsh environment use.. like Mechman Racing alternators.. Mechman is known for their high amperage alternators for audio sound systems.. but they also build super nice 170amp heavy duty racing alternators.. big heavy duty diodes.. about $350... way less than certified... and should last longer than your run of the mill automotive alt..
I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the information!
Did you change the fan on the alternator, an engine on the airplane turns backwards to an automotive engine. So you have to have an aircraft fan on the alternator that turns backwards of an automotive. It won't cool enough with an automotive fan.
Good eye an you are correct, On a plane the alternator is running in reverse compared to a car. The alt. doesn't care so makes no difference... except as you mentioned, to the airflow. This is why I now have total of 4 ambient air blast tubes in place. I do believe it's going to help.
NO, the reason being you are not going to get rid of the "Hot Spots" in the alternator. You will have air coming from two directions so end up with very little cooling, I will be that there is some engineering in the internal cooling. My advice is get a aircraft alternator, mine is a plane power it's small light weight and will last over 2,000 hours.
Most standard alternators go bad due to failed regulator rendering the whole alternator defective. My solution would be an alternator with seperate external regulator on a isolated heatsink. The heat disipation can be monitored independently also.
Thanks for the information! I believe in the two failures I've had, the first was like you said, the voltage regulator and the second was the at least one diode. As you can see in the video, the exhaust, literally about 1000 degrees at the point, just a couple inches aft of where the electrical components are located at the aft end of the alternator. I am HOPING this shielding and increased cool airflow helps.
That looks like a good plan you formulated to improve the longevity of your alternator, heat being the real nemesis of solid-state electronics components.
I know that in automotive applications, the decline in the battery health can impose a higher load on the alternator, as the alternator is forced to operate on a longer duty cycle to keep the battery fully charged, resulting in a shortened alternator life. I was wondering if the replacement of a lead-acid battery with a lithium battery with increased charge capacity might impose less of a working load on the alternator and thus extend its life. I'm assuming that the plane's electrical system functions similarly to that of a typical automotive system, with the battery essentially being the power supply to the electrical load and the role of the alternator being mostly to maintain the battery's state of charge.
Hey, you are correct as far as my aircraft electrical system, pretty much just like a cars. I know my battery is in good shape. I've checked it. Thank you for your comment.
@@paulschannel3046 Good luck in how it works out.
Beautiful plane - Great videos! Was your original PP alternator a 99-1012?
Hey Dave and thank you. I don't know what the original was. Whatever came with the kit. I just new when it quit after 5 years I didn't want to pay the prices ACS and others were asking... not to mention the wait time to receive it. Thats why I made the switch. I feel I should be able to get a decent life span from these so hence the push to keep it cooler.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Right on! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours also!!
.. try header wrap on that exhaust pipe, i believe it might work better for you .. 🧰👨🔧
That was exactly what I was going to say.