110CSWDEFENDER

Hi all. I suspect that there is some confusion over terminology here. The 'ind' connection [short for 'indicator'] (Lucas) [or 'D+' (Bosch)] provides initial exitation current which gets the alternator's internal magnetic fields started This INPUT is fed through a bulb which glows while the alternator is drawing exitation current, but goes off when the alternator has started to generate current and is able to provide it's own exitation current. The 'ind' connection has no voltage sensing function. The bulb in the circuit is sometimes described as 'warning light' as it will come on if the alternator stops generating current, for example when the fan belt breaks. The 'Sense' input is (theoretically) used on 'battery sensing' alternators to bypass any wiring voltage drops. All of the alternators I have seen have been 'machine sensing', and have not needed a sense wire. Most older alternators (eg all ACRs) that I have seen have had a third terminal that has actually been internally 'strapped' to the output terminal, and have been connected in parallel with the output wire. I may not be up-to-date with the very latest alternators, does anyone know differently ?. Don

Hi again. Yes, sounds about right, but don't see that it would be a problem, two 60A alts would still effectively give you a 120A alt. Just to recap from my earlier post : It is true that the two alternator's voltage regulators are unlikely to be perfectly matched, so one of them will tend to do more work than the other. It would be good to use the same make and model of alternator (and driving and driven pulley sizes) to help matching. It would be necessary to connect the alt 2 output and sensing wires to a carefully chosen common point, (ie the point where the original alt meets the rest of the loom), and it would be sensible to use the same length and thickness of wire to keep the wiring losses matched. (for balancing purposes) Don

Hi again. If you are going to have an alternator rotating it needs to be connected to a battery or you risk damaging the control / overvoltage circuit. Don

Hi all. Tonk.. my initial reaction to ' if i fit a second alternator, can i just wire it up in parallel to my existing set up? ' was to say something like 'don't even think about it' but when I came to explain the reasons I couldn't think of any. It is true that the two alternator's voltage regulators are unlikely to be perfectly matched, so one of them will tend to do more work than the other. It would be good to use the same make and model of alternator (and driving and driven pulley sizes) to help matching. It would be necessary to connect the alt 2 output and sensing wires to a carefully chosen common point, (ie the point where the original alt meets the rest of the loom), and it would be sensible to use the same length and thickness of wire to keep the wiring losses matched. Running the engine with the battery disconnected would be a seriously bad idea, but then, it always is. It still sounds 'wrong', but I don't know why... is there anyone out there who knows any other problems ?. Is there anyone out there who knows any ADVANTAGES of connecting two small alternators together over fitting one big alternator, other than having a 'back-up' ?. Has anyone considered fitting a second alternator that is usually not being driven (no belt) but can be brought into use when required by fitting a belt to a pulley arrangement that would drive the alternator at full alternator speed while the vehicle engine is only running at a brisk tick over ?. Care would be needed as that alternator would be damaged if the engine revs were increased so that the second alternator was run too fast. Don

Thanks everyone. I like the idea of drain holes in the tray's bulge, but wasn't keen on drilling them with the tank in place !. Wally, where are the spotwelds ?. Don

Hi. The second alternator needs 'start up' current from a battery (via an 'ign' light) when you start the engine, but if you leave this permanently connected to battery 2 it will drain the battery while the engine is not running. The obvious solution is to source the start-up current from an ignition switched source, which could be the same point that alternator 1's start up current is sourced from. This connection has nothing to do with voltage sensing, it is there to 'excite' the alternator's internal magnetic fields until the alt is producing current, at which point it provides it's own excitation. Alternator 2 needs to be fed start-up current via it's own 'ign' light, don't connect the two start-up inputs directly together. The tag is usually marked 'ind' and is connected to a brown / yellow wire. I understand that the 'R' of ACR refers to remote voltage sensing, rather than machine sensing, so it needs to have the voltage sense wire going to battery 2 along with the output wire. I don't know if / how we can post diagrams. Don

Thank you all. Headhunter, I know just what you mean, but I have found an an amazing fuel economy device... My wife's 11-year-old 1.8 diesel Fiesta, which I now use for all of my 'running around'... It does exactly twice as many miles to the gallon (60) as my 110, and it keeps the mileage off the 110. I think the fuel saving probably covers all of the Fiesta's running costs. Don

Hi all. My 1994 110 Tdi has started dribbling fuel from the tank. It appears to be coming from the bottom of the tank, there is no evidence of leakage from the filler pipe or anywhere towards the top, and it leaks even when the tank is near empty. It is the tank with a separate supporting tray, I guess it has rusted around the bulge at the bottom of the tank. I am considering supporting the tank on axle stands and removing the tray to take a look, or should I just bite the bullet and get a new tank ?. Is fitting a new tank a one-man job ?. Thanks.. Don

Hi Matt. It might be worth taking a look at your crankcase ventilation system to make sure that the crankase isn't being pressurised, which will tend to make engine oil leakage worse. Don

Hi. I had the same problem, and was advised by my main dealer to change the clutch fluid. I did this, the problem completely went away, and stayed away. I still don't understand why, there was no reason for air to have found it's way into the system. Don

Hi. If the engine is left to stand for several hours, does it produce a lot of smoke on starting ?. If so this suggests that the oil is getting into the cylinders past the valve oil seals rather than the pistons. Oil will creep past the oil seals due to gravity while the engine is standing, but not past the piston rings. Don

Hi all. When I were a lad , coolant hoses were made of materials that did deteriorate as they got older, but materials technology has moved on significantly. Unfortunately it isn't unknown for flexible air hoses to fail, or the occasional vacuum hose. A quick straw poll.. who has suffered a burst coolant hose on any vehicle built within the last 20 years ?...... Don

Hi. Agreed, it seems that one cylinder has something basically mechanically wrong, if you have access to a diesel compression gauge it would confirm this. Take a close look at what the valvegear is doing before taking the head off. It might not be too bad, don't write the engine off yet, unless you fancy a change anyway. HTH.. Don

Hi all. There is a factor which is often overlooked. If you want to get hot air into the passenger compartment, there has to be somewhere for air to get out, and some Defenders are surprisingly airtight (if not watertight...). If you search around on any modern car you will find some vents with simple flap valves at the rear (they are usually not obvious, and are often tucked away behind the bumper or somewhere). Defenders were fitted with vents above the back door for a while, but these were deleted as there was allegedly a prob with exhaust fumes getting in. Don