110WestCape Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Hi folks, The alternator on my TD5 decided not to work any longer. It's a Denso 120A with the vacuum pump bolted onto the front of it. Looks like either a diode on the rectifier or the stator that is faulty. Living in SA the agents ask 16 times more than the UK price ...... a whopping R 8000 without courier costs but did not have stock. Are there alternatives that could be recommended as a replacement ? I am finding it difficult to find spares or even a replacement Nippon Denso alternator. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. PS: LR agents in SA were more than happy to leave me stranded in the Richtersveld for a week ..... a remote area on the border of SA & Namibia. Would not have been a problem if I was alone but I had my wife an d daughter with me on this trip. Cheers Wikus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotian Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 If you can find one that fits then just stick it on. I dont know about the TD5 so much but there are many models of Altinator that fit the 200tdi. When you go to Halfords in the UK they are obsessed with there stupid database. If it doesnt say it fits in there then thats gospel!!.. In the end I just asked the spotty litle oik behind the counter to give me a selection of altinators for me to look through. The second box I opened was the right one. He said (buts thats for a.....whatever car...) its the same dimentions and ampage as what I needed so I put it on. If you do a search there is a thread about buying higher output ones for people running more electrics than standard. Not sure if we touched on Td5 ones there but its worth a look. In summary.. find another one with, same side, same connections, same amps, same pully you may have to do your own wireing if you cant find one witht he same plug and you might have to put your pully on so make sure the spindle is at least the same diamiter and long enough. I'm living out in Romania so I have the same problem with parts. Huge mark up on parts from Landrover (and its away in the capital) so I am finding myself using all sorts of other car parts that fit. Again, same story with the shops. I go in and ask for somthing like a bush for the shocks. I tell them they wont have a landrover part but here is an old one, do you have one simmilar dimentions. And all they do it go to the computer, ask me stupid questions like what is the year, engine size, fuel type, trim level etc etc then say. Sorry. no, we dont have one. Last time I just got them to drag out a few different bushes and I settled for the Daewoo Matiz and they fitted perfectly after slight modification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 IIRC Td5's use a battery sensed alternator as opposed to a machine sensed type, make sure you get the correct type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 And of course you need the vacuum pump. Have you not tried to get it fixed? Our local auto electrician fixed on for R400 the other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyoz Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 And of course you need the vacuum pump. Have you not tried to get it fixed? Our local auto electrician fixed on for R400 the other day. If you cannot get it fixed maybe try a Toyota one[Denso]Landcruiser and Hilux diesels have the vacuum pump on the back of the alternator. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
110WestCape Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Folks thanks for the great advice. I have taken the alternator apart and found the following: - * 1 x diode dead on the rectifier * stator wiring is burnt - looks like it got fairly hot. * the status of the regulator is still unknown * brushes are almost still like new Besides getting the alternator fixed, what could possibly cause so much havoc in a alternator. Surely it has relays and fuses built into the system to protect it from shorts etc. Looks like I will have to spend a lot of moolah to get it sorted .... I would certainly like to find the cause before I fit a healthy alternator. PS: Appreciate a litte further description re differences between "battery sensed" vs "machine sensed"..... never heard of this before. thanx Wikus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonb Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Folks thanks for the great advice. I have taken the alternator apart and found the following: -* 1 x diode dead on the rectifier * stator wiring is burnt - looks like it got fairly hot. * the status of the regulator is still unknown * brushes are almost still like new Besides getting the alternator fixed, what could possibly cause so much havoc in a alternator. Surely it has relays and fuses built into the system to protect it from shorts etc. Looks like I will have to spend a lot of moolah to get it sorted .... I would certainly like to find the cause before I fit a healthy alternator. PS: Appreciate a litte further description re differences between "battery sensed" vs "machine sensed"..... never heard of this before. thanx Wikus Burnt diode will cook the stator. No fuses or relays to protect it - there never are. Providing vehicle wiring is ok they aren't needed. If you disconnect the output from the battery via a fuse you will destroy the regulator. Diodes do occasionally go short/open cct. Machine sensed - measures battery voltage at alt terminals - can't take into account volt drop between alt and battery in the wiring. Battery sensed - extra wire to compensate for voltage drop between alt and battery. Seldom now used as more wiring and different regulator. Making the alt-bat wire v thick minimises volt drop and can use simplier machine sensed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
110WestCape Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 Burnt diode will cook the stator. No fuses or relays to protect it - there never are. Providing vehicle wiring is ok they aren't needed. If you disconnect the output from the battery via a fuse you will destroy the regulator. Diodes do occasionally go short/open cct.Machine sensed - measures battery voltage at alt terminals - can't take into account volt drop between alt and battery in the wiring. Battery sensed - extra wire to compensate for voltage drop between alt and battery. Seldom now used as more wiring and different regulator. Making the alt-bat wire v thick minimises volt drop and can use simplier machine sensed. Thanks ...... makes perfect sense to me now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I know it gets monotonous with us complaining all the time about the exorbitant LR stealer prices. I have just offered Wikus a new genuine Denso alternator for R5000 including courier charge from Johannesburg. Strangely enough, we source genuine LR parts from Cape Town, because our supplier there is cheaper than the stealers even with postage added. The only things we buy are TD5 injection harnesses and Air flow meters anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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