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24v to 12v conversion


SRQlandy

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I have just purchased a lightweight that has a 24v electrical system. I have thought about converting it to 12v, but have some reservations about the conversion. First, will it change the value of the vehicle if I chage the systen away from original? Other than changing out the alternator, starter, and lights, is there anything else to the swap? Can you simply rewire the alternator and starter to a 12V system without replacing them? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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I have just purchased a lightweight that has a 24v electrical system. I have thought about converting it to 12v, but have some reservations about the conversion. First, will it change the value of the vehicle if I chage the systen away from original? Other than changing out the alternator, starter, and lights, is there anything else to the swap? Can you simply rewire the alternator and starter to a 12V system without replacing them? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Both alternator and starter are different beasts to yours.

Maybe worth getting an upgraded starter if you looking to purchase a new one. It is a more modern design that uses gears and on board solenoid i think.

Not really that hard to do. There are many series out there ideal for donors i would have thought.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

sorry to bump this old thrad up but im thinking of doing the same and came across this in a may 2001 copy of land rover owner

on both 12-volt and 24-volt ignition systems the spark plugs operate with the same voltage the only difference is that the so called 24-volt plug has the sheilding to stop interference on the radios when used in military applications. so to convert theignition you will need a standard distributor,ht leads,normal spark plugs,and a spade connector

first remove the cable that runs from the droppe to the coil at the coil endand strip back the outer casing to reveal the wire inside then fit a spade connector to it

now removethe coil,spark plugs,ht leads and the distributor[making notes of the timing marks]now replace these with the standard land rover items and connect as normal

the cable on whitch you have fitted the spade connector should be fitted to the positive side of the coil once you have done this you can fit the standard electronic ignition system of your choice in accordance with the manufacturers instructions

the volt dropper is fitted tothe rocker cover its the little black box with the vents in

thanks to mark finch who wrote this

hope this helps :) goldie

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sorry to bump this old thrad up but im thinking of doing the same and came across this in a may 2001 copy of land rover owner

on both 12-volt and 24-volt ignition systems the spark plugs operate with the same voltage the only difference is that the so called 24-volt plug has the sheilding to stop interference on the radios when used in military applications. so to convert theignition you will need a standard distributor,ht leads,normal spark plugs,and a spade connector

first remove the cable that runs from the droppe to the coil at the coil endand strip back the outer casing to reveal the wire inside then fit a spade connector to it

now removethe coil,spark plugs,ht leads and the distributor[making notes of the timing marks]now replace these with the standard land rover items and connect as normal

the cable on whitch you have fitted the spade connector should be fitted to the positive side of the coil once you have done this you can fit the standard electronic ignition system of your choice in accordance with the manufacturers instructions

the volt dropper is fitted tothe rocker cover its the little black box with the vents in

thanks to mark finch who wrote this

hope this helps :) goldie

Dont forget the clocks, bulbs, heater, wiper motor, and horn. Any spare 24v bulbs, dont chuck them away, send in my direction for the wolf........ ;)

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  • 1 month later...
Dont forget the clocks, bulbs, heater, wiper motor, and horn. Any spare 24v bulbs, dont chuck them away, send in my direction for the wolf........ ;)

Do you have to change these items out if you are only doing a partial conversion consisting of the those few ignition system items? It seems that the rest of the truck will still be 24v as you would be keeping the generator, starter, etc.

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No, put a normal coil fed from the filter box and install one of the electronic dizzys available cheap. The 24V system actually uses a 10V coil fed from the filter box, it's all the radio suppression that makes this the only part of the 24V system a pain. An alternative is to use a 24V - 12V dropper as used in HGVs, don't be tempted to just tap one of the batteries, you'll ruin them long term.

There's nothing wrong with the rest of the 24V system, parts aren't expensive (postage to US could be!) and there's loads of expert advice on the EMLRA and HMVF forums

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No, put a normal coil fed from the filter box and install one of the electronic dizzys available cheap. The 24V system actually uses a 10V coil fed from the filter box, it's all the radio suppression that makes this the only part of the 24V system a pain. An alternative is to use a 24V - 12V dropper as used in HGVs, don't be tempted to just tap one of the batteries, you'll ruin them long term.

There's nothing wrong with the rest of the 24V system, parts aren't expensive (postage to US could be!) and there's loads of expert advice on the EMLRA and HMVF forums

Cool, thanks for confirming that Sean. The electronic distributor system is what I am wanting to install. Since I'm keeping the rest of the system 24v, I'm going to install the dropper as well so that I can easily add accessories like fog lights and a cb radio. I am very excited about this part of the project!

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For the 24 volt ignition system:

Disconnect the 24 volt feed to the dropper/interference suppression box.

Open the box, you will find a wire in and a wire out, connected to either end of a resistor, move one wire and connect to the other end of the resistor so that both wirres are under the same terminal. Close box.

Job done, supply box with 12 volts.

The above worked fine for twelve years, no hiccups and allowed me to retain the screened dizzy and plugs/leads. The screened items do afford a higher level of water protection.

24 volt starter, needs replacing with 12 volt version.

If you really want to retain the 90 amp alternator the existing control system can be disconnected and replaced by a 12 volt external regulator. This can be easily hidden in one of the existing control boxes.

jw

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  • 2 months later...
For the 24 volt ignition system:

Disconnect the 24 volt feed to the dropper/interference suppression box.

Open the box, you will find a wire in and a wire out, connected to either end of a resistor, move one wire and connect to the other end of the resistor so that both wirres are under the same terminal. Close box.

Job done, supply box with 12 volts.

The above worked fine for twelve years, no hiccups and allowed me to retain the screened dizzy and plugs/leads. The screened items do afford a higher level of water protection.

24 volt starter, needs replacing with 12 volt version.

If you really want to retain the 90 amp alternator the existing control system can be disconnected and replaced by a 12 volt external regulator. This can be easily hidden in one of the existing control boxes.

jw

Is it easy enough to find a winch to go with 24volts, if left as it is??

I am interested as i am after a lightweight, not sure whether to worry about them being 24volt or not?..

i will definately need a winch.

Mike. :)

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  • 2 years later...

Since the coil and distributor on my series III 24v FFR are actually 12v, can I replace my shielded military distributor, coil, plug wires, and plugs with standard civilian Series III items? I'd like to do it that way because, by retaining my old parts, I could completely reverse the conversion at some point in the future if I wanted.

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