Lucas alternators, are they worth trying to rebuild?

General Topics

Lucas alternators, are they worth trying to rebuild?

Postby sombrio » Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:56 pm

The honeymoon is over. The Prince of Darkness has struck.

Dramatics aside, my Spitfire has a problem with the alternator. (This is a 1976 Spitfire 1500. Negative earth. It has a Lucas alternator which appears to be the original type, but I don't know how it compares to other British cars.)

A new alternator isn't very expensive, but is it worth trying to rebuild the old one?

If so, does anyone know if any of the chains sell a rebuild kit that works for this alternator?

If not, would it be a good idea to replace it with something other than Lucas? My guess is that a Lucas alternator from Moss Motors (or equivalent) is probably better than a cheap AutoZone alternator, but it would be nice to know what others think.

Please let me know your thoughts, and if more information would help, let me know. Thanks!
sombrio
 
Posts: 130
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:32 pm

Re: Lucas alternators, are they worth trying to rebuild?

Postby thewalrus » Fri Dec 18, 2015 11:30 pm

I think I'd just buy a new one - unless you're really anxious to try a rebuild, for your own sake. And even at that, I'm thinking a new one would be more reliable.
User avatar
thewalrus
 
Posts: 600
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2014 7:05 pm

Re: Lucas alternators, are they worth trying to rebuild?

Postby tut » Sat Dec 19, 2015 8:04 am

before splashing out big on an alternator, make sure there's a good earth, and that the battery terminals are clean and tight....

just saying...


i'd buy a new one, as wally said, for the same reasons.. but i'd probably also be inclined to try a rebuild, out of curiosity. and like that i'd have a new part on the car and a dodgy spare in case it carks it again....
tut
 
Posts: 181
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2014 8:56 am

Re: Lucas alternators, are they worth trying to rebuild?

Postby Arthur Dent » Mon Dec 21, 2015 3:52 pm

Has it got an external regulator? I can't recall. Might be worth a check on that first. And of course clean all the connections (to the block, to the alt, to the battery, etc). Make sure your cables are decent too.
User avatar
Arthur Dent
 
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2014 2:50 pm


Return to General Banter

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 30 guests

cron