Got some low voltage readings this weekend flying the Skywagon. Alternator was changed in 1994 and I am thinking it is the cause. Been thinking it was only a matter of time before it failed. Good thing it didn't happen in the Backcountry. Just thinking about hand propping my 3 bladed 520 scares the bejeezus out of me,. Curious what others are using on their Skywagons or similar big bore continentals. Also are there some lighter weight options ? Guess it could be the voltage regulator but I will likely need to replace the alternator at some point.



Josh

I would suggest some troubleshooting before you assume it is the alternator. I just went through this... after a day and a half with two of us swapping alternators and voltage regulators with known good ones and tracing wires with a volt / ohm meter, we finally narrowed it down to the over-voltage switch under the panel. It was a huge pain to find the problem. As my mother says, "It made me say ugly words."

Following.
I still run the stock 35A generator on my 53 C180, it still works well but I wouldn't mind upgrading at some point.
But I'm not too eager to replace it with a 60A or 70A alternator that probably doesn't weigh much if any less.
A small alternator that bolts onto my now-unused vacuum pump pad would be cool.
But the little orange ones are too low a capacity (8A?),
and the bigger ones (30 - 40A) are too long to avoid firewall clearance issues.
Plus neither is approved for my application.

I've been happy with the Plane Power alternator conversion that replaced my generator. It might be more expensive than just replacing an existing alternator.

I’ve recently removed my plane Palmer alternator because I’ve broken three alternator brackets in three years. Every time it happened I would call plane power and they would send me a new one, apparently it’s a common problem on the big bore continentals. I’m surprised it’s not a AD. I went back to the generator with a digital regulator.

This looks pretty light...

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... -14298.php

C185D wrote:..... I went back to the generator with a digital regulator.

That's something I'd be interested in.
Could you post or PM me the info (make/model or a link) about it?
Thanks.

hotrod180 wrote:

C185D wrote:..... I went back to the generator with a digital regulator.

That's something I'd be interested in.
Could you post or PM me the info (make/model or a link) about it?
Thanks.

Zeftronics makes some. Ie: model G1350N is the PMA version for the early 180s.

hotrod180 wrote:

C185D wrote:..... I went back to the generator with a digital regulator.

That's something I'd be interested in.
Could you post or PM me the info (make/model or a link) about it?
Thanks.

It was a Zeftronics, can’t remember which exact model.

The mechanical Delco regulators sometimes need to be adjusted for proper voltage cut-in / cut-out.
Does the Zeftronics unit have an adjustment for voltage, or is it a "it works or it doesn't work" deal?
I googled up the Zeftronics troubleshooting info, I don't see this mentioned.

kg wrote:I would suggest some troubleshooting before you assume it is the alternator. I just went through this... after a day and a half with two of us swapping alternators and voltage regulators with known good ones and tracing wires with a volt / ohm meter, we finally narrowed it down to the over-voltage switch under the panel. It was a huge pain to find the problem. As my mother says, "It made me say ugly words."

I could grab the back of his alternator and wiggle it, a lot. If it was a dog, we’d have shot it.

C185D wrote:I’ve recently removed my plane Palmer alternator because I’ve broken three alternator brackets in three years. Every time it happened I would call plane power and they would send me a new one, apparently it’s a common problem on the big bore continentals. I’m surprised it’s not a AD. I went back to the generator with a digital regulator.

I’ve had a Plane Power on my IO-520 for going on 6-plus years now and have been pretty happy with it.

I also had the bracket crack a few years back. Wish I had known that PP will send you a new one…

Well pretty easy fix. Alternator was shot. Pretty good life for an alternator - 29 years and glad it didn't fail off airport. I know there is another thread about hand propping a 3 blade with an O520. Don't want to go there. Might invest some money in a jump pack. It looks like Plane Power was the best option. I was hoping for some fancy new type of lightweight product. Better than a generator. I like my Skywagon like my women - light. I am going to get in trouble with Zane.



Josh

Based on the skywagon empty weight thread, there are a lot of pilots that like em big and chunky.

Dog is my Copilot wrote: Well pretty easy fix. Alternator was shot. Pretty good life for an alternator - 29 years and glad it didn't fail off airport. ....

What make / model alternator do you have?
29 years is pretty good service,
I think I'd be inclined to have that one overhauled
and maybe get another 29 years out of it.
I've heard about Plane Power alternator brackets breaking, someone posted about that earlier in this thread.