Author: mark

Categories: Auto Electrical, Cooling, Lighting

Starter motors come in many different sizes and configurations. Starter motors can vary in their mounting style, voltage, the number of pinion teeth and how the teeth engage with the fly wheel. To ensure you get a starter motor that will fit and work as it was designed to, we include a specification chart with each listing with all the information you need to ensure it will suit your needs.

One of the simplest ways to check if the replacement starter is compatible is to send us the part number of your old starter motor. In most instances, we can run a simple cross reference and confirm your choice. However, if you want to check yourself, we have put together a guide to help you to measure the motor yourself.

If at any stage you want help working through this chart, have a question or just want to confirm your choice, send us a message and we will work it out for you. (There will be no extra charges, guaranteed)

Measuring the Starter Motor

The diagrams below will help you find and measure the correct areas on your Starter Motor:

Figure 1. Starter Motor Measuring Diagram – Front

Figure 2. Starter Motor Measuring Diagram – Side

The most important measurements to note in Figure 1 and 2, are the:

  • Pinion at rest
  • Flange Diameter
  • Mounting Holes
  • Pinion Diameter
  • Pinion Teeth

Please ensure that you check, and double check these measurements. If a measurement is incorrect, your new starter motor may not fit or function as intended.

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Categories: Auto Electrical, Cooling, Lighting

Alternators, just like starter motors, come in many shapes, sizes and configurations. If matched up correctly, the alternator should work for you and charge your battery as intended. We’ve provided this guide to allow you to measure your current alternator so you can compare to the ones listed on our website. All our alternator listings come with a ‘specifications sheet’ so you can easily match up an alternator to the one in your vehicle.

Measuring the Alternator

There are a few key points that will differentiate alternators from each other. They are:
• Voltage and Output (Amps)
• Pulley Type and Diameter
• Regulator Type
• Mounting Positions and Sizes

The diagram below shows how to match up these details against the alternator.

If you have any other questions about whether the alternator will fit, feel free to contact us! We’re always here to help! If you have the part number for your old alternator we can cross reference and find the right part for you. If you don’t have a part number, don’t worry, we can use your vehicle details to find the part you need. The details that will help us determine whether an alternator will fit are:

• Vehicle Make and Model
• Year and Month of Manufacture
• Voltage and Output
• Engine Codes, Sizes, Transmission and Fuel Type
• Any Unique Vehicle Details

Either phone, email or chat with us and we’ll try our hardest to get you the right part at a fair price!

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Categories: Auto Electrical, Cooling, Lighting

Why has my 4WD alternator failed so soon after starting off?
098-13-434
From our experience, we have found the root cause of alternator problems in 4WD vehicles is overheating of the alternator regulator. This is often caused by too much load on the alternator after fitting auxiliary batteries or trying to charge your caravan / camp trailer battery while driving.

The common scenario is to use the auxiliary batteries or caravan batteries to run lights and fridge etc while camping. When you start the car and start driving these auxiliary batteries are often low on charge and as such draw a large amount of current from your alternator to compensate.

Alternators are not designed to charge a flat battery. Simply put, the alternator on your vehicle is designed to maintain charge in your vehicle battery. If you have a flat battery or even a partially flat battery you should use a battery charger to charge that battery before starting the car.

There are chargers on the market nowadays, they have built in smarts and will fully charge your battery. Generally they have three stages of charging and will fully charge your batteries so you will get longer battery life and more usable capacity from your auxiliary batteries. Although they do a great job, these operate from 240V and are not practical in a camping or out bush scenario.

The alternative is to fit a DC to DC charger to your vehicle. With all the benefits of a 240V smart charger but using your vehicles alternator to do the charging and without the massive current draw on start-up as before. There are several manufactures out there making these and we have found the Australian made Redarc charger to be the best value for money.
You can read all about the pros and cons here REDARC we sell the Redarc product and I have one fitted to my own vehicle, so I speak from experience when I recommend this brand.

You don’t have to fit a DC to DC charger if you fit an auxiliary battery or hook up your caravan / camp trailer. However if you do, it will extend your battery life, give you more useable battery storage and may save you overloading your alternator and ending up stuck on the side of the road with another costly repair bill.
Happy to answer any questions in relation to this by email sales@thepartsman.com.au or phone 08 8322 5112 or visit here to check our pricing.

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