Balmar Alternator Upgrade

[ABJ501]

I wanted to know if anyone with a 53 HP Yanmar diesel engine (model # 4JH4-ESD40) had a Balmar 100 amp alternator upgrade (includes regulator). Were there any long term problems with the upgrade that affected motor or electric systems? It is a costly upgrade and wanted to get some feedback before I make the change.

[Vasco]

I have had that on a 4JH3E for the past five years. No problems except the regulator died once and had to be replaced. You can't really go cruising without one unless you have a generator.

[camaraderie]

I had a 110 Balmar on a Yanmar 44hp charging a 600ah house bank for several years with no issues other than a failed regulator which was replaced for free.

[wwilson]

Originally Posted by ABJ501

I wanted to know if anyone with a 53 HP Yanmar diesel engine (model # 4JH4-ESD40) had a Balmar 100 amp alternator upgrade (includes regulator).

I have a 55HP Volvo D2-55 that has a 100A Balmar. The Balmar alternator and ARS-5 regulator have been working "as advertised" for 6-years without incident.

[rocinante33]

Why not try a Leece-Neville (Prestolite) 90 amp marine alternator instead? Much cheaper (~$170). You could add a Balmar external regulator if you must. They are very good quality. They make alternators for ambulances & fire trucks. Marine quality & won't break the bank.

[pegasus1457]

I sent an email query to Balmar asking about adding an external regulator to my existing Motorola alternator. [I believe the Leece-Neville alternator is equivalent to the Motorola, which is no longer manufactured.] In their reply, Balmar made a comment which is relevant here: they pointed out that automotive alternators are designed to give a specific output at 2- to 3- times the RPM we cruise at in our sailboats, so they will never give the kind of performance we expect, trying to charge the house battery running the engine an hour or so each day.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by rocinante33

Why not try a Leece-Neville (Prestolite) They are very good quality. They make alternators for ambulances & fire trucks. Marine quality & won't break the bank.

And they make the alternators for Balmar too..

[hellosailor]

Many of the LN alternators are LARGE FRAME and simply won't fit in a marine engine bay.

As to speeds, any alternator can run at any speed regardless of engine speed--if the pulley sizes are matched up. A custom pulley will run about $100 from a machine shop, half that in the boonies, half more in the city.

As Balamr surely must have said, somewhere around 100A you start to get a lot of slippage on any single V-belt. If you can't change to a ribbed belt, at least make sure the belt size your engine is set up for, can handle that 100A load.

[rocinante33]

Originally Posted by pegasus1457

I sent an email query to Balmar asking about adding an external regulator to my existing Motorola alternator. [I believe the Leece-Neville alternator is equivalent to the Motorola, which is no longer manufactured.] In their reply, Balmar made a comment which is relevant here: they pointed out that automotive alternators are designed to give a specific output at 2- to 3- times the RPM we cruise at in our sailboats, so they will never give the kind of performance we expect, trying to charge the house battery running the engine an hour or so each day.

The Motorola is a 55 amp unit & the Leece-Neville is 90 amps in a marine, not autoversion. They are not equivalent. I believe it will perform every bit as well as a comparable Balmar that costs 4X as much. The L-N is a small frame unit so it is much easier to install. The Balmar will likely need a new bracket & perhaps a new crankshaft pulley, but the L-N won't. Maine Sail has a nice write up about the installation which I used as a reference when I did the job.

I didn't realize they make the alternators for Balmar, though.

[soulfinger]

Doesn't running two alternators at once rob your engine of power that supposed to be turning the prop? It seems like it would be nice to have a second, massive alternator on a clutch for use only when you need it. Does anybody do that?