The Resurection of 'The Beast'

[Southeast Overland]

'06 Yamaha XT225. I've had it for two years. It's my commuter most days. I'll have it packed to the gills for the run if I bring it.

I'd be happy to carry some gear for you. I should have a little extra room inside and I'll have a roof rack also.


I cut two more pieces for the platform yesterday but had to stop early. Apparently I used a little too much contact cement and the fumes got fierce...oops...

 

[yooper]

I'd be happy to carry some gear for you. I should have a little extra room inside and I'll have a roof rack also.


I cut two more pieces for the platform yesterday but had to stop early. Apparently I used a little too much contact cement and the fumes got fierce...oops...

thanks

part of the fun and challenge is seeing how light I can pack...

 

[Southeast Overland]

thanks

part of the fun and challenge is seeing how light I can pack...

What about the beer?!?!?

 

[yooper]

What about the beer?!?!?

yeah that was something I was concerned about. You can definitely be my beer support chase truck!

 

[Southeast Overland]

Drove the Pig about 1 hour this morning and will have a return trip this afternoon. The dual battery system (National Luna) alarm went off about 40 minutes into the trip and indicated an excessive charge - it went off on its own and then came back twice for short durations. I'm running a stock 1976 alt (I think)...hmmm... not sweating it now but keeping an eye on it.

The loved a small fan I bought from Wally World to help keep her cool. I'm gonna buy me one too. They clamp very nicely on to my locking console.

Oh, also finished up 90% or so of the sleeping platform. Just need to install a few hinges, tie downs, and screw a few supports into place and she will be done!

 

[Southeast Overland]

Had problems with alarms indicating an excessive charge on the primary battery for a good bit of the 1 hr drive home. I read the National Luna install manual again and it appears that my stock 76 alt can't keep up with both batteries, so the National Luna isolator is cutting off the parallel between the two batteries and only charging the primary - BUT - then is when I get the excessive charge warning. I'm gonna email Paul at Equipr but I think I need a better alt. I had planned on getting the stock one rewound locally. Is there a better idea? I don't want to pay for a Mean Green. Any other ideas? If the rewind is a good way to go what should I ask for besides a alt that charges at idle?

 

[Southeast Overland]

I've seen a bunch of posts on MUD warning against a rewind due to potential overheating. I don't even know if a rewind that would probably cost $130 or maybe more, could give me enough amps to power all my junk. Many run a Mean Green alt but they are expensive. The flip side though is I could have a 200 amp almost bolt in solution. MAF has them at MAF Mean Green Hi-Output Alternator. I hoped that they would be a bit cheaper direct from Mean Green but they aren't.

Whatchall think???

 

[FJ40Jim]

Bolt in a solid state 1987 FJ60 alternator. They are cheap, relaible and they fit. And they give 60A at 13.5V all day.

The problem the Luna is seeing now is likely related to the crappy old external regulator not keeping a steady voltage.

 

[Southeast Overland]

Bolt in a solid state 1987 FJ60 alternator. They are cheap, relaible and they fit. And they give 60A at 13.5V all day.

The problem the Luna is seeing now is likely related to the crappy old external regulator not keeping a steady voltage.

I have an alt from a 1983 60, would that work by chance?

And is 60 amps enough? At any one time I could be running lights, aux lights, stereo, fridge, and 4 DC outlets. Thanks again Jim.

ETA: nevermind - just saw here from one of your posts that an alt from a 1981 and younger 60 would work. IH8MUD Forum - View Single Post - Alternator Swap

 

[Southeast Overland]

Alt I have is off a 83 60 but it is a World Class reman, made in Japan. The connector on the back of the alt is a two prong where as the stock connector is a three prong. Time to go digging for a correct plug and will need to have this alt tested. I don't have faith in the parts truck it came off of.

 

[Southeast Overland]

O'tay - here is what I think I'm gonna do - feel free to veto.

I just pulled out my stock, 1976 FJ55 alt. I am going to replace it with a ~ 1983 or so solid state, internally regulated, 65 amp alt from an FJ60. I have to make sure I get a one groove pulley, and not a two pulley. Are 65 amps enough? This alt is gonna cost around $100, where as a Mean Green will cost $400.

I have an Advance, Napa and O'Reily's nearby. I know their online listings don't match what they can order in store - but it looks like I can order Beck/Arnley, Napa brand, Bosch, and Ultimta (Nippondenso). Any suggestions? I'm also going to check with an alt specialty store.

The stock FJ55 alt came out just fine. I have an old alt out of a FJ60 that I'm not gonna use b/c I don't know its history - it looks beat. I'll have it tested and use it as a spare.

The stock alt has a 3 groove plug, where as the 60 alt has a two groove plug. Each plug only has two wires going into it. The stock alt has one larger white with black stripe wire, and one smaller white with light blue stripe wire. The 60 alt with two groove plug has one larger white and one smaller yellow wire. Does anyone know how I need to hook up the stock wires to the 60 alt two groove alt plug? Is it possible to reuse the 2 prong plug I currently have or do I need a new one?

Also, is what I have pictured the voltage regulator? Do I just unhook and remove this? It is located just behind the driver's headlight. It seems to match a picture I found in the 40 section but I thought it would have been mounted closer to the alt or on the firewall.

Here are some pics...

1976 FJ55 alt with 3 groove plug
1983 FJ60 alt with 2 groove plug

 

[Southeast Overland]

More pics...

3 groove plug from 1976 FJ55 alt

2 groove plug from 1983 FJ60 alt

Suspected voltage regulator - is behind driver's headlight. Suspected volt reg is circled in red, plug circled in green I think is for a stock stereo for noise reduction (is currently unused), and plug circled in blue goes into the stock wiring harness. Can I just remove this sucker?

 

[Southeast Overland]

Worked more last night. The rear platform is all but finished. I have two very small pieces to screw into place, three latches to install, and one DC outlet to mount and she'll be done.

Big things left on my list before the trip to MI in August are:
- upgraded alternator
- headliner and windshield replacement
- adjust valves

plus a ton of small things

knuckles are leaking a bit now from the four studs on either side...another thing for another day. Figure this winter I might look into a cut-n-turn and rebuild everything at that time.

 

[Southeast Overland]

Trouble shooting the dual battery kit with help from Paul at Equipt1. Fuses are good. I couldn't reproduce the over charge issue at idle. I'll try to take it for a drive tomorrow to reproduce the issue. My alt would only put out max 13.6 amps warming up with the isolator sending all juice to the primary, and max 12.8 amps to both batteries when in parallel which I think caused the isolator to start it's start up procedure again bc it dropped below 13.1 amps. Me thinky my alt sucks and can't put out enough juice, maybe the isolator too, I dunno. I still can't find out how to hook up the different plug on the 60 alt so I am going to an alt store on Thurs and going to see what type of higher output alts they have. A 60 alt at the FLAPS will run $100 so might as well see what else is available.

 

[Trollhole]

cs130

.

 

[Southeast Overland]

cs130

.

I researched the 10si and 12si alts, but not the cs130's... I'll see what they are all about.

 

[Southeast Overland]

Man I don't know squat about wiring... I've read tech links and a bunch of posts.

Looks like I can pick up a cs130 alt from a local alt store - will be for a 90-92 Eagle Premier / Dodge Montaco (thanks Trollhole) - wire it with 4 ga wire from the batt terminal on the alt straight to the positive battery terminal - use ring connectors/lugs and seal them with electrical tape or shrink wrap. No problem there.

Now to the stock voltage regulator - unhook the connector going into the stock VR. Some say to leave it where it is (why not remove the VR to clean things up?) and some say to [FONT=&quot]connect the white wire with green stripe to the white wire with red stripe and use the alternator end of this white with green stripe wire to excite the cs130, I think this would be to the L post? Not sure which way I need to go there. I would prefer to unhook the VR and yank it out.

The stock ammeter in the gauge cluster will be toasted by the 105 amp cs130 since the stock alt is ~ 50 amps and I'll be doubling that. It seems that if I ONLY have one 4 ga wire going from the cs130 batt term to the positive battery terminal that nothing will be going back to the stock gauge and I should be OK. Is that correct?

[/FONT]

 

[PabloCruise]

O'tay - here is what I think I'm gonna do - feel free to veto.

I just pulled out my stock, 1976 FJ55 alt. I am going to replace it with a ~ 1983 or so solid state, internally regulated, 65 amp alt from an FJ60. I have to make sure I get a one groove pulley, and not a two pulley. Are 65 amps enough? This alt is gonna cost around $100, where as a Mean Green will cost $400.

I have an Advance, Napa and O'Reily's nearby. I know their online listings don't match what they can order in store - but it looks like I can order Beck/Arnley, Napa brand, Bosch, and Ultimta (Nippondenso). Any suggestions? I'm also going to check with an alt specialty store.

The stock FJ55 alt came out just fine. I have an old alt out of a FJ60 that I'm not gonna use b/c I don't know its history - it looks beat. I'll have it tested and use it as a spare.

The stock alt has a 3 groove plug, where as the 60 alt has a two groove plug. Each plug only has two wires going into it. The stock alt has one larger white with black stripe wire, and one smaller white with light blue stripe wire. The 60 alt with two groove plug has one larger white and one smaller yellow wire. Does anyone know how I need to hook up the stock wires to the 60 alt two groove alt plug? Is it possible to reuse the 2 prong plug I currently have or do I need a new one?

Also, is what I have pictured the voltage regulator? Do I just unhook and remove this? It is located just behind the driver's headlight. It seems to match a picture I found in the 40 section but I thought it would have been mounted closer to the alt or on the firewall.

Here are some pics...

1976 FJ55 alt with 3 groove plug
1983 FJ60 alt with 2 groove plug

Here is what I think needs to be done to swap a 60 series alt into a 55/40:

Hmmm...

Does this mean that I could mod the plug at the external regulator - simply connect the ign terminal to the field terminal and use the (old) field connector out at the alternator connected to the ign terminal on the 60 series alternator?

The only connections on the 60 series alternator are ign, earth, and battery, correct?

From here: IH8MUD Forum - View Single Post - 60 Series Alternator

 

[jrod770]

OK, I had the same situation. I was going from piece of junk alt that came with my f motor to a donor fj60 2f alt that jimc dug out of a pile as a result of headapalooza 2010. Anyhow, simple as this, unplug the external regulator, the one on the inner fenderwell, behind the headlight. Throw it away, leave it, whatever. On the pic of your 2f alt, the 2 prong version, take 1 wire from the connector closest to the middle of the alt and wire it to the pos side of your coil. Take the ground on the 2f alt and connect it to the old ground on the f alt. Simple as that. This is how jimc told me to do it and has worked fine since swapped.

 

[Southeast Overland]

Thanks guys. For the same price of a rebuilt FJ60 alt I can get a cs130 which puts out twice the amps so I'm going with the cs130 - just gotta figure out how to hook it up like I was discussing above. I know you unhook the stock voltage regulator, and put a 4 ga wire from Batt stud on the alt to the positive on your battery - but then I find conflicting posts. Some say that's all you need to do, and some say you need to splice the two wires together that went into the stock VR, then wire in a plug for the back of the alt... I would MUCH prefer the one-wire setup as I know I (hopefully) can't screw that up.