MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
Hello All,
I've been looking at the posts regarding the Saturn alternator upgrade.
I have installed a Petronix ignition - If I upgrade to the Saturn alternator will it fry the Petronix ignition?
Thanks in advance!
~emily
no, currently have that setup in two cars. think about it, why should it. puts out the same volts, amps depend on draw. pulled by demand, not pushed by the alt.
Works well on the 71. Haven't changed the 74.5 alt. over yet. Both have the petronix and it is one of the best improvements to make in my opinion.
How many amps does the Saturn conversion alternator produce?
OJX Wrote:
GeeMoo Wrote:
I did the GM alternator on my 72 GT. Helped out a lot. I am going to petronix one of these days.
My 80 with a fairly new Lucas (and petronix), I don't see any need to change it out, as the system seems more than up to the task.
I, too, have the Saturn alternator and a PerTronix ignition system in my 69 MGB. It's been over a year and a half, now, and no problems whatever. Here's a link to the writeup I did on my alternator conversion:
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~fishertr/alternator.html
got mine from <http://www.mgccars.com/96_amp_alternator_upgrade.htm> installed quite easily. No fuss. No muss.
Paul
That's a great deal with the pulley installed, and the wiring plug already there! I would have gone that route if I had known! Instead I set up my own system using a variety of parts from Advance and it probably cost a bit more in the end!
B-racer Wrote:
I just installed the alternator from mgccars. Very easy. Just mount it and connect two wires and you're done. Fast shipping, and well worth the price for not having to mess with pulleys and plugs.
Chuck
Phantomracer Wrote:
gatorbrit Wrote:
What is the charging voltage that you get from the new alternator when it is running?
I got my alternator from the same place Paul linked to, and had a similar good experience: Good price, fast shipping, and the physical mods already in place.
At idle, with the headlights on, the wipers going, and the heater blower blasting at full speed I still show 12v charging on the voltage meter. Running at anything over a high idle, it consistently shows 14v. The only problem, such as it is, is that if I have the system running at full capacity the belt wants to squeal a bit when moving out from a full stop.
R.
Each electrical device will draw only the current (amperage) it needs, so that is not a consideration under normal circumstances. The Pertronix unit only draws a very small amount of current.
However, the big consideration for all your electrics and electronics will be the voltage range each is designed to accept. They may say 12VDC on the label, but most tolerate a bit more than that, and are usually quite compatible with normal voltage output range of a good, properly regulated alternator. Only if your voltage reg. on the alternator went to hell on you, could you fry anything it feeds, including the wiring and battery if it starts producing way more voltage than the system is designed for. Some charging systems are even self fusing to protect you from that. If your Volt. Reg is operating within spec., you should have no problem, regardless of how many amps or milliamps a device might draw. And, if you are concerned that your alternator may one day go south and allow too much current, put an inline fusible link (GM put them on their cars for years, and they are available from any decent retail auto parts house) inline with the output(s) from your alternator. They will blow before the rest of your electrical system.
B-racer Wrote:
Michael, the site you listed is owned by CSK Auto, the owners of Advance auto, so we got our parts from the same warehouse. I think mine came with a lifetime warranty as well, which is nice! What wasn't nice was having to source a pulley on short notice, which I did by buying another $19 GM alternator and sending back a dead Saturn alternator as a core. The connector was on the shelf, although the store employees said they didn't have one. I just walked over and grabbed it! :-)