Conquest Alternator Kit Review

[dale7637]

Good day everyone,
I just finished installing an alternator kit in a conquest, and thought i would let everyone hear some feedback on the install and results.

The machine is a 98 with a FD620 Kawi. I purchased the kit from a local dealer for somewhere around the $500 mark.

I tried the install with the engine in the body. I am sure it is possible, but it truly was not worth it to me. I yanked the engine and did the install on the bench.

The kit is well made, and the fit and finish was perfect. I have no complaints at all about the quality of the kit.

The instructions, on the other hand, leave a lot to be desired. It really isnt rocket science to figure out how to install it, but the hardware description in the manual sucks. Plain and simple.

The wiring part of the kit is easy. One end hooks to the regulator on the alt, as well as the main charging lug on the alt. The other end hooks to the 6 prong connector on the old external voltage regulator, and the batter + lead. 2 leads run to the voltage indicator light in the dash. My only complaint was the lack of a matched connector between the Alternator kit harness and the old voltage regulator harness. The 2 have to connect together, but the wiring connectors are slightly different, causing a need for a large amount of electrical tape.

I fired the machine up last night, and it is a world of difference. At idle, my volt meter sits right at 14 volts. With the stock system, the only time the meter read 14V was at full RPM.

I installed a new group 45/60 battery at the same time, just a standard battery, not a deep cycle or anything fancy. I tried as hard as i could last night to kill that battery. I have 2 4500lb winches on my machine, and even using both of those i could not load the system down. The lights are nice and bright, and dont dim at all at idle.

All in all, i think it was money well spent. At the end of the day, it wouldnt be that hard to build the kit yourself, but for me it was the time factor that caused me to just buy the kit and skip trying to build brackets.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

[Rock Doctor]

Good info, I just wish I had done mine when I installed the new engine.
My Alternator kit came in about a week after I did the engine. I don't feel like pulling the engine again, so the Alt Kit is sitting on my workbench at home

RD

[trevorakm1]

i'm curious as to loss of power from the moter to run the alternator. i have a 18hp b&s in my bigfoot that after a flywheel problem only reads 12 v on the meter now. before the flywheel problem i got 13 on the meter. i heard running the alternator steals horse power, have you noticed any difference?

trevor

[dale7637]

i'm curious as to loss of power from the moter to run the alternator. i have a 18hp b&s in my bigfoot that after a flywheel problem only reads 12 v on the meter now. before the flywheel problem i got 13 on the meter. i heard running the alternator steals horse power, have you noticed any difference?

trevor

I truly havent noticed any loss of HP. I cant imagine that a person would notice any loss, but who knows.

If i notice a loss of power i will just adjust clutching accordingly.

After using this a bit, i couldnt care if i lost 5 hp. Where i go, i need to be able to get out. HP isnt gonna help me get home, but a charged battery will.

[Old Tucker]

Good info Thanks.
the HP loss is directly related to the current draw. If you like to run a whole mess of lights , Then your draw will be high and the more work you alternator will have to do. Then in turn the motor will have to work harder. .
Going the alternator kit is a good move, to save the hassle of a dead battery.

[dale7637]

I took the machine out for a good shake down tonight, and found a few things out.

After winching through a nasty muck hole, I did notice a hp loss as the alternator attempted to recharge the battery.

I am running a 8000 pound winch, so the current draw is massive. If I left the machine idle after the winch episode, it would nearly stall.

However, after a few minutes the battery was topped up and it was back to normal.

Other than that, no complaints at all.

[rapidroy]

I took the machine out for a good shake down tonight, and found a few things out.

After winching through a nasty muck hole, I did notice a hp loss as the alternator attempted to recharge the battery.

I am running a 8000 pound winch, so the current draw is massive. If I left the machine idle after the winch episode, it would nearly stall.

However, after a few minutes the battery was topped up and it was back to normal.

Other than that, no complaints at all.

If I may make a suggestion here, be sure to check belt tension and be sure to keep it tight. On a new belt it will wear in a little and will need to be readjusted once or twice. If not readjusted the belt will slip, the battery will remain undercharged and the belt will wear down to a point where no matter how tight it is it will not grip the sides of the pulley properly and be touching on the bottom. As far as replacing the belt or installing the kit, I would suggest just pulling the radiator and removing the battery for access. As for having a machine with an alternator, this is a first for me also and you are very correct that everything works much better. Brighter lights, better cooling fan speed and faster battery recovery are worth the small price in hp it may cost, IMLHO.

[Old Tucker]

Good day everyone,
I just finished installing an alternator kit in a conquest, and thought i would let everyone hear some feedback on the install and results.

The machine is a 98 with a FD620 Kawi. I purchased the kit from a local dealer for somewhere around the $500 mark.

I tried the install with the engine in the body. I am sure it is possible, but it truly was not worth it to me. I yanked the engine and did the install on the bench.

The kit is well made, and the fit and finish was perfect. I have no complaints at all about the quality of the kit.

The instructions, on the other hand, leave a lot to be desired. It really isnt rocket science to figure out how to install it, but the hardware description in the manual sucks. Plain and simple.

The wiring part of the kit is easy. One end hooks to the regulator on the alt, as well as the main charging lug on the alt. The other end hooks to the 6 prong connector on the old external voltage regulator, and the batter + lead. 2 leads run to the voltage indicator light in the dash. My only complaint was the lack of a matched connector between the Alternator kit harness and the old voltage regulator harness. The 2 have to connect together, but the wiring connectors are slightly different, causing a need for a large amount of electrical tape.

I fired the machine up last night, and it is a world of difference. At idle, my volt meter sits right at 14 volts. With the stock system, the only time the meter read 14V was at full RPM.

I installed a new group 45/60 battery at the same time, just a standard battery, not a deep cycle or anything fancy. I tried as hard as i could last night to kill that battery. I have 2 4500lb winches on my machine, and even using both of those i could not load the system down. The lights are nice and bright, and dont dim at all at idle.

All in all, i think it was money well spent. At the end of the day, it wouldnt be that hard to build the kit yourself, but for me it was the time factor that caused me to just buy the kit and skip trying to build brackets.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

Just pulled my my motor and tran, More or less to clean things up and give it a good check over.
I noticed my alternator was missing the nut on the lower mount bolt, No big deal and they wired up the alternator using the only the + lead and the yellow, I take it as the voltage regulator wire. That leaves the orange wire not connected to anything. Where did that wire go to?
The alternator is working I have a good 14 volts at a low idle. but that one wire bugs me. In the kit where did they say to hook it into.

[plott hound]

ive got to revive this old thread cause i just bought a NOS kit really cheap.has anyone done this install without removing the engine?certainly looks to be the easy way to do this.argo manual says it pays 2 hours flat rate but im doubting it.gotta see if rockdoctor put his on yet.

[Dan67]

ive got to revive this old thread cause i just bought a NOS kit really cheap.has anyone done this install without removing the engine?certainly looks to be the easy way to do this.argo manual says it pays 2 hours flat rate but im doubting it.gotta see if rockdoctor put his on yet.

Like RD my kit is still sitting in the box in came in waiting to go on. Talked to my local dealer and he says the best way is to install it like the book says. I'm thinking about installing mine during my July 4th break from work. Let you know how it goes then.