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Hey!
Just finished installing an alternator kit in my 2002 conquest 8x8 with 20hp Kawasaki engine.
That was fun!
Next time (which will have to be at gunpoint) I will take some videos of me throwing tools across the yard, getting stuck upside down between the front seat and the transmission, inventing new curse words, and ruining a good pair of pants I should not have been wearing for this job!
I have 2 questions that I am hoping someone can help me figure out:
(1) the instructions were followed to the letter, no exceptions. I'm left holding the flywheel gear plastic cover in my hand, wondering if they want me to run without it from now on? They say to remove it, to throw away 3 of the bolts and plug the other hole with a bolt leftover from a previous bracket removal step, and then they don't mention this guard/cover again...?
(2) after firing up the engine, the alternator belt is definitely turning, not slipping. The voltage indicator light is illuminated when the ignition is turned half way, then goes out as expected after the engine is started. I can't get it to indicate a low voltage at all no matter how many accessories I run at the same time. This is a good sign. Problem/question is that since installing the alternator, my built-in voltage meter is showing 10 amps (EDIT: I meant to say 10 volts) at hands-free idle, 12-ish at high idle, and absolutely zero (like a dead gauge) when I run the stock headlights. My additional LED spotlights (2 x 27W = 54 watts) run fine and the voltage meter only drops a needle-width with them on. Even with stock headlights on, winch pulling a load up the driveway, LED lights on, brake blower running, and with a hands-free low idle, the low-voltage LED does not illuminate and after an hour of running/testing like this, my headlamps are still burning bright. Before the alternator, this would not have been possible.
Do you think I have a grounding issue with my toggle switch for the headlamps, causing the volt-meter to utterly quit only while they are turned on?
I have not yet tried measuring the output of the alternator with a multi-meter, as I don't have one but I will probably end up buying one for this purpose next week.
Thanks in advance! Any suggestions are appreciated.
The Swamp Donkey
Just finished installing an alternator kit in my 2002 conquest 8x8 with 20hp Kawasaki engine.
That was fun!
Next time (which will have to be at gunpoint) I will take some videos of me throwing tools across the yard, getting stuck upside down between the front seat and the transmission, inventing new curse words, and ruining a good pair of pants I should not have been wearing for this job!
I have 2 questions that I am hoping someone can help me figure out:
(1) the instructions were followed to the letter, no exceptions. I'm left holding the flywheel gear plastic cover in my hand, wondering if they want me to run without it from now on? They say to remove it, to throw away 3 of the bolts and plug the other hole with a bolt leftover from a previous bracket removal step, and then they don't mention this guard/cover again...?
(2) after firing up the engine, the alternator belt is definitely turning, not slipping. The voltage indicator light is illuminated when the ignition is turned half way, then goes out as expected after the engine is started. I can't get it to indicate a low voltage at all no matter how many accessories I run at the same time. This is a good sign. Problem/question is that since installing the alternator, my built-in voltage meter is showing 10 amps (EDIT: I meant to say 10 volts) at hands-free idle, 12-ish at high idle, and absolutely zero (like a dead gauge) when I run the stock headlights. My additional LED spotlights (2 x 27W = 54 watts) run fine and the voltage meter only drops a needle-width with them on. Even with stock headlights on, winch pulling a load up the driveway, LED lights on, brake blower running, and with a hands-free low idle, the low-voltage LED does not illuminate and after an hour of running/testing like this, my headlamps are still burning bright. Before the alternator, this would not have been possible.
Do you think I have a grounding issue with my toggle switch for the headlamps, causing the volt-meter to utterly quit only while they are turned on?
I have not yet tried measuring the output of the alternator with a multi-meter, as I don't have one but I will probably end up buying one for this purpose next week.
Thanks in advance! Any suggestions are appreciated.
The Swamp Donkey
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