145 alternator upgrade?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gary Heston
  • Start date Start date
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Gary Heston

Greetings;

I have my '72 145 back from the shop; the head transplant was a success,
and now I'm looking into other things.

My car came without A/C, and therefore has a 35A alternator. The cars
that had A/C installed at the factory were fitted with a 55A alternator,
and I'm contemplating upgrading my car to one of those. Does anyone
happen to know if there were any issues with doing that? I know the
voltage regulators may be different, but replacements are available that
handle both the 35A and 55A alternators. Do I need to worry about
upgrading the wiring? New fuses?

The existing alternator has a bad bearing and and seems to be a bit
weak (upon starting the car, the alternator light stays on until I rev
the engine, and doesn't seem to be charging at idle); as long as I have to
do a remove/reinstall, I might as well improve things a bit. I'll have the
bearings in the 35A replaced and keep it as a spare.

Thanks,


Gary
 
Gary Heston said:
Greetings;

I have my '72 145 back from the shop; the head transplant was a success,
and now I'm looking into other things.

My car came without A/C, and therefore has a 35A alternator. The cars
that had A/C installed at the factory were fitted with a 55A alternator,
and I'm contemplating upgrading my car to one of those. Does anyone
happen to know if there were any issues with doing that? I know the
voltage regulators may be different, but replacements are available that
handle both the 35A and 55A alternators. Do I need to worry about
upgrading the wiring? New fuses?

The existing alternator has a bad bearing and and seems to be a bit
weak (upon starting the car, the alternator light stays on until I rev
the engine, and doesn't seem to be charging at idle); as long as I have to
do a remove/reinstall, I might as well improve things a bit. I'll have the
bearings in the 35A replaced and keep it as a spare.

Thanks,


Gary
Click to expand...
When I had a 145 the alternator gave up the ghost entirely and I decided to
replace it with a Ford alternator. It worked... kinda. The biggest problem I
had (after dealing with the different size hole for the pivot bolt) was the
diameter of the alternator itself. The Ford unit was larger and had to be
completely unmounted to get the belt on. I tried a larger belt but then the
alternator couldn't be adjusted far enough out to tension the belt - there
isn't a lot of swing available. Other than those mechanical problems it was
a success.

Mike
 
Greetings;

I have my '72 145 back from the shop; the head transplant was a success,
and now I'm looking into other things.

My car came without A/C, and therefore has a 35A alternator. The cars
that had A/C installed at the factory were fitted with a 55A alternator,
and I'm contemplating upgrading my car to one of those. Does anyone
Click to expand...

When I had a '73 142, the sorry alternator (French crap) just wouldn't
put out enough to handle the load. I got a Bosch 55A alternator and
regulator. As I recall, it was quite straightforward to replace the
parts. The wiring worked fine and the car ran like a champ. I also
replaced the electronic FI with a carburetter and that made a great
improvement. While not exactly straightforward, it wasn't all that
hard to do.

Good luck.

Chuck Fiedler
Nothing but Volvo since 1974
 
I am not really familar with what model number of engine that you have, but
not far from here their is a volvo repair shop that on their web site sells
a alternator upgrade kit for the B-18&B-20 engines to up grade to a 63 amp
delco alternator, comes with a bracket to mount it.The web site is
Rainbowautosevice.com. look under parts.

Kasoma Duplantis
 
I am not really familar with what model number of engine that you have, but
not far from here their is a volvo repair shop that on their web site sells
a alternator upgrade kit for the B-18&B-20 engines to up grade to a 63 amp
delco alternator, comes with a bracket to mount it.The web site is
Rainbowautosevice.com. look under parts.
Click to expand...

My car has a B20F (D-Jet injection) engine.

Nice concept, but $129 for a bracket, bolts, and easy instructions is
a bit steep--I can get two 55A aftermarket alternators for less than
that, and they will bolt right in.

At that price, something like an upgraded voltage regulator or a new
cable harness should be included.

Thanks for the link, though.


Gary
 
When I had a '73 142, the sorry alternator (French crap) just wouldn't
put out enough to handle the load. I got a Bosch 55A alternator and
regulator. As I recall, it was quite straightforward to replace the
parts. The wiring worked fine and the car ran like a champ.
Click to expand...

I think the existing alternator is a Bosch. I'll have to check the
regulator in there (it's been replaced) to see if it's already a 55A
capable version. Looks like it'll go smoothly.
I also
replaced the electronic FI with a carburetter and that made a great
improvement. While not exactly straightforward, it wasn't all that
hard to do.
Click to expand...

If the pressure sensor in mine dies (again), a carb conversion will
be required--Bosch quit making them, and there aren't any new ones
left anywhere. Where did you come up with a manifold, and what carb
did you use? I may as well start putting the parts together...
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks,


Gary
 
Gary said:
If the pressure sensor in mine dies (again), a carb conversion will
be required--Bosch quit making them, and there aren't any new ones
left anywhere. Where did you come up with a manifold, and what carb
did you use? I may as well start putting the parts together...
Click to expand...

If you already have FI, why not keep it? Use Megasquirt, SDS or maybe
another aftermarket ECU.

Good luck with the Alternator.

-K
 
Gary said:
My car has a B20F (D-Jet injection) engine.

Nice concept, but $129 for a bracket, bolts, and easy instructions is
a bit steep--I can get two 55A aftermarket alternators for less than
that, and they will bolt right in.

At that price, something like an upgraded voltage regulator or a new
cable harness should be included.

Thanks for the link, though.

Gary

--
Gary Heston [email protected] I don't need an iPod, I have an IQ.

A worthwhile endeavour:
http://www.thebrestcancersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites
Click to expand...

I did this upgrade on my '74. Only issue I know of is that the newer
alternators have a raised boss on the lower (big) bolt hole. A longer
lower bolt may be necessary. (Mine only caught about 3 threads with the
older bolt.)

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)
 
Gary Heston wrote:
Click to expand...
I did this upgrade on my '74. Only issue I know of is that the newer
alternators have a raised boss on the lower (big) bolt hole. A longer
lower bolt may be necessary. (Mine only caught about 3 threads with the
older bolt.)
Click to expand...

No problem--my lower bolt is a replacement already. The original one broke
off. Getting the tip out of the hole was a _real_ pain; had to pull the
radiator, drill a hole into the tip, drive an old screwdriver ground to a
square point into it to finally crack it loose with Vise-Grips on the
screwdriver shaft.

Really annoying... At least I have plenty of bolts around.


Gary
 
Gary
A Delco alt. from any GM after '75 goes in directly, giving 61a.one sense
attaches to charge,other one to existing idiot lite? More if wanted. Bill
 
Bosch makes a 55A upgrade that will fit right in to any B18 or B20. Part #
is AL77X at KORE-TEK phone # is 508.995.3755. I have no affiliation - there
are other suppliers probably. I used this re-manufactured unit on my '70
1800E which is same as your 145 except that you have B20F. Increased amps
make lights brighter, able to drive more appliances such as A/C, modern
radio and multiple speakers.

I have a used amm (air mass meter, air pressure meter, whatever) that may
fit your B20F that I pulled from a 140. It worked on my B20E, but I
replaced with the correct part # so I have this extra. I believe there are
a couple of specialty shops that claim they can rebuild this amm. The ECU
almost never fails unless you bake it in a paint shop oven. After that,
keeping your injector seals, fuel hoses, fuel filter and fuel pump in good
condition are the main things to keep D-Jet working reliably. With FI or
carb, consider converting from mechanical points to electronic ignition for
improved timing and horsepower.

Pat Q
'70 1800E
'96 850
 
Bosch makes a 55A upgrade that will fit right in to any B18 or B20. Part #
is AL77X at KORE-TEK phone # is 508.995.3755. I have no affiliation - there
are other suppliers probably.
Click to expand...

That's just an alternator, correct? I found a site listing it as for the
'75 240 series. They (www.thevolvosite.com) also listed an external
regulator for that year, which would be consistent with the 145.
I used this re-manufactured unit on my '70
1800E which is same as your 145 except that you have B20F.
Click to expand...

I think your 1800E is a lot more fun to drive than my 145. :-)

Have you looked into the supercharger kit at http://www.v-performance.com/
for your 1800E? The protype knocked six seconds off the 0-60 time for a
P1800 / B18 car.
Increased amps
make lights brighter, able to drive more appliances such as A/C, modern
radio and multiple speakers.
Click to expand...

I'll start with something that will charge at idle and go from there.
I have a used amm (air mass meter, air pressure meter, whatever) that may
fit your B20F that I pulled from a 140. It worked on my B20E, but I
replaced with the correct part # so I have this extra.
Click to expand...

Manifold Pressure Control Sensor, MPC for short. I'd be interested in it;
the one I have isn't perfect. Price?
I believe there are
a couple of specialty shops that claim they can rebuild this amm.
Click to expand...

Fuel Injection Corporation looks to be one; I'll se if they want to rebuild
my collection (4 or 5) of the things.
The ECU
almost never fails unless you bake it in a paint shop oven. After that,
keeping your injector seals, fuel hoses, fuel filter and fuel pump in good
condition are the main things to keep D-Jet working reliably. With FI or
carb, consider converting from mechanical points to electronic ignition for
improved timing and horsepower.
Click to expand...

IPD has a unit by Perlux that looks easy to install; heard anything about
it?


Gary
 
Gary,

I don't know if all '75 240s were configured this way, but I saw a '75 245
wagon with a B20. This was the 1st year of 240-era, so I guess this was a
transition year before going to the B230 engine. Because it was a B20 with
F injection, it should be able to use the same alternator as B20s on older
120s, 140s, and 1800's. I did not have to change any wiring from the
earlier 35A alternator. It was 3 yrs ago that I upgraded to the 55A, so I
don't remember if the regulator was integrated or not. In any event, it was
plug-and-play.

Group, did all '75 240s come with B20, or just some?

On the breakerless ignition, I selected the Crane product from IPD. At the
time, I read a review that the Perlux product was not as easy to install
with "plug-n-play" convenience, so I elected to select the more expensive
Crane product. This was on my son's '66 120s. I was happily satisfied, and
did not second-guess my selection when it came time to upgrade the 1800E.
I'm sure there are plenty of customers who are very satisfied with the
less-expensive Perlux product. Bottom line is the same: no more finicky
ignition points.

On the correctly named Manifold Pressure Control, I'll check the part number
on my extra part, and post it to let you verify it is the same part number.
Price is $40 plus shipping. That's less than I paid, but I don't think I'll
need it in the future since I replaced with correct part # for my 1800E.
 
Pat said:
Gary,

I don't know if all '75 240s were configured this way, but I saw a '75 245
wagon with a B20. This was the 1st year of 240-era, so I guess this was a
transition year before going to the B230 engine. Because it was a B20 with
F injection, it should be able to use the same alternator as B20s on older
120s, 140s, and 1800's. I did not have to change any wiring from the
earlier 35A alternator. It was 3 yrs ago that I upgraded to the 55A, so I
don't remember if the regulator was integrated or not. In any event, it was
plug-and-play.

Group, did all '75 240s come with B20, or just some?
Click to expand...
<snipped>

As I understand it, the B21 (overhead cam) was introduced on the 1975
models in some countries, but there were only B20s in North America in
1975.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)
 
That's my understanding as well...but...


<snipped>

As I understand it, the B21 (overhead cam) was introduced on the 1975
models in some countries, but there were only B20s in North America in
1975.
Click to expand...

Ron/Champ 6

1963 8E5 Champ (Champ 6)
1995 VW Passat (Vanilla..yuk)
1994 Volvo 850 (Tilley)
1973 Volvo 1800 ES (Hyacinth Bucket)
 
I have 2 Manifold Pressure Controls for sale, $40 each plus shipping. Here
are part numbers:

0 280 100 015
0 280 100 053
 
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