Holden 186 Alternator Replacement

[jdobson]

Hi there, I would be grateful if anyone could tell me where is the best place to source a replacement Holden 186 alternator? I am located in Sydney. The current alternator is manufactured (or at least badged) as Ingram. Though it's currently just about working, it doesn't have enough power to run the headlights which is making my return home from work rather interesting.

I've had a look on eBay and can see lots manufactured by Auto8, does anyone have any experience of these? Are there many variants to the alternators fitted to Holden 186s? I don't know what motor it originally came from - don't want to find I buy the wrong one.

Thanks

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Ingram is merely an aftermarket auto electrical parts manufacturer. You will find that the original is a standard Bosch type, they ranged from 35Amp with external regulators on 149/161/179/186 later models used 65Amp internally regulated and higher capacity.

I usually go for a 85Amp internally regulated type and I wouldn't go any lower than a 55 amp internally regulated type. Make sure you use a larger battery that will cope with higher current/loads. 4WD or V8 batteries are suitable.

You should be able to get them anywhere like Repco, AutoBarn or Supercheap.

[mick88]

Most Holdens were fitted with Bosch, whilst the base model vehicles usually had Lucas. Yours was most likely a 35 amp alternator. You can get change over reco's, or you may pic up a second hand one from a Wrecker, but it will most likely need a reco job anyway as they are getting on in age and would have seen a few miles. There are also new ones available at a good price, I bought an 85 amp Bosch for around the $200 mark a couple of years back. A quick search and I found a 120 amp model to suit your engine for $269 and a 100 amp model for $189 so there are plenty available.


Bosch Holden V8 253 308 6 Cyl 202 3.3L 161 173 Hi-Output 100 Amp Alternator





Cheers,Mick.

[jdobson]

Thanks both for your speedy responses, I hadn't considered the different amp ratings (showing my ignorance). I'm not sure what battery I have fitted but it's not the biggest in size. Should the battery advise what amp rated alternator it can handle?

Would most batteries be able to cope with 100 amp?

Thanks again.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

You would want to have a 10 or 12 inch battery. The standard for most series Land Rovers is 12 inch N70Z or equivalent although a 10 inch heavy duty will be O.K. the problem with smaller sized (and therefore capacity) batteries is that they have less area on their plates and higher currents will produce more heat which they have to shed.

It is why I recommended nothing smaller than a battery recommended for V8s (heavy duty) as a minimum.

Remember if you have an old battery that isn't holding or taking a charge this could be your headlamp problem. Put a volt meter across the terminals and see what charge it has before you start in the morning and then what it is taking when the engine is running.

If the voltage is much less than 10V in the morning you likely need a new battery. If the voltage doesn't rise to around 14V with the engine running it is an alternator problem.

[PhilipA]

Just remember if you fit an 85 amp or even 55amp alternator you will most probably have to fit a heavier cable from the alternator to starter and then to battery.
You can really fit any Bosch alternator as long as it has the same mounting method as what is there, either 2 ears or tube and you make sure that the pulleys line up exactly.
Regards Philip A

[67hardtop]

I have a vs commy v8 alt on my s3 with 186. I think its 85amp from memory.

Cheers Rod

Sent from my GT-I9507 using AULRO mobile app

[jdobson]

Thanks for all the advice. I managed to get a Bosch 85 Amp alternator. I've taken off the old one and side by side they look alike which is a positive!

Question, wiring. The old one has just two connectors, a spade and a terminal with a nut. Now the new one has two spades and a larger terminal with a nut. Any suggestions on which spade I should connect on the new one? If it helps, in my current configuration the charge gauge / warning light have never worked so I'm guessing that's not connected.

In my fleeting look, the large wire goes to a unit mounted on the engine side of the bulkhead. I thought it was meant to to head straight to the battery?

Any advice on wiring this new unit up greatly appreciated. I'll be sure to replace the cable with something that can cope with 85 amps.

Thanks

[Lotz-A-Landies]

It sounds like you have a 35amp bosh with external regulator.

If it is an external regulator and still there you need to delete it from the system.

As you suggest the large wire (at last 5mm core) should run from the terminal with the nut either to the battery or to the battery cable on the starter motor.

The wire from the indicator (probably marked Ind+) needs to go direct to the D+ on the alternator.

The other terminal is a tap to provide an impulse used for tachometers on diesels or vehicles with electronic ignition.

[jdobson]

Mine did have points but I switched it to an electronic dizzy. Didn't change anything with the alternator wiring - perhaps this is the problem? Works fine as long as I'm not using headlights... Any guidance? Thanks

[Lotz-A-Landies]

If the tacho works fine leave it that way. My MY85 RRc uses the tacho output.

[Lionelgee]

Hello JDobson,

I would follow this link's advice and stick with a Bosch alternator. Any good auto electrician should have one in stock or get one quickly. The URL to the site below includes wiring diagrams and how to upgrade from low amp Boschs to High amp Boschs along with the do's and don'ts, plus troubleshooting tips.

It will also answer your question about the extra spade connector on the new alternator!

The Holdenpaedia people do a damn good job about spreading the knowledge for all things Holden

Accessed 30th April 2016 from, Alternator - Holdenpaedia (http://holdenpaedia.oldholden.com/Alternator)

Kind Regards
Lionel

[jdobson]

Thanks for the continued info. I have switched the alternator and fitted a new Bosch 85 Amp unit. The large cable goes straight to the starter motor and I haven't connected any other cables to the ignition. It seems to be charging properly but when I put my headlights on the engine stalls and smoke is generated.. It restarts okay and no smoke.. But weird to have this intermittent fault. When I switch the headlights on the Ampmeter goes into negative. I don't know how it's even working as there's no feed from the alternator. Does this point to a short in the circuit somewhere?

The feed to the starter comes from a small unit mounted to the bulkhead..

[Lotz-A-Landies]

It definitely sounds like you have a short in the headlamp circuit somewhere.

As for the alternator, the alternator will often self excite, but it is wise to connect the D+ to the charge warning lamp, which means that it will commence charging earlier and give you a warning if you throw a fan belt.

The original wire for the warning lamp should be yellow coming out of the firewall. (There is also a yellow wire coming from the regulator to the original dynamo, but you should connect to the one from the lamp.)

[jdobson]

Well it seems to be charging effectively, the headlights are certainly much brighter than ever before and I can now run the windscreen wipers, iPhone charger and headlights with no problems.

I still need to tidy up the wiring (joys of working in a dark basement car park). With the original wiring from the alternator the large output cable went in behind the dash board and was connected to the ampmeter before being routed to the battery. I have bypassed the ampmeter and it now goes straight to the starter motor.

Weirdly, I would expect the ampmeter to no longer work...but it does... I guess I need to have a proper look at where the wires go.. when I put the headlights on the ampmeter drops into negative readings. I actually don't think the headlights are shorting out somewhere - I gave it a good check over and all that wiring seems to be good. So perhaps the ampmeter is not recording accurately now that it doesn't have a direct connection to the alternator.

Thanks for everyone's advice, always useful and much appreciated.

[Aaron IIA]

Your ampmeter is working perfectly. You have changed the side of the meter which you are charging the battery from. Normally you have the battery on one side of the meter, with loads and dynamo on the other side. You have placed the alternator on the battery side of the meter, so all loads now show as a discharge.

Aaron