Alternator upgrade

[Pictreed]

I have the non adjustable brand of alternator (Interav I think) and it's about 15 years old. Probably not a lot of use on it but I figured this might be a good time to upgrade to Plane Power. 

Can you guys tell me which one I should be looking for as far as Amps, adapters, regulators and such?

Thanks Tim

[cctsurf]

I believe the kit you are looking for would be the SAL12-70 generator replacement kit.  You're going to have to remove the system as it was modified for the Interav, and re-modify the pressure cowl to fit the new alternator.  The STC for the alternator comes with the plane power kit.  The plane power regulator is PMA for the motorola (interav) regulator.

If you want to get the whole usage out of the Plane power kit, you will need to upgrade the alternator wire and breaker to 70 amps, the original in my plane was only 60.

I seriously considered upgrading to the plane power when I was having alternator problems early on.  I have the Interav alternator as well.  In my research, I found that the plane power system is actually heavier than the Interav system.  I decided against it because parts for the interav alternator are common as grass (it's an old motorola alternator).  Parts for the plane power system are not.  I have a friend who among other auto electric work does alternator repair for airplanes.  I had him rebuild my alternator, good as new.  In the intervening time, I found a new old stock replacement Interav alternator on ebay so as to have a second one on hand.

As it happens, there is one on ebay at this time, 'though it is used, it could be rebuilt for a ready spare.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Interav-Alternator-12V-P-N-015-01237-S-N-9801-SA-/232030705761?hash=item36061b9861:g:uikAAOSwqfNXmn22&vxp=mtr

I am all for replacing things that are having problems, but I (being a CB) can't quite replace things that are just fine.

[RLCarter]

SAL12-70 is what I installed on my 65' E, didn't upgrade the heavy lead or circuit breaker so I'm limited to 50amp which is no big deal

[clh]

Just replaced internav with a SAL12-70  as well.  So far, so good.  Only problem we ran into was the wide deck vs narrow deck bracket.

[Pictreed]

So the reason to go to the Plane Power is more Amps?

Are there other pros and cons. 

interav - easier to get parts, lighter

plane power - more amps but is heavier and requires a rework of the cowl, more paperwork

[RLCarter]

I had a generator that needed rebuilt and the old mechanical regulator, getting the generator rebuilt and a new solid state regulator was the same cost as the conversion kit which was on sale. No cowl work but I did have to trim the aluminum baffling that the Alternator goes through (wasn't that big of a deal)

[clh]

34 minutes ago, Pictreed said:

So the reason to go to the Plane Power is more Amps?  CLH = needed to change out brackets for new engine. (wide deck vs narrow deck)

Are there other pros and cons. new vs old. CLH =  Interav was installed in 1990. 

interav - easier to get parts, lighter CLH= wt was a push 11 vs 10.8 lbs

plane power - more amps but is heavier and requires a rework of the cowl, more paperwork  CLH = just replace the felt around alternator. (was doing it anyways)

 

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Pictreed said:

I have the non adjustable brand of alternator (Interav I think) and it's about 15 years old. Probably not a lot of use on it but I figured this might be a good time to upgrade to Plane Power. 

Can you guys tell me which one I should be looking for as far as Amps, adapters, regulators and such?

Thanks Tim

The Interav is a Motorola alternator supported by Quality Aircraft Accessories, but any good automotive alternator shop should be able to test and repair it.

Clarence

[Pictreed]

So I'm getting the opinion that I shouldn't change it out, right?

I like the idea of having an extra and rebuilding it so I can just swap it out and keep going. 

I can't have my plane down for long periods and it would be if I had to send the existing off for repair and wait for it.  The reason I think it would be down is partly because I'm so busy that I don't have time to spend tracking things down.  Also, what if I send it off and it's not repaired properly and I have to take it back out.  Shady repairs and contractors have ruined my trust factor...that's why I want a back up idea if I stick with what I've got. 

Thanks for everyone's help. 

Tim

[Guest]

There's one Interav alternator for sale on eBay.

Clarence

[cctsurf]

I certainly wouldn't.  It's your airplane and you need to do what makes you most comfortable (I say that to my wife when she's pilot in command...).  If you don't, I would highly recommend having a second (available on ebay right now) rebuilt by a quality shop.  After having that, I would probably do the swap the next time I have the bottom cowl off and have your current alternator rebuilt and have two fresh alternators all for less than half than the plane power costs.  Use those AMU's for something else...

[Andy95W]

Plane Power has an adjustable voltage regulator that is an approved replacement for the Interav voltage regulator.  This gives you the best of both worlds: light weight alternator that anyone can work on with a state of the art voltage regulator.

Plus it's the cheapest option at $182

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/planePowerSAL2.php?clickkey=15916

[jetdriven]

CLH now has the interav he pulled off for spare parts.  PM him.