Alternator recommendations please…

[BaldEagle]

Less than 150 hours on a new Hartzell alternator I had replaced 3 years ago and I’ve got a diode out.  It still produces a charge, but the background whine on a long trip is driving me insane — and the dozens of approach controllers up and down the left coast are having a sense of humor failure telling me that my ELT is going off while mangling my tail number.  (Of course this happens right at the beginning of a long-ish trip from San Diego to Portland).  Even if this is repairable, that’s some miserable reliability.  I saw a thread about Plane Power — any other options?

[LANCECASPER]

2 hours ago, BaldEagle said:

Less than 150 hours on a new Hartzell alternator I had replaced 3 years ago and I’ve got a diode out.  It still produces a charge, but the background whine on a long trip is driving me insane — and the dozens of approach controllers up and down the left coast are having a sense of humor failure telling me that my ELT is going off while mangling my tail number.  (Of course this happens right at the beginning of a long-ish trip from San Diego to Portland).  Even if this is repairable, that’s some miserable reliability.  I saw a thread about Plane Power — any other options?

Take it off and give it to Aero Accessories in Van Nuys to rebuild. They’ll get it right.

[A64Pilot]

Hartzell of course doesn’t build diodes, their supplier had one that failed.

Doesn’t Joe Brown (Hartzell) own Plane Power now?

“In 2014, Hartzell Engine Technologies (HET), the category leader known for its own premium product lines, acquired Plane-Power with plans to continue the success of the line by consolidating both alternator families, and creating a powerhouse solution for the aviation industry. Leveraging HET’s historical acquisitions of Prestolite’s aviation business, Aero Electric Group, Electrosystems, and Skytronics’ Jasco line, the Plane-Power label was soon supporting OEM customer requirements with purpose-built alternators for aircraft with electrical power needs ranging from 20 to 200 amps.”

on edit, point is your just buying another Hartzell product, replacing a diode pack is easy

[jetdriven]

Hartzell, which is really Kelly, quality control is total shit. Plane power alternators at least new, the Prestolite is a rebuilt 1970s ford alternator which fail pretty regularly and also cost 900 bucks because they say well if you want to overhaul it you can send it in and wait six weeks and will send it back to you someday. You should just buy one and send yours in for a core. Great