No disrespect intended here, guys, so please don't take the following
personally.
Anytime I hear someone whining about "Lord Lucas, Prince of Darkness" (or
something equally dumb), I can't help thinking: Another f--king Neanderthal,
who doesn't have a clue about how to maintain an electrical system.
It ain't rocket science, guys. Keep the ground connections (ALL of them)
clean and tight (as well as any other electrical connections), bulb sockets
cleaned (if they can't be made to hold a bulb snugly, replace them),
periodically, the drive belt properly tensioned, and the battery fully
charged (in other words, don't ask the alternator to charge a nearly dead,
over-age battery), and the stock, Lucas electrical system will be completely
reliable. What's so hard to understand, here? If you have not already done
so, take a winter weekend to go over the entire electrical system cleaning,
and tightening things. White vinegar cleans electrical connector components
quite nicely. Be sure to refer to the factory wiring diagram, and be sure
you clean ALL of the ground connections. The female "plugs", for the
"bullet" connectors, have been known to fail, due to age and corrosion
(they'll still work, MOST of the time), but still appear to be snugly
connected. Check them all, and replace any that are "suspect". Keep the
battery terminals clean, and free of corrosion. If your battery terminals
are corroded, you can bet that other, less obvious connections are also
corroded. Never use "crimped" connectors, for automotive applications.
They'll eventually succumb to vibration. SOLDER, only. Remember, any loose
or corroded connection puts an extra load on the charging system. DUH!!!
Now, if you insist on adding a bunch of juice-hungry accessories (typically,
a "big" sound system, auxiliary driving lights, and high-watt headlights),
then you may need to look at fitting a more modern, higher capacity
alternator. For the lights, you may be able to get by with just installing
some relays.
In over 40 years & hundreds of thousands of miles of driving & maintaining
Brit cars, I've yet to have a PROPERLY MAINTAINED Lucas system leave me
stranded.
Bud Osbourne
-----Original Message-----
Cc: Spridget List; bugeye@yahoogroups.com; midgetsprite@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: GM Alternator
> Who'd a thought? My Lucas alternator crapped out on me!
>
> I've bought a 60 amp GM alternator
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