Bill & Judy Rouse <yahoogroups@...>
Yes, I also bought a spare, but bought mine on eBay...brand new, but no pulley. It was so cheap, I could not refuse it. It was being sold by someone that did not know what he had...sometimes that happens on eBay.
Thanks for the note on the bushing...did not know that...my new spare is sitting in a closet in Houston.
Bill BeBe 387
On Thu, May 22, 2014 at 6:31 AM, sailormon kimberlite@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
I purchased a rebuilt lycee Neville from my alternator guy for about $250- he even threw in and installed the correct pulley.
It looks exactly like a new one. The other thing to check on your spare if you buy one is that the busing at the bottom of the alternator needs to be drilled out to accept the big bolts.
Drill press work. Fair Winds
Eric Kimberlite SM 376
All interested in battery life, I am sure that Eric is correct, that when working properly, the internal regulator in the Leece-Neville alternator will not overcharge the batteries. However, I personally know one owner that I am sure cooked new batteries with the failure of the regulator in the Leece-Neville alternator, and I have been told stories about this from two others.
I believe that the Leece-Neville alternator is far better than Balmar and Mastervolt. It costs more and is very common on over-the-road trucks; whereas, Balmar and Mastervolt are very common on sailboats. The Leece-Neville costs more than Balmar and Mastervolt and I believe that is probably the reason it is not common from sailboat manufacturers. It is difficult for sailboat manufacturers to "get paid" for using the best. Thank you again Captain Amel for the things you did...no other builder is like you!
I originally looked into modifications to the Leece-Neville when looking to change the batteries to AGM. An engineer at Leece-Neville told me the alternator will work as is, but in order to get the expected life out of the batteries, I should modify the alternator to an external smart regulator. He even made an electrical "how-to" drawing for me, which I posted in this Group.
Additionally, I believe that any battery will last longer if charged correctly. Smart regulators do this. - If you are changing batteries to AGM, you should modify the alternator, adding a smart regulator.
- $325 is a good investment if it increases the life of the bank by 6 months, or more
- The internal voltage regulator on the Leece-Neville has failed, cooking the batteries, on at least one boat, likely more.
- The Sterling Remote gives as much alternator and battery information as you may ever need
- All battery banks and large bank alternators should have temperature senders attached
- The Sterling remote, with the press of a button, allows you to take the Sterling Regulator out of the circuit and reverts to the internal voltage regulator.
Sterling Power Digital smart regulator and remote Discount to Group Discount available to Amel Owners Group Members when ordering by email or phone only.
PDARW - 209.88 - regulator with 2 temperature senders (alternator & battery) Contact for Sterling USA - Sterling Power USA Information sterling-power-usa.com> +1 207 226 3500 (Charlie approved the discount). The discount probably does not apply with dealers or Sterling UK. It may be beneficial to order from the USA location regardless of where you are because the UK price for just the regulator is £189.90 (Including VAT at 20%) which is equal to $325USD. The UK price for the remote is £134.90 (Including VAT at 20%) which is equal to $228USD. Maybe this UK price is the "suggested" retail and UK and EU distributors discount the price...I do not know.
I hope this helps, and I hope that I did not overstep by asking Sterling for a Group discount, I thought it would be a good idea. I plan to make this modification this winter.
On Thu, May 22, 2014 at 2:36 AM, sailormon kimberlite@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
When I went to my battery, alternator distributor to buy new batteries and have him check out my spare alternator, he told me the following—that the alternator will only supply what the batteries.
Coming home from St Maarten last spring having motoring for about 40 hours I noticed thet the amp input of the alternator was 1 amp after the bank was fully charged.
My first set of batteries lasted me 5 years and was destroyed by lightning, my second set was destroyed by a bad charger.
Now before every passage, I open up the “sealed” batteries and add water if necessary.
I keep my boat unplugged when in the marina when not in use.
The last 2 weeks it only used 2 kw just sitting at the dock. I believe most of the problems with these batteries are from overcharging whle in a marina.
Fair Winds Eric
Kimberlite SM 376
I have been in communication with two Super Maramu owners, Alan Leslie (Elyse SM437) and Dr. Andrew Lamb (Ronpische SM472). We have been discussing their solutions to adding a smart voltage regulator to the Leece-Neville 175 amp alternator.
You can find documentation on each o f these in the Files section. Look for Leese-Neville Alternator Mod...
Alan's approach using a Next Step alternator is sound and working exactly as he planned.
I like the approach by Dr. Andrew Lamb s/y Ronpische SM472 with the Sterling Power Products Digital Regulator and the simplicity and functionality of design. The Sterling regulator gives you the option to run either the internal regulator or the external regulator and does not modify the alternator at all except for one internal and easy wire splice. There is an optional and extremely desirable multifunction remote that displays information including charge status, battery/alternator temp, and voltages.
Look for Leese-Neville Alternator Mod...
I did not compare prices, but assume that Andrew's installation is much more costly than Alan's.
Hope this simplifies your life and gives you a new project.
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