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VALEO ALTERNATOR FAILUREs on ESPRITS

20K views 99 replies 20 participants last post by  MRDANGERUS 
#1 · (Edited)
How many Owners replaced antiquated Valeo 90A alternator on 4 cyl cars?
How long do they last?
Are they all failing the same way?

Your story?
 
#3 ·
My old original Valeo served me a long time with no issues until one morning out in Buffalo, NY when the girlfriend and I were headed to Niagara Falls {no not to get married} I packed up the car in the pouring rain and fired her up for warm up.

The charging light came on... :panic:... I need my lights and wipers plus I'm 600 miles away from home. I called a local Lotus owner for assistance and drove over to his house. Less than two miles from leaving the motel the charging system came back on line and the light went out. I checked the belt, alternator mounts, etc. and couldn't find anything wrong.

Welcome to the 'Black Goo Syndrome' As it turns out the voltage regulator melts down causing the brushes to stick when the alternator is cold but once it warms up they slide into place and the system will charge. This is a common problem with the original Valeo.

I've read all of the posts about converting over to Bosch, etc. however my favorite parts supplier convinced me to stay with Valeo. Since I had many years of service from the original I decided to buy another and the nice thing was I didn't have to give up my core, adapt the new one to fit and I can rebuild the old one for a spare.

A+ for the Valeo, I drove it for a few years with this problem and it never let me down. Even though I had a replacement I never had the time to replace it until I had to dig into the motor this summer, problem happened back in 2007. Although I never go far from home anymore it has not let me down and that's 'My Story'
 
#4 ·
Valeo is good and it should be easy t have a local shop rebuild it. You would want to get the voltage regulator (source of the black goo) replaced. You can get one from JAE - it is not very expensive. Take it and the Valeo to a local shop and they should be able to make it look and function like new.

I recently did a big renovation to my car and decided to give the Bosch AL49 a try after reading high praise for it (and a lot of complaining about the Valeo). I haven't had enough time or miles to form an opinion on the Bosch. You do have to do a few minor adaptations to fit the Bosch to the Esprit.
 
#5 · (Edited)
How many replaced the OE 90A alternator on 4 cyl cars?
How long do they last?
Are they all failing the same way?

Are V8 alts better?

Your story?
I bought the car July 2011. Started driving Oct 2011 after refresh. In Dec 2011, alternator failed during 4 hour stop/go tourist trip to San Francisco. The engine temps were assumed to be very hot, causing the black goo to drip and interfere with the stator/commutators. Ironically, it was a fairly cool day in San Francisco - ambient temps in the low 60s, but the 'taxi' mode of driving slow with stops apparently were not Valeo-friendly.

Covered to Bosch alternator and no problems since.

I have the details and tons of pictures here:

1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo alternator failure pictures by eberin - Photobucket
 
#7 ·
Bosch is Better

I've had problems with the OE Valeo on both my G-car and the 91 SE. Late this Summer I had no time to do the work myself so the local shop said they could take it on--and he found the Bosch solution himself. The Turboesprit group curses the Valeo over and over. The Bosch makes better electricity for the FI system and greater demands of the later 4-cyl models on the electrics--one just has to change the pulley out. I replaced the regulator on my 81 Essex and it seems to be doing ok. Check your battery and make sure it is fully charged and this will ease the strain in the Fragile Valeo. As soon as it gives out on the 81, I'll put a bosch in that one too.
 
#8 ·
My '83 has an OE Motorola alternator, never had a problem with it in 10 years.

Modern alternators are not designed to charge a completely flat battery, so boosting or jumping a car to get it running may cause the alternator to overheat and fail with the high load demand , unless you can get some cool air flow around it which is just about impossible on an Esprit.

Cars that sit on car dealers lots tend to be boosted alot BTW.
 
#9 ·
Using the Bosch does require a few tweaks. As mentioned you'll need to swap pulleys. You'll also need to rotate the back of the case 180 degrees to get the terminal on the correct side for the 910 engine layout. You also will need to use a different bolt to lock the alternator to the adjuster bracket. LotusRacer Ed has a great write-up on how to do the conversion:

Lotus tips page 3

It includes photos, etc. It's a job that shouldn't take more than an hour or so for the reasonably experienced mechanic.
 
#10 ·
My 88 has the cross referenced "Duralast" from Autozone and it has been working like a champ, I think it crosses to a BMW. You have to swap the pulley and fan though for it to fit.

I do recommend removing it from the box at the store though, as they are remanned and the quality of the reman can vary. Some had rust on them right out of the box. I had to go to 3 different stores before I got what I considered a good one.
 
#12 ·
I purchased a Bosch AL49X (12/2017) off eBay (new in box) and it doesn't look like you can clock it as easy as previously mentioned. There are four black insulated ~2" wires that go from the electronics inner-side to the wound copper wire. I broke one of them thinking you just had to undo the 4 outer housing screws and then rotate. I'm not sure if something changed in the design but it looks like I have to cut the 4 wires and then solder in some longer wires to reach the new 180 degree location. Does anyone have the procedures for clocking the Bosch alternator they can send me or recommend the best way to resolve this issue?

Thanks.
 

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#14 ·
Separaph!!! Oh YES YOUR ARE! Oh no no YES YOU CAN!

Its on the youboob posted right here in this sub forum by... ME.


The AL49X is too large and just clears just gotta stick a nice big n LONG extension under it get some belt tension on it oh and yeah buy a 60 cent bolt with a lock nut.

Also Sepraph. If you get that reference I will die laughing.


Also MR.D you know my story. I cooked the coils on my 27 year old Valeo and didnt know what it was because it didnt blow black schmoo everywhere instead decided to work intermittently for a week. Out here in japan I had to wait a month for one reasonably priced from the U.S. also rewinds take a month of the unit on the shelf here.... Also the supplier I mentioned to stay away from is a bunch of prius loving ****** Get the parts from a reputable parts slinger.
 
#77 ·
AL48X is not my favourite. Not enough power.

FYI, new gadget:
Balmar UBB Universal Adjustment Arm with Belt Buddy Tensioner device

Balmar UBB Universal Adjustment Arm with Belt Buddy Tensioner

ALSO, see post #229 here: https://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f1...ted-esprit-specific-items-101095/index12.html
.
Bosch alternator has only 5 more Amps! Why bother? It is the same amount of pain to install 200A machine, which BTW has ~same dimensions. Why not to go full monty?

Remanufactured Alternator (AL49X) by Bosch®. Current: 95 Amp. With 1V Pulley. With External Fan. Plug Position: 7:00 O'Clock. Voltage Regulator: Internal. Rotation: Clockwise. more details on - https://www.carid.com/bosch/remanufactured-alternator-mpn-al49x.html
 
#18 ·
Not clocked my Bosch spare yet, but shouldn't the center stator coils rotate with the rear cover relative to the front (pulley side) cover, so the wires stay in the same relative position?:scratchhead:
 
#20 ·
Yes that would be correct. Something isn't right. Just setting time is basically str8 forward. Not sure if there was a design change without holding it in my hands. Not sure why there is a 4th wire inside either. Setting time doesnt require opening the alternator up just loose and back up a "smidgen" and tighten up again:scratchhead:
 
#24 ·
Guys and Gals, My alternator on my 98 V8 seems to be........well not doing its job. It appears to be the original alternator as I can see "Made in France" on it from underneath. My question is in taking it off. Do you get to the tensioner from underneath and do you insert a 1/2 inextension and then turn to release the tension? Top hole or bottom hole? I attached a picture to refrence the tensioner. Not easy to get to that is for sure. Thaks and I look forward to your guideance. Mark
 

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#25 ·
It's all done from underneath. Search for the thread about the Cadillac Catera alternator as a replacement. It will take a bit of fettling to make it work. You also probably have to undo the motor mounts so you can raise the motor enough to get the alternator to fit up into the hole. If you see any black goo on the bottom of the old one, the voltage regulator inside the alternator is dead.
David Teitelbaum
 
#26 ·
The charging light was flashing on for awhile and then it would go off on a drive Saturady. Didn't want to break down, so I turned around and went home. The chargeing light has never been an issue, but......I guess it has to go sometime. Just getting to it or really the tensioner for the serpentine / auxillary belt is the issue or my question. I have done a ton of work on all types of cars, but it has been 20 years since I replaced a similar belt and it was easier to get to the tensioner. It appears that a 1/2 extension fits in the tensioner hole and it is just a super tight area . I can get a 1/2 inch rachet on it, but the rachet is short. I guess I will try and get a 1/2 inch breaker bar on it that is longer to try and relieve tension in order to take the belt off. I have the lower bolt out of the alternator and feel like I can then rotrate the alternator to make access to the top bolt a tad easier. Just wanted to see if I was on the right track. Thanks In Advance Mark Seifert
 
#27 ·
Well, not a 20 minute job in my opinion........will a low carb diet help shrink my hands???????? If you have a lift I would still plan on a few hours (3 to 4 taking your time and walking away after frustration) if you have never done it before. Well at least it is something to occupy my mind versus the market. Got to the tensioner with a 1/2 inch breaker bar long 24 inches and a 2 inch extension on it and rotated the tensioner counterclockwise to lessen the tension and was able to pull belt off the alternator. Once the belt is off and the bottom bolt off the alternator I was able to push the alternator away from the motor. It made access to the upper bolt easier, but it was still difficult to reach the nut at the back. I had already disconnected the battery to begin with and also had already disconnected the two wires on the back of the alternator. 13 mm for the large wire and I believe it was either 9 or 8 mm for the smaller wire. Once the upper bolt was loosened and the rear nut removed pull the bolt out mostly, so that you can tilt the alternator in order to remove the remainder of the upper bolt. I mention this as reassembly is probably easier to put the upper bolt in and then position the alternator. I started to undo the shift cables at the back of the trans, but ultimately did not and just pushed the cables aside and flipped the alternator around many different angles until I got it out this morning. It looks like the original Delco Remy, Made in France 100 amp, hard to read the part number on it. I am looking into letting a local alternator rebuid shop rebuild it possibly. I do think any larger unit would be ..........well very stressfull putting it in. I think I will also look at the Bosch AL8500X and the Caddilac Catera Unit locally for comparison and decide. Thanks Mark
 
#28 ·
Had a local alternator and starter rebuild shop look at the alternator and said it appears OK, but had some corrosion and suggested we do a light rebuild. I think basically replaceing the bearings and also the rectifier or electrics and cleaning it up thoroughly I believe is what he was proposeing. He said they test it cold and could be an issue when it gets hot, but overall he said it looked good. $85 to do it, so why wouldnt I do it. Thanks Mark
 
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