Bosch alternator repair

Thinking on, are you *very* sure it wasn't tin plated copper? This is (or was) common in the UK with flexible cords - and indeed cable in the '50s-60s. All the UK house wiring cable in the UK was this until the switch to metric sizes.

I'm not sure why it fell out of favour. Cost might be one thing. But plain copper certainly corrodes in a car after a period resulting in poor connections at crimped terminals. Lucas - or rather Rists - actually welded connectors to plain copper wiring at one point.

"Or have you never seen a TR4 that'd gone up in smoke from harness fire?"

I was a passenger in a Triumph Herald that caught on fire. This happened in 1965 or 1966.

"Three wire alternators are usually just a battery sensing device so not difficult to modify the wiring for - unless I've got it wrong?"

It's not so much the circuit that's the issue. The problem is mechanically fitting a GM or any other automotive alternator onto a BMW bike.

Right... anything from Triumph(auto) and many mg midgets, half of Austin Healy's and Jensen Healy's later offerings as well.(All made by the government run British Leyland group.) Hope you got through that incident unscathed.( many came away burned, as the fire in the TR4's usually started in the dash or firewall wiring harness assembly.)

I'm positive. I was at one time a factory certified mechanic, got my training in England in fact. (worked for a bit at the old Abbington carriage works and later at Morris garage.) Absolutley Aluminum! Virtually everyone in the rank and file on both sides of the pond who worked in the British import business hated that the decision was made at the corporate level to go with such crappy wire.(Just one of the many factors that led to the demise of the business.)

As to copper corrosion, it's not the copper but the oxygen content in the copper that causes corrosion.( or exposure to external oxygen/water.) Marine grade copper uses low or no oxygen copper, very expensive, as well as silicone shielding applied using a vacumn process to exclude surface oxy. I've got some antiques that I've replaced the wiring with marine grade and it's still like new after many years.(Including an old pre-war Fluke, an early German motorbike.) The problem with Aluminum wiring in automotive apps is that it's britttle and a low temp metal. The heat and vibration inside the engine compartment is sure death for Aluminum. In fact can't think of any app that'd be good for it.

Actually the 3.5 you're talking about was NEVER an import option, it was in fact a 3.2 ltre of buick design built in Britain.( I used to work in the plant they were made in.) Both the 3.5 and in the final years the 3.8( overbored with different heads) was strictly a British/European option offered in an attempt to satisfy the sports car drivers on that side of the pond.( A necessity actually for customers in Germany where high speed was a must what with the minumim autobahn speed being 80mph.) DOT regs only allowed the 3.2 and that was severly limited what with all the smog gear and hp limitations.( I owned the 3.5 Euro version myself. When I brought it back home in '74 customs impounded it and made me raise the road height and install all the smog gear as well as replace the carbs and tune it down completely. Wound up selling it to a collector out west who could restore it to original. suppose it's still sitting in his showroom.)

And they were offerd to the American public, though there were few takers as it was a five grand option.( Most customers opted to have one installed aftermarket at just about any speed/machine shop.) My father's shop did many a conversion in fact. The main advantage was being able to sidestep the insurance increase. Buy an early model four cylinder MG, get it registered and insured, then do the mod. My uncle even managed to shoehorn a 289 v8 in one (aluminum block ford early model proprietary.) though he later had to replace the rest of the drive train as well. ( That old banjo rear end couldn't take the strain and on quick take offs would just do 360's) I used to do a good trade back in the 80's upgrading Jaguars, dumping the factory 12 cylinders and install either chevy 350's or Ford 427's. I don't bother these days due to the liability issues.

In the late 60's and early 70's the british import business was coming under heavy attack from the domestic manufacturers via lobby induced legislation to ruin the import business. Whenever the laws on this side changed to restrict some performance feature or increase the import levies on foreign sports cars British Leyland would have to cut cost on their side.(Though having worked for them back then I believe they were perfectly capable of ruining any car they got there hands on all by themselves. Just look at what the did to the Austin Healy line.) Aluminum wire was simply a cost cutting measure.

The Jensen Healey wasn't made by BL.

And you make it sound like an enforced nationalization. BL was only state owned because the component parts of it went bankrupt and allowing them to die just wasn't politically acceptable. The same as is now happening to your very own GM and Ford, etc. Do you think your government would allow them simply to stop trading and close down completely because they are losing money?

When?

I've asked around the UK car groups. And *no one* can remember aluminium wire in the car harness.

IMHO, you're mistaken. Unless it was just used on export models.

Lucas did use aluminium windings in some starter motors, etc, and this was successful.

As well as having owned and worked on many many cars of this period I also read some of the classic mags. Now if ally wiring was common it would be mentioned - as well as articles on how to replace it.

Sorry, mate, you're talking s**te. ;-)

The standard sizes of the UK Rover V-8 - only recently out of production - are 3.5, 3.9, 4.2, 4.6. The 3.5 was in production from 1967 through to at least '92 - and possibly later. Other sizes ran along side it.

I've never heard of a smaller capacity V-8 version - although a V-6, cut down from the basic block was used for racing.

Specialist makers like TVR produced modified versions of this engine with some odd sizes - but always more than 3.5 litres.

I'd suggest you get a copy of the definitive work on that engine by David Hardcastle - The Rover V-8 Engine. It gives the history of the Buick unit and its subsequent purchase by Rover, and all the variants and production applications.

"68-74

That's what I said, import. You're talking to a MG certified mechanic btw. What came stateside was by far made shoddier than what you got on your side of the pond.

No they were crap.

I find that hard to believe. ;-) They could never have left the showroom. ;-)

Have you a theory why US spec cars had aluminium wiring but not UK ones? It makes no sense to me.

Fine. I can only speak from my experience.

"Hope you got through that incident unscathed."

It happened while we were stopped at a red light. (Back in 1965, people used to stop for red lights, unlike today.) As soon as the the smoke started pouring out from under the hood, we all got out fo the car OK. One driver, and either two or three passengers, all kids on the way to high school. I was in the back. Can't recall whether that was a two-door car or a four-door car.

I have never owned a British car, though I've driven a few.

Wow I've learned alot more about what I was not asking about, :-)

Once when I had money I bought a 2001 Disco II, all Bosch and the salesman was practically gushing that the days of Lucas were long gone. So far, 60k later it's antique buick designed engine and bosch electronics are both going strong without a single mishap of any kind. Love it, besides the mpg, which is where the bike comes in.

Put the replacement alt. in today, works like a charm. Besides myself shorting out the voltage regulator the device seems amazingly simple.Does anyone know an approx MTBF on these? Seems like it should go forever.