Dynamators Gear Wear & Reliability

[mk1-mark]

Hi, I am currently overhauling the electrical system of our Special before next season.  I was originally going to get the Dynamo overhauled & a new Solid State Regulator to go with it.  This looked like it was going to cost somewhere north of £500 & take 4 - 6 weeks.

This inspired me to do some digging & I came across the Dynamator option.  On the face of it this looked like Manna from heaven.  Greater charging ability, no stupid mechanical voltage regulator & 1/2 the price I was initially looking at.

Then I started googling for fitting instructions & found the multiple threads here & elsewhere regarding gear wear & general problems.

So, what I am asking is this:

Is the Dynamator a sensible option?  Have the problems with gear wear been sorted? If I do use one & swap the drive gears at either end with the matching set off my current dynamo will this solve any potential issues?

If the answer to any of the questions above is NO, can anyone recommend anyone who can recon my original Dynamo & supply a good quality reliable regulator box in a fairly short (4 weeks or so) time scale?

Thanks, Mark

[bob46320]

Not that I advise Dynamotor one way or the other. However, the drive gear for the DYNAMOTOR was not right, and caused excessive wear. However, others write that you should use the original Austin gear and not have any problems. If you want more power for the gismos that normally adorn a special, then the DYNAMOTOR is one way of getting it.

[Steve kay]

I don't know where you are based, but in the Marches there are numbers of people who do dynamo, and starter motor rebuilds. There is a specialist in Leominster but of the lads in Hereford I've used Auto Electrical. Never more than a week, and full rewind and new bearings. If any specialist is quoting the sort of figures you mention then next week I'm going to set up a dynamo rewind agency, double the price the lads usually charge, add 100% commision and still charge less than some "specialists." These men are primarily concerned with agricultural customers, which is why they have to be quick and reliable as well as reasonable price. Last time I picked up a dynamo entertainment was had by pretending that a 6v dynamo was so small they couldn'd find it anywhere. And yes I'm one of the many forum contributors who find LEDs a wonderful way of sticking to 6v.

[andrew34ruby]

For a bigger electrical output the gears will have bigger forces on them, whatever the voltage, whatever the gears you use.

[Steve kay]

Andrew, thanks for coming up with another good reason to stick to 6v.

[Bruce Nicholls]

Most of the time virtually no load with a fully charged battery unless you do a lot of night driving.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Andrew, thanks for coming up with another good reason to stick to 6v.

Hi Steve,

Are you aware that the units come in both 6v and 12v versions?

Bruce’s comment above is entirely my experience - battery is usually brought back up to full charge after a few minutes and then it switches off.

[mk1-mark]

Thanks for the replies so far. I understand the general implications of switching from Dynamo to Alternator, but was specifically interested in the gear wear issue.

Is there any info on whether this has been resolved or not?

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Mark,

I suffered initial rapid wear with a unit that had the Dynamator gears fitted.

After front end engine rebuild I fitted original Austin gears gears to both ends of the Dynamator and drove 2500 miles around France in the car (see here: http://www.austinsevenfriends.co.uk/foru...ght=France) the car has done a further 500 miles since and suffered no issues or wear whatsoever - as you can imagine, I inspected it very regularly.

They are not for everyone, they are not allowed in some Clubs but, in my experience, they offer a reliable and cost effective alternative if you require a replacement.

I am very happy to discuss my personal experiences of using the units on 01419428037, if you wish.

[Timothy P]

I understand you are doing or considering doing VSCC events, is that right? As I understand it alternators are no no, even if disguised as a dynamo as per the dynamator. Might be worth considering before making a choice.
Happy to be corrected if things have changed.