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increase alternator cooling

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Sailorwse

New member
Are there any ways to increase the cooling of the alternator? I have an old Ample Power 108A alternator that works good but it has very few cooling holes into the case and it gets over 190º if it puts out any more than 50A for very long. I have my bilge blower set so that the pickup hose pulls the hot air out from the cooling fan side of the alternator which helped a lot but would like to increase it more.
In my computer, I have installed fin-type heatsinks to increase cooling. Is there a way to do the same thing to an alternator case?
 
I'd suggest you put the bilge blower hose back down where it should be and add a separate dedicated cooling fan if you want for the alternator. the brand you identified used to build their parts using a Delco style frame...and they are not ideal for the marine environment. Nothing that I've seen for an add on heat sink...

What are you running that is drawing over 50A?
 
makomark said:
I'd suggest you put the bilge blower hose back down where it should be and add a separate dedicated cooling fan if you want for the alternator. the brand you identified used to build their parts using a Delco style frame...and they are not ideal for the marine environment. Nothing that I've seen for an add on heat sink...

What are you running that is drawing over 50A?
Click to expand...
For load I have a 560Ah LFP battery. I would really like to improve the cooling so that I can dial up the output to 70-80 Amps but need to increase cooling to do that.

The engine is a diesel so there is no requirement for a bilge blower like on a gas-powered boat so my "bilge blower" is more of an engine space cooling fan. Given that, I have the intake for the hose located so that it will pull the hottest air from the enclosure. I have added sound proofing insulation to all four sides and the top, so the space is about engine coolant temp which is 180º. I am planning to replace the coolant thermostat with a 160º which should help some.
 
That is a beast, especially if it is one physical entity...and I won't ask why....

The diesel likely won't appreciate a cooler thermostat...may be time to investigate other alternators...or alternative mounting locations on the engine...
 
makomark said:
That is a beast, especially if it is one physical entity...and I won't ask why....

The diesel likely won't appreciate a cooler thermostat...may be time to investigate other alternators...or alternative mounting locations on the engine...
Click to expand...
My battery is indeed a beast. but given that it has 560Ah or 7.2 kW if you prefer, it isn't really that large. It fits into a battery box designed for two Group 27 deep cycles.
 
Diesels run better hot than cooler. Most do best about 210° but most OEMs use a lower thermostat for warranty reasons.
They also run better when intake air is cooler than 180°. I'd start with better ventilation.
If you wan a common alternator with higher output, use a GM CS144, I do. They peak at 140 amps but can run 60+ all day. I have them on my mains. You can get a used one for about $30 and new and rebuilt on ebay at about $75 and up. And you can replace the internal regulator with a single wire connect if your not good at wiring.
 
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