Suzuki Club UK

Fixed it!

Turned out to be the alternator. How unlucky is that. 3 busted units.


Went to my old work, dug through a box full of alternators. Found a brand new Valeo unit running a V-belt. 70amp jobby. No idea what it's from.

Fitted up quite well. Didnt have to mod the alternator, but I did have to re-drill my alt bracket, and move it to the right by 10mm so the back of the alternator will clear the engine mount under the inlet manifold.
I then had to un-bolt the belt pulley from the alternator, and flip it over, as the off-set was wrong. It lined up more or less perfect.

It's a 1 pin / 1 terminal alternator. To whacked the battery feed onto it, and plugged the warning light wire in. Fired engine up. Instantly charging at 14.1v, which I feel is a tiny bit high. will let it run/settle, and check the voltage again tomorrow.

It's definitely juicy enough to charge 2 batteries though. Time to hunt for a winch.


Only down side, is a slight power loss under hard acceleration. Defo noticeable.

Glad you sorted it. 14.1 volts is fine
What output was your original alternator??
Only wondering if the wire from the battery to alternator needs upgrading to handle the extra current although this may be only a little higher output.

Old one was 35a

Wiring I have already changed, as the battery is on the N/S wing now. Soon to be in the bed, boxed up with a second battery.

Ah, glad 14.1 is okay. Didn't test it with the lights on, so it'll probably drop to <14v once things are powered up.

Right pain in the arse though. I need to re-route my lower rad hose really, as it's touching the alternator, which gets HOT.
I've chopped another piece of hose up, and slid it between the rad hose, and alternator to stop them touching, but I will have to get another length of blue sili-hose, and route it down, and underneath the alt, rather than over it.

Starter motor started to play up again. When the engine is fully warmed up, it wont start on the key. But if I bridge the starter over with a bolt/screwdriver, or something else metal, it fires right up. I am wondering if the 30 year old wiring from ign barrel isnt up to the job anymore, and does quite feed it enough current. I will wire in a relay, bridged from the main S/motor feed I think, and try it like that. If not, I guess the starter needs to come off again, for another clean up inside.

Unfortunately in my experience the most common problem with the starter is the solenoid not making good contact and the fact you can't get to these contacts to clean them. The solenoid will throw out fine after a service but the contacts are still shitty. However I have found a company that sells new solenoids for about 13 quid so just replace it if it plays up (mine is a 413 though).
Sometimes the "clicky starter fix" will help (relay direct to battery).

Might have to give the relay a shot, fairly simple to wire in as it's all there, Just need a few short wires, and a relay box.
I've had the solenoid apart once, cleaned all the bits I could access, and it worked fine for about 2 weeks. Just started sticking again, but only when fully warmed up. From cold, it goes first time.