Engine Number to Voltage

[Lionelgee]

If you take out a glow plug and hit it with a wire buff, it should have 24v stamped on it. Or the land rover is a 12v system and your missing a starter motor, set the eng up as a 12v system.

Have fun lookes like a good project :-)

Hello Spoonie,

Yes it is a pretty well deserving project. The Nissan Diesel conversions have been done before and the engine and gear box of the Nissan SD33 is stronger than the Land Rover one of the era. Certainly more fuel economical than the 2.6 litre Land Rover motor. The chassis is on Hunter is immaculate too. The Series Land Rovers are just like adult sized Meccano sets.

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Yendor]

Hello Yendor,

Thank you for the information on how to ID the glow plug.

I think I have will be making a short trip out to the auto electrician and get the alternator checked and to get the voltage confirmed, also to see how good the alternator is as i have never had the engine or the electrics running. Hunter is a 100% unknown quantity.

Hopefully it is a 12 volt system. If it is a 24 volt I can live with this. I will just run a circuit to the starter motor and the glow plugs from the alternator and then have a 24 volt transformer down to 12 volts and run all the other Land Rover wiring from that point as per normal. That way I will not have issues with fuses or dash lights, fan, and the like.

Out of interest are the headlights on the early 24 volt MQ Patrols 24 volt bulbs? Anything including captive glow worms are brighter than the original Land Rover lights! So if it is a 24 volt system I may upgrade the headlights. Mr Lucas the maker of Land Rover electrics = the Prince of darkness.

One concern is if Hunter is a 24 volt system and I change the alternator and starter motor to volt components is their compatibility with the currently fitted flywheel's ring gear. Does anyone know if the ring gear is different on the flywheel between the 24 volt and the 12 volt powered starter motor? if there is a difference where would I source a different flywheel it sort of starts having a domino effect.

Or maybe the gear cog on the 24 volt can be transplanted on to the 12 volt starter motor so it will mesh with the ring gear on the flywheel without needing to work on the flywheel at all???

Hopefully, I will have the voltage sorted out by the auto electrician by the end of the week and I can plot my actions from there. Cross fingers for a 12 volt - it would be a little more complicated and I would have to rig up a system for the second battery that a 24 volt system requires. There are series/parallel switches available where the 24 volts are only running at start up and the 24 volt glow plugs can be exchanged for 12 volt ones. Gee it just gets more complicated...

I will let you know the auto electrician's findings ... not long after I know.

Kind Regards
Lionel

Hi Lionel,

Yeah an auto elec will be able to test it for you. You are also going to need a regulator if you use that alternator.

You really want to stay away from a split 12/24 volt system if you can help it. It's complicated to setup and can be expensive. You will need at least two batteries and something like a Redarc charge equaliser or a 24 volt to 12 volt reducer. Another option is 3 batteries and a second 12 volt alternator.

Fitting 24 volt headlights won't improve the light. Is all in the quality of the headlamp, the bulb and making sure the bulbs receive the correct voltage. Have a search on the forum regarding GQ headlight upgrades.

I don't know if there is a difference between the 12 volt and 24 volt starter motor (apart from the operating voltage)......I would be surprised is there was.

Personally, I would stay away from the series/parallel switch and use the redarc charge equaliser.

Sounds like you are in for some fun.......LOL

Lets us know how you go with it.

Cheers Rodney

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I have just returned from the auto electrician and the verdict is is highly likely that the alternator is a 12 volt system. The only way to get a 100% definitive answer would be to split the alternator down and test from the inside. The bloke did "grab a spark" off it and would estimate that it is a 12 volt system. However the vacuum pump fitted to the back of the alternator is not working. The auto electrician suggests that the large shaft that goes through the centre of the alternator is broken and they would find a world full of evil things inside the alternator that would need replacing. I was advised to just get any alternator with a vacuum pump off the local wreckers and find a 12 volt starter motor. Oh and he wished me luck tracing and grafting the Nissan electrical system onto the Land Rover loom - nice hey! Why do I get the feeling that I have opened Pandora's box with this project :0)

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Yendor]

I'll guess you had a few beers by now........ hey it could of been worse, he could of thrown the alternator back at you and told you not to come back LOL

If you do get a second hand alternator get one with an internal regulator. Wiring up the engine on 12 volt is not going to be that difficult but it will take some time.

You need to ask yourself is it worth the time and expense...........what is a running series III worth to buy?

Have you checked the chassis and firewall for rust?, is the engine seized?

Cheers Rodney

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I followed Spoonie's advice and took a couple of glow plugs out and had a very pleasant surprise. It said Japan .... 2H and drum roll 11 volts or as written "11 V"

I am very happy that it was in the lower end of the voltage range on MQ Patrols .

I went to one of the local wreckers and they actually had a SWB MQ come in so I had the first opportunity to pop the bonnet on a Nissan Patrol in real life! It was made in September 1980 and was definitely a 24 volt system. The alternator was a different shape to mine and I actually got to see what a starter motor looks like - not just the void where one goes; even if it was the wrong capacity. I also found out that there is a pre-cleaner that is connected to the air cleaner which sits on the throat of the inlet manifold. That means that there is something else I am missing.

Anyway, it was good to see under the bonnet and work out what things go where or maybe should go where.

The fun continues!

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

I'll guess you had a few beers by now........ hey it could of been worse, he could of thrown the alternator back at you and told you not to come back LOL

If you do get a second hand alternator get one with an internal regulator. Wiring up the engine on 12 volt is not going to be that difficult but it will take some time.

You need to ask yourself is it worth the time and expense...........what is a running series III worth to buy?

Have you checked the chassis and firewall for rust?, is the engine seized?

Cheers Rodney

Hello Rodney,

The late previous owner was a mechanic and the chassis had been fully restored, the firewall is perfect and according to the owner's son the engine had been rebuilt just prior to semi-installation. It needs the seat box modified so that four wheel drive can be selected. At the moment the 4WD gear stick is inside the seat box! Then the clutch and brakes need to be connected and the wiring sorted out so everything works at the turn of the key.

Series 3 Land Rovers are beginning to range in value to reasonable to very optimistic. Road registered examples start around $2500 and go up to $8000. I think the $8000 are people being very optimistic for how much they can sell their vehicle for on eBay. I pretty much have the gear to do all the work on the vehicle myself to get it up to being registered. I have lots of Land Rover parts as well. Just shy on the Nissan parts electrical and air cleaner wise.

At the moment I have only spent $500 to buy the vehicle.

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Brisat]

If you have a look at the alternator gauge that will tell you what it is as it has the voltages written on the face of the meter, either 12,16,or 24,26

[Lionelgee]

If you have a look at the alternator gauge that will tell you what it is as it has the voltages written on the face of the meter, either 12,16,or 24,26

Hello Brisat,

Thank you for the reply. My vehicle did not come with a Nissan Patrol alternator gauge - it does not even have a Land Rover one fitted.

Kind Regards
Lionel

[NP99]

This is what keeps old cars alive. For me the project is too much effort. We'll done and good luck mate.

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I had a win over the weekend. I have been trawling through eBay and low and behold up pops a 12 volt Starter Motor out of a Nissan MQ Patrol SD 33 diesel. It had a couple of people watching it. It also had a buy it now price too. Swoop it should be on its way from Victoria to Queensland tomorrow. The bloke did not have an alternator. Apparently I can buy any 12 volt alternator with a negative earth that also has a vacuum pump. The starter motor was not so interchangeable especially as my vehicle came with one made of air and sunshine. The previous owner did mention the fact that it was coming without a starter motor so they were honest about that and it did not come as an unpleasant surprise.

Kind Regards
Lionel