Balmar is dead..

[Ex-Calif]

Amazing! Did you supply the rebuild kit? How did they do it for less than the cost of the parts?

[Thermal]

Probably didn't get the parts from Balmar!
Interesting bit about the Integrated Starter Alternator. Had never heard of such a thing, but recently bought an old Onan generator and it turns out they use such a setup but seem to have a separate 12v winding to act as the starter.

[Ex-Calif]

Most early jets used a starter/generator. That's what is under the "bullet" nose. Eventually the need for torque required a change and now we have high speed turbine starters and separate generating devices.

[avazquez]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Probably didn't get the parts from Balmar!
Interesting bit about the Integrated Starter Alternator. Had never heard of such a thing, but recently bought an old Onan generator and it turns out they use such a setup but seem to have a separate 12v winding to act as the starter.

It was not $80.00 it came out to be $78.00. Of course the parts are not from BALMAR. It would cost much more to buy Balmar. If you look at the inside you can tell this basicly is an automotive alternator converted to marine. If the bearings were replaced with automotive then what's the difference. Cars run at much higher RPM's than my Perkins.

[jdoe71]

A support tech on Prestolite's web forum posted that they supply alternators to Balmar. So it's quite possible that non-Balmar parts are just as good...

[hellosailor]

There's "rebuilt" and there's "remanufactured". Rebuilt means "We fixed what looked ready to break again" and "remanufactured" means "we stripped it down to the frame and then replaced anything and everything that didn't meet or exceed new factory spec."

So...if a vendor is using the correct term for the job they do, a remanufactured alternator (or starter) will always be way more expensive--but should also be way more reliable.

Balmar isn't made by trolls or wee folk, but they do treat and integrate and special order some ways differently from what a conventional automotive supplier will. For instance, a marine alternator is supposed to be ignition protected, while an automotive alternator will cause gasoline or propane, etc. fumes to explode from sparking. And there's a matter of rating and cooling, automotive alternators are designed to run with lots of air flowing past them. Marine alternators usually use double fans to get back some of the lost airflow, and then de-rate or change components to withstand the higher heat and higher continuous output.

[avazquez]

In my case they replaced bearings, diodes, brushes, re-varnished (or whatever they do to the windings), refinished the outside. Works perfect.