MC8 alternator... how many amps?

[Oregonconversion]

I know this may be a weird question...

How many amps can I draw from my stock MC8 alternator from a power inverter with just the engine running? No lights or anything on the 8.

I want to run 2 strands of LED lights (200 LEDs) and a home stereo receiver that is about 200 watts RMS at full power.


am I going to kill my alternator if I run this for 8-9 hours with the engine running while my coach is parked?

[Dreamscape]

Idling your engine for 8-9 hours will burn lots of fuel and is not good for it! Buy an inverter and run your stuff off batts, cleaner and quieter plus your engine will last longer.

FWIW,

Paul

[jjrbus]

 The stock alternaor will produce way more power than what you will need for your application and its not a good idea to idle the motor for long periods.

What kind of inverter do you have and what is it rated at?   Do you have seperate house batteries? Do you have a generator?

No question is to weird!!! Some of the ansewers do get kinda weird.

[Oregonconversion]

Why is it bad to run my engine for 8 hours at a time? If I need to do that should I give it a break for an hour or so?


I do not have house batteries yet. I was just going to run a couple small 400 watt inverters off the stock starting batteries with the engine on.

I am throwing a NYE party on my bus while it is gutted.

[TomC]

Detroit 2 stroke engines like your 8V-71N do not like to idle-even on fast idle- for extended periods of time.  They will build up both carbon and oil in the combustion chamber. In a worse case scenario, if enough oil builds up in the combustion chamber (because of the 2 stroke design), it can start to ignite causing the engine to take off on its' own-sometimes over speeding to the point of destruction.  Rather than run your big engine, that is noisy, burns about a gallon an hour, buy a small 15 hp engine and a duplicate alternator, and run the auxiliary engine instead.  Then you'll have both an extra alternator and save your big engine from excess wear and tear.  Good Luck, TomC

[Oregonconversion]

Good to know!

Sounds like a geni is a must!


If I run a small generator in one of my bays without the exhaust being ported outside, will fumes come into my coach? 

[redbus]

YES

[Oregonconversion]

OK sounds like I need to make some quick mods to one of my bays and my coleman 1850 generator.

Thanks for the info guys. I feel better about going this way already.


I love this board. I want to learn form YOUR mistakes!   

[redbus]

Do you have a CO detector yet. If not do yourself a favor and get one.Any time you run a engine while sitting still you need one.

[Oregonconversion]

They are cheap, I will get one right away.

[Dreamscape]

You can learn from our mistakes, no problem, but it's mostly common sense. Take some time to do a search on a topic, you will learn alot. There is a ton of information already on this board that would be of great help.

Good Luck and Be Safe,

Paul

[JohnEd]

OC,

We talked before.  Get a decent sized MSW inverter, Zantex/Xantex Freedom or others, in the 2.5 or 3KW size.  They will have a 140 amp bat charger built in that will quickly recharge the bats.  You can recharge with this system off the pole or off your generator ac volts.  You can purchase a used inverter for less than you would sink into a dedicated Smart bat charger of similar capacity.

Running your DD to recharge your bats would be an act of desperation.  The fuel cost is secondary to the DAMAGE such practice would do to the engine.  Read the board:  "Bobofthenorth" just did an "inframe" for $13,000 and he got a pretty good deal.  Nuff said? 

Good luck,

John

John

[buswarrior]

Well, let's not go too overboard with our anti-idling fundamentalism, shall we?

Please remember that our coaches idled for hours on end in their previous money making life.

Idled all day for the AC, idled all night to stay warm, idled to ensure it wouldn't have to re-start.

Let's get it reasonable here, the coach was, and still is, a hard working prostitute, not some virginal choir girl.

If your motor dies idling, it was already dead, you just didn't know it yet...

And the above mentioned $13K re-build was not related to extended idling.

As long as your neighbours don't mind, run your engine for the party and don't worry about it.  It'll just throw a smoke screen when you finally drive it away.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[JohnEd]

Warrior,

I never said that the 13K was related to idling damage but it is a expected amt for an in-frame and it isn't the first time I have heard that number associated with a V8.  Sorry if I wasn't clear on that.  I think it helps to lay out the consequences to a guy for his actions.  I have often heard people say things like don't do that cause it will ruin your morning and in fact the consequence was possible death or dismemberment.  That is something I don't always like about the Brits.  Understatement!  It is humorous, though.  Sometimes!

As far as idling a two stroke:  You would be the first guy I have ever heard of that downplayed the bad consequences of prolonged idling a two stroke, if you were and I don't think you meant to be.  OC has impressed me as being rather new to the conversion process and to diesels in general.  He does seem receptive to advice and as bright as need be to live through this experience.  He must have a grounding in mechanics and electricity to be confidently moving into a conversion project single handed.  I think we would be remiss to not caution him about an unsafe and costly practice and I think idling his engine for hours each day as a practice warrants a strong caution.  Were he to have a serious failure after prolonged idling I doubt it would take long to hear the comment "you can't idle a two stroke" as an explanation.  Those guys that idled those buses all day in the terminal either had no alternative OR didn't have a stake in the consequences.  We, all of us are completely different in that regard.

Everything I know about these beasts I have learned on this board from people of your calibre and experience.  I may get some of it wrong now and then but my motives are pure.

Anti-idling fundamentalism!!!!  That's rich! I think I peed a little laughing at that.  Sarcasm...you gotta love it.  How can you not stay cool living in that icebox?  Be well and happy Bro.

John