Can high rpm cause alternator failure from excessive voltage causing diode heat?

I have attended two track days which caused an alternator to fail (yes 2 alternators died right after each of the 2 track days!)

Can it be lack of ground, or can it be a second faulty alternator (one was originally from a VE one from my old DE)?

Suggestions are welcomed.

It's usually the heat. Your header is RIGHT there.

Are you using Nissan reman ones or the Autozone/Kragen/etc ones? The Autozone/etc ones fail pretty easily.

It's usually the heat. Your header is RIGHT there.

Are you using Nissan reman ones or the Autozone/Kragen/etc ones? The Autozone/etc ones fail pretty easily.

The first was from a VE (japanese) so I assume it was OEM - drove with it for a year before going to the track and failure.
The recent, I have no idea if it's oem, no markings on it.

Will wrapping the header help? What do you guys use in Road racing? How do you protect it from the heat?

lol! this is a super weak spot for SE-Rs..... i can't tell you how many alternator swaps i've seen in the paddock, being done on SE-Rs, in the past 3 years..... one of our regulars can swap out an SE-R alternator faster than i can change my tires! he carries around about 3 or 4 spares, just in case.... (one weekend at VIR i saw him personally swap out 3 times!).

it seems to me, after looking at the engine layout, that a custom made heat shield, combined with a good header wrap, or JetHot coating, would help alot. the nissan alternators are just cooked to crap, being that close to the (racing) header, which has no heat shield....

good luck! and pick up a few more alts as spares!

I fabbed a heat shield to give the alternator some protection from the header. I also use the Hitachi rebuilt alternator instead of one from the parts store.

Since then, no more alternator problems.

The heat shield is a very good idea, but first wrapping the header will help overall underhood temp to go down a bit.

What other Nissan alternators are interchangable with B13 ones?

i use header wrap and that has helped

jgy sells used alternators for $40 a pop, they tend to last as long as anything else so that is what i have been using the last couple of years

I have an OEM alternator and my header seems to run hotter than usual for some reason with no issues/failures. Now getting my battery to keep a charge when the car isn't driven for more than a week is another issue...

We've been pretty lucky with our original alternator (that came with the car) <knocks on wood>, but that positive cable sure does get hot... I think I will fab up some sort of heatshield...

I'd put money on your axles being to blame.










Somehow.

I'd put money on your axles being to blame.










Somehow.

Now that's somehow funny and depressing at the same time :-). FYI, Wade and I sent our entire fleet of 6 axles back to Raxles for a checkup. We thought we had axle problems but it looks like it was a combination of possible axle problems along with near-catastrophic wheel bearing problems.

I hope you get your car worked out so that you can get back out there with us.

Axles? Explain the relevance with the alternator issue.

Axles? Explain the relevance with the alternator issue.

This MIGHT be an inside joke

Actually, the axle bone is connected to the alternator bone somewhere down the line.

well, you see -- the incredible vibrations as the nissan axles fly apart tend to shake the alternators apart and short them out.... :rofl:

Todd, I ran the fastest lap of the sunday race at 1:27:4xx in lap 21/22.

I got the car home and took the axle shaft out of the hub and the bearing/hub assemble just crumbled. Ball bearings went everywhere and the hub hit the floor. The hub was shot and has to be replaced.

Whew!!! That was close! :-0

We thought we had axle problems but it looks like it was a combination of possible axle problems along with near-catastrophic wheel bearing problems.

I've been in that story as well, several times. If its not axles, its wheel bearings. If it's not wheel bearings, its axles. If its not either...no wait..it's the axles. Yea.

I hope you get your car worked out so that you can get back out there with us.

Good news! I just successfully completed a 3 day track weekend at Summit Point last weekend and didn't break anything!!!


But wait, there's a catch. It rained the entire time and I probably only made a dozen laps the entire weekend. But hey...it still rolls and runs! I'll take what I can get!

Axles? Explain the relevance with the alternator issue.

You own a SER right? You don't know that everything comes back to the axles? Even the rust. It's the truth, check wikipedia. It's there.

Todd, I ran the fastest lap of the sunday race at 1:27:4xx in lap 21/22.

I got the car home and took the axle shaft out of the hub and the bearing/hub assemble just crumbled. Ball bearings went everywhere and the hub hit the floor. The hub was shot and has to be replaced.

Whew!!! That was close! :-0

They are always the fastest right before they kerplode.



Then again, going by this theory I should be setting records left and right. Hmmm.

yikes, scott! a few more laps and you might have lost the wheel!!! wasn't there any bad shaking/vibrations/noise coming from it???

that stupid leaky boot spewed grease all over the inside of my right front wheel again... i've gotta buy one of those special 'metal band clamp' installation tools, and repack and tighten up that boot....

on the plus side of things -- those toyos were so old and bald (basically down to casings) that they hardly picked up any asphalt; there was very little to none inside my wheels.... makes cleanup so much easier than running hoosiers! :)

i'm gonna mount up a new set of toyos for hfest (4/32nds shaved) and i think i have managed to secure a used set of 225 hoosiers to bring as a backup; i'll ballast up and try them in practice, and see if i am faster with used hoosiers and carrying more weight, or with new toyos and running my current weight...

can't wait!

Todd,

1) I didn't have any symptoms other than a little noise in the LF that I could hear.

2) Yes, metal band clamps work better than duct tape! Also, I blew a RF boot on a BRAND NEW axle during the race.

3) How much ballast are you carrying with Toyos? What do you have to do to get into the Hoosiers? 75lb?

reminds me of my car breaking at the track once

old, old, old engine mounts, engine move dup and down so much, the alternator pulley rubbed against the overflow reservoir causing a small leak that leak dripped back on the alternator pulley, cause the belt to slip and eventually break, when it did the belt broke the boot on the passenger side axle which cause the axle to break..............so yes, IT ALL COMES BACK TO THE AXLES ;-0


well, you see -- the incredible vibrations as the nissan axles fly apart tend to shake the alternators apart and short them out.... :rofl: