My 1981 Hunter 37 cutter has the Yanmar 3QM30H engine. I want to upgrade my alternator to my house bank which is 450 amps. Decided on the Balmar 100 amp alternator with the ARS-4 regulator. I called my local Yanmar dealer about a new 1/2" crankshaft pulley which is what the Balmar 100 requires and was told Yanmar does not offer one. He suggested that I get a machine shop to make one, which would be quite expensive. Has anyone made this upgrade and ran into this problem? Charles S/V Destiny
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Nice upgrade.
Wish I could do that but my H37C has the 2QM20. It would probably stall trying to turn a 100Amp alternator.
Gene Greunder is the only person that I recall modified his 3QM for charging but he added a second alternator. Maybe he will see this or you could e-mail him from the "Owner's Directory". I assume that the 1/2" refers to the belt width so that it matches the pulley on the Balmar. And the current shaft pulley is not large enough to be machined to accept that size belt. Other than a custom pulley my only thought would be to call Torresen, they must deal with this all the time. Their number is on their website below.
Wish I could do that but my H37C has the 2QM20. It would probably stall trying to turn a 100Amp alternator.
Gene Greunder is the only person that I recall modified his 3QM for charging but he added a second alternator. Maybe he will see this or you could e-mail him from the "Owner's Directory". I assume that the 1/2" refers to the belt width so that it matches the pulley on the Balmar. And the current shaft pulley is not large enough to be machined to accept that size belt. Other than a custom pulley my only thought would be to call Torresen, they must deal with this all the time. Their number is on their website below.Give Balmar a call
They might be able to point you to some solutions. The tech guy I spoke with was Rick Jones. I upgraded my alternator to the 100 Amp model and it works as advertised. I did not have the same problem you are having, since I had put a new 3JH3E engine in which already had 1/2" pulleys. For me, it turned out to be a simple swap of alternators (figuring out the wiring was the hardest part).
They might be able to point you to some solutions. The tech guy I spoke with was Rick Jones. I upgraded my alternator to the 100 Amp model and it works as advertised. I did not have the same problem you are having, since I had put a new 3JH3E engine in which already had 1/2" pulleys. For me, it turned out to be a simple swap of alternators (figuring out the wiring was the hardest part).
Other less expensive alternative
Charles: There is another less expensive alternative to your problem. Check out this link. It may be just the deal for you. I know a few people that have these units and they preform as advertised. http://thefloridakeys.com/batteryshack/
Charles: There is another less expensive alternative to your problem. Check out this link. It may be just the deal for you. I know a few people that have these units and they preform as advertised. http://thefloridakeys.com/batteryshack/
My two tries
I've done two pulleys for mine. The first was a double pulley from the auto junkyard, about 7" in diameter. I just laid out the bolt pattern by hand and drilled it by hand. It came out more centered than the add on one that came with the raw water pump kit. Later I determined that I needed a bigger one (10") to get more charging at an idle. I bought a big cast one from Grainger (about $50) and had a friend who has a mill drill the holes. It didn't cost much, I think I traded some help doing something for the work. I could have done that one myself, too, but the holes went on an angled rough cast shoulder and I wanted it relieved there. More time spent searching for a pulley that didn't have that problem might have made the mill unnecessary. If you get a new pulley, be sure to get as big as you can so that it will put out more at low speeds. The way to find the ratio is to match the top engine speed (3qm30 is about 2800 rmp) with the top rated alternator speed (varies, but probably 10,000 to 11,000 rpm). It doesn;t help at top speed, but gets it spinning as fast as possible at low speeds. I get about 80 amps at 600 engine rpm now with my 150 amp Hamilton Ferris alternator. Email if you want more details at rainbowchaser@ev1.net
I've done two pulleys for mine. The first was a double pulley from the auto junkyard, about 7" in diameter. I just laid out the bolt pattern by hand and drilled it by hand. It came out more centered than the add on one that came with the raw water pump kit. Later I determined that I needed a bigger one (10") to get more charging at an idle. I bought a big cast one from Grainger (about $50) and had a friend who has a mill drill the holes. It didn't cost much, I think I traded some help doing something for the work. I could have done that one myself, too, but the holes went on an angled rough cast shoulder and I wanted it relieved there. More time spent searching for a pulley that didn't have that problem might have made the mill unnecessary. If you get a new pulley, be sure to get as big as you can so that it will put out more at low speeds. The way to find the ratio is to match the top engine speed (3qm30 is about 2800 rmp) with the top rated alternator speed (varies, but probably 10,000 to 11,000 rpm). It doesn;t help at top speed, but gets it spinning as fast as possible at low speeds. I get about 80 amps at 600 engine rpm now with my 150 amp Hamilton Ferris alternator. Email if you want more details at rainbowchaser@ev1.net
Battery Shack is great!
I purchased a unit from the Battery Shack a couple of years ago and thier product is truly the best for the money. For about $229 for most units, they are internally regulated, single wire hookup that works exactly as advertized. For the extra $25 lifetime warrantee you can't go wrong. They have been in bussiness for 20 years or so and everyone I have recommended them to has been very pleased. Nothing against Balmar, Ferris or the other brands but this thing works, the people are always available and very helpfull and will overnight you anything you need for less than half the money of the Balmar. Mine is mounted on a Perkins M30 with a single 3/8" belt and runs the advertised 70-100 amps based on my e-meter without any problems. Tom Hadoulias S/V Lite Chop
I purchased a unit from the Battery Shack a couple of years ago and thier product is truly the best for the money. For about $229 for most units, they are internally regulated, single wire hookup that works exactly as advertized. For the extra $25 lifetime warrantee you can't go wrong. They have been in bussiness for 20 years or so and everyone I have recommended them to has been very pleased. Nothing against Balmar, Ferris or the other brands but this thing works, the people are always available and very helpfull and will overnight you anything you need for less than half the money of the Balmar. Mine is mounted on a Perkins M30 with a single 3/8" belt and runs the advertised 70-100 amps based on my e-meter without any problems. Tom Hadoulias S/V Lite Chop
Lestek
Just an extra bit of info for you, Balmar is made by Lestek in Texas. I found a diesel truck repair shop in kansas on the web that will sell me a Lestek alternator (can't remember the specifics anymore) for a fraction of a Balmar from a marine store. The only difference is that Balmar paints theirs white.
Just an extra bit of info for you, Balmar is made by Lestek in Texas. I found a diesel truck repair shop in kansas on the web that will sell me a Lestek alternator (can't remember the specifics anymore) for a fraction of a Balmar from a marine store. The only difference is that Balmar paints theirs white.
Thanks Guys
Really good ideas, I beleive I've got a game plan together now. On my way to my boat this morning to measure the factory 3/8" pulley to see if there is enough metal to machine 1/16" from each side to make it a 1/2" belt pulley. If not, I am going to remove it from the engine and bring it home to Baton Rouge. I have found a company here called "Motion Industries" that deal only in Gears, Pulleys, and anything related to transmissions and gearboxs. Will take the factory pulley to them and see if they can match it with a 1/2" or something close enough I can have it machined to fit my needs. I'll let you know which way it goes. Thanks for the help. Charles S/V Destiny
Really good ideas, I beleive I've got a game plan together now. On my way to my boat this morning to measure the factory 3/8" pulley to see if there is enough metal to machine 1/16" from each side to make it a 1/2" belt pulley. If not, I am going to remove it from the engine and bring it home to Baton Rouge. I have found a company here called "Motion Industries" that deal only in Gears, Pulleys, and anything related to transmissions and gearboxs. Will take the factory pulley to them and see if they can match it with a 1/2" or something close enough I can have it machined to fit my needs. I'll let you know which way it goes. Thanks for the help. Charles S/V Destiny
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