Arco Marine 86050 Replacement Alternator, 12V, 50A Westerbeke Diesel 30594

This is a direct replacement for our w13 and saves about $1000 compared to the stock westerbeke part. It is however very noisy. I’ve ordered two now and both have had a ton of bearing noise. I’d rather live with the noise than pay $1200 though.

I bought this alternator to replace the badly-worn original unit on my Westerbeke W27 diesel, installed on my Bristol 34 "Gusto." Check the net for its webpage.This new alternator was an almost perfect fit; the main hurdle was removing paint from the mounting holes where the long bolt attaches it to the engine. The thick paint made the holes too tight for the bolt, which I essentially threaded through the paint using a wrench on the bolt head. Also, my old alternator had a square nut-holder cast into the alternator bracket such that the bolt head couldn't turn once it was seated all the way. This unit doesn't have that, so I needed a wrench to hold the bolt head while the nut was being tightened. No problem at all, but worth noting.The wire connections were slightly different than the original alternator, so I contacted Arco via email to make sure I had the tach connection figured out. I received an email response in less than a minute; the tech gave me full details on all the connections. So the tech support is clearly top notch. However, a simple schematic or wiring diagram should be included with the unit. Fortunately, the good tech support made it easy to resolve my problem.The tach connection on the alternator is done with a pigtail, similar to my old unit. But the insulated connector was a bit different, so I had to locate a replacement and change the connector on the boat side of the wiring. It would be better if the mating connection was provided with the alternator. Again, no big deal, but you might have a similar problem when replacing an existing unit.I tested the unit at 30A output and it worked fine. Time will tell if the alternator will hold up as well as the old unit, which I suppose dates to the early 1980's. But as I get older, I worry less about stuff lasting forever. Now, the stuff I buy just has to last longer than me.

The positive terminal is actually on the right side of the rear of the case, which puts the terminal and the associated wires right against the exhaust manifold on a Westerbeke W27. The part numbers track correctly, and the alternator would fit, if it was as pictured on the web page. According to Arco, the manufacturer, the photo is several years old, the alternator as shown is no longer available, and every seller is depicting the wrong image. Not the vendor’s fault.

The product was shipped immediately and arrived in good condition. The guys at Arco were extremely helpful in troubleshooting my installation. Even offering to bring it back for conformational testing. I was installing it on an old boat where little of the wiring was original or reflected the diagrams so their support was essential

Arco's Customer Relations and Shipping are Fast, Friendly and Professional! S/V Outward Bound,Green Turtle Cay,Bahamas

Fit perfectly. Installation was a breeze!