Hi all, been reading here on all the how to &it fixes on the om617.
I have installed one into a land rover and have had good results except for........the alternator.
What I was told to do by the shop that rebuilt it was to run the brown wires to the battery +side and the other wire to a hot on the ignition, & we now know the results parked along US35 in beautiful Kansas without juice.
Alternator did show low charge but when the lights came on the battery got drained.
Now after lots of reading on this mistake of mine, I'm still 500 miles from home, would i be correctly understanding that a 3watt in line bulb is required, between ignition and alternator?

Thank you in advance, this conversion could've never happened without this site.

Correct, this is for the exciter circuit.
The MB alternator will not function correctly without the bulb.

.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
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1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

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Thank you very much, would the bulb for the aftermarket guage work? The line passes right by it &it figure it could be used to light up the guage when the alt might go bad at night,improvised idiot light.

The resistance of the bulb is critical.
If it is a 3 watt bulb, it may work, others usually won't function.

.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

thats not just for MB, all Bosch alternators require a 3W bulb in the exciter.

__________________
2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

Thanks All, did make it back home on a new battery .......barley, very dim lights, lol.
Did take the alternator back to the shop for a repair &it it was acknowledged that it was only putting out 12amps.
Not sure when i'll get it back, he's very good along with proud of the work he puts out so it could be a bit till it gets returned.