Q?turn car motor to genorator? Possible?

myheaven · #1 04/14/11, 06:50 PM

My husband wanted to buy a small (like ford festiva type car) for work. But there is so much work that needs to be done to it ($1000) its not worth it. BUT!!!!!! the motor is great and runs like a dream. Dh would like to know if it is possible to make the motor into a genorator. If the car is getting 45-50 miles per gallon on the road we can only imagine the gas it would sip as a genorator.BUT yet we could be nieve in that aspect.
Has anyone converted a car to a genorator if so How hard is it and how much aprox did it cost to convert?

Any website we can look at to see one done and read about the process?

Darren · #2 04/14/11, 06:58 PM

Many of the same engines used in vehicles are used for generators. Depending on the size of the generator you can either mount the generator to the engine instead of the transmission. You'll probably need an adapter. There's a possibility of running the generator via a belt. You'll need a frame to mount every thing on. I'm not sure how you'll be able to govern the engine at the speed you need to get a constant voltage.

Depending on the rpm of the generator, 3600 or 1800, you might want to change the cam. I don't think that's an absolute necessity.

kirkmcquest · #3 04/14/11, 07:00 PM

It already is a generator...it turns the alternator which charges the battery...I'm thinking you can replace the car battery with a deep cycle battery and run stuff off of the battery...not sure but you might need an inverter to convert dc to ac.

Bentley · #4 04/14/11, 09:46 PM

Can it be done? sure. Will it be expensive? absolutely Will your expensive attempt be effective? hmmmm, maybe.
Car engines do not have governors of the type required to hold rpm to obtain 60 cycle ac.
Most generators are designed to turn at 3600 rpm. Most vehicle engines are more fuel efficient at a much lower rpm.
There would be many things required to make this work starting with; 1. a suitable and safe fuel tank, 2. engine to generator adapters or a belt drive arrangement which would still require special multi-vbelt shives, 3. some type of mounting arrangement such as an I-beam skid, 4. a roof to keep the rain off, 5. fuel pump, 6. water cooling system(radiator with fan), 7. governor setup for 60 cycle AC, and this is the short list.

It's an interesting idea, but, unless you have serious mechanical and machining skills, I suggest that it remain an interesting idea.

fordy · #5 04/15/11, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myheaven

My husband wanted to buy a small (like ford festiva type car) for work. But there is so much work that needs to be done to it ($1000) its not worth it. BUT!!!!!! the motor is great and runs like a dream. Dh would like to know if it is possible to make the motor into a genorator. If the car is getting 45-50 miles per gallon on the road we can only imagine the gas it would sip as a genorator.BUT yet we could be nieve in that aspect.
Has anyone converted a car to a genorator if so How hard is it and how much aprox did it cost to convert?

Any website we can look at to see one done and read about the process?

...............Look at PTO generators that run at 540 RPM off the back of a tractor PTO shaft . You could remove the rear axle , and connect the drive shaft too the PTO input shaft of the genset . My guess is you'd leave'er in 2nd. gear too get close too 540 rpm for maximum output . You could even sit in the front seat and have a few Beera's while making electricity without getting a DUI , lol ! , fordy

rambler · #6 04/15/11, 01:37 AM

Gasoline is expensive, what would be the gain to making a 100 hp generator set?
Now, if you want to have fun & tinker, and run wood smoke to run the engine, and just take off the electricity you get from the current alternator on the engine, be kinda fun turning wood into electricity and no need to be efficient or good about it, just having fun.

But - what's the point of it, do you need a big generator for some reason?

Cars don't have the right sort of govenor to keep a constant speed as a tractor has like someone mentioned, so it will need some $$$ modification right from the get go.

--->Paul

MichaelK! · #7 04/15/11, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myheaven

My husband wanted to buy a small (like ford festiva type car) for work. But there is so much work that needs to be done to it ($1000) its not worth it.

What "work" is required for this car to be a reliable vehicle? New transmission, new tires, new suspension, what?

My gut reaction is if you have the technical skills to take a motor out of a car and convert it into a generator, you should have the technical skills to get the vehicle back into shape, as a vehicle. Engineers have spent their careers fine tuning design to optimize these motors for their intended purpose. With enough time, effort, and money, you might get the conversion to work in a half-ass decent way, but I'd bet you a dollar you'll spend almost as much effort as just going out and paying money for a generator designed from day one to produce electricity.

If you think this car gets 45-50 MPG, I'd say it's worth it to restore as a vehicle. There are ways to save money on car repairs. You can frequent "You-Pick" style junkyards that let you roam around the lot. When you find your make/model/year of car you remove the part yourself.

This is great for a couple of reasons. First, you pay only about 5-10 cents on the dollar for most parts. And sometimes the parts you get are like new. Got a brand-new water pump for my car off a junker that got into an accident shortly after being serviced. The like-new pump didn't even have road dirt on it yet!

The second great thing about self-service yards is that it's a good "learn as you go" process. If you are trying to retreave a certain part and you break something in the attempt, no problem. Just move on to the next car and learn from your mistakes. Not much pain in breaking something that's already sitting in the junk yard.

Stick with the car, I'll bet you can make it work.
Good luck to you,
Michael

Harry Chickpea · #8 04/15/11, 10:21 AM

Harbor Freight sells belt driven gen heads fairly inexpensively. I consider the idea a good one if you think beyond just generator. Take the heater core out of the loop and insert a water-to-water heat exchanger instead and you can make hot water at the same time the generator is running. If there is an AC, piping it to cool the house or a cold box or a tank of water could be useful. An engine can also run a water pump.

Go to the Mother Earth News website and search back issues for "Rocky Hollow" to see what one guy did.

Billin · #9 04/15/11, 12:59 PM

125V DC will run almost anything with a universal (brush type) motor with a very easy set up. Its pretty common in deer camps in some areas and when combined with batteries can make off the grid real easy.

fantasymaker · #10 04/15/11, 02:19 PM

Now if your thinking of using it to generate 12 volt elctricty its simple and effective
just start bolting single wire GM altenaters to the engine till you have a nice load on it!

Ken Scharabok · #11 04/15/11, 03:36 PM

Bear in mind the battery really doesn't need to be where it is now at. With long enough cables of the proper size you could move it to a trunk. Then switch to a couple of marine (deep cycle) batteries, as mentioned above, and run 12v items off of them. Just recharge one while driving.

myheaven · #12 04/15/11, 10:02 PM

hes not a tecky guy. Just a thought he had and he wanted me to ask so I did. Thanks everyone for the replys

Riverdale · #13 04/16/11, 10:13 AM

http://www.lindsaybks.com/prod/index.html

http://www.lindsaybks.com/bks10/scpower/index.html

I included the first link as there is a lot of neat stuff there.

The second as it details the book.

**clovis** · #14 04/16/11, 07:12 PM

Wasn't there a thread a while back about a guy that was already using an old car, parked in his drive, as a way to power his house for a while. Seems like the guy was running the car's engine for a few hours each day.

IIRC, this person wasn't charging batteries for later use...but running a high amp alternator installed on the engine, directly to the house, using jumper cables.

Anyone recall that thread?

Fat Charlie · #15 04/17/11, 04:14 PM

I read one about a guy with a Prius in Mass, I think he burned 5 gallons of gas during the Dec '08 ice storm. Of course, that car is a little more oriented toward electrical production than most, and it started the gas engine as needed- much more efficient than you or me going outside to crank it or shut it down.

Yvonne's hubby · #16 04/18/11, 02:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myheaven

My husband wanted to buy a small (like ford festiva type car) for work. But there is so much work that needs to be done to it ($1000) its not worth it. BUT!!!!!! the motor is great and runs like a dream. Dh would like to know if it is possible to make the motor into a genorator. If the car is getting 45-50 miles per gallon on the road we can only imagine the gas it would sip as a genorator.BUT yet we could be nieve in that aspect.
Has anyone converted a car to a genorator if so How hard is it and how much aprox did it cost to convert?

Any website we can look at to see one done and read about the process?

Yep, its possible, but not very economically sound for home usage if the grid is available. For a portable unit like a heavy duty welder its fine but there are lots of good factory made outfits available for those purposes. Heres the deal... You may think that motor is cheap on gas.... on the hiway.... but running a generator with variable loads such as a house, its going to be very inefficient. Lets say pulling your car down the hiway at 60 mph, it gets 30 miles per gallon, thats two gallon per hour or 48 gallons a day at 3.50 per gallon. Where I live I can have on demand power from the grid a whole lot cheaper than 175 dollars a day.

countryboy84 · #17 04/18/11, 06:51 AM

We use to run a sawmill off of half of a 56 buick. Since they dont have govenor we left the trany on the motor built a flat belt pully and frame out of some steel stock. Our mill blade needed to run at 750rpms so we would pull the car into second gear and bolted on a little catch in the motor to set it and 1600rpms then when the mill called for more power it would kick the passing gear in an keep things rather close to what we needed. The mill was always ran great and cut millions of ft of lumber over its life. You could do the same thing for a power plant, and turn what ever you want to off of it.

solidwoods · #18 04/18/11, 11:51 AM

Generator Joes sells a 30kw 2 bearing gen for $1600.
Don't go dc.
But on gasoline you'd only have an emergency gen because of the $math.
Run the engine on syngas (smoke from wood/paper etc.) and you could get more economy out of the situation IF you have a cheap plentyfull source of fuel and properly design your gas gen system (lots of people doing it lots of internet info)
jim

City Bound · #19 04/18/11, 09:48 PM

Interesting idea. thanks for putting the idea into my mind.
I saw old photos from the 30's were people use to take old model T cars and using belts hooked up to the rear hub turn it into a saw mill. I also saw a picture of an old car up on blocks next to the house with wires connected to it to run the radio.

Cool stuff

City Bound · #20 04/18/11, 10:31 PM

I just read the article harry chickpea suggested. the guy in the article said he needed to get the car engine up to about 35 to 40 mph to generate what he needed. if that is true then maybe you dont need a car engine, maybe you could use a moped or scooter engine and save gas money.

I have a moped and it can get just over 30 mph with me, a 216 p guy on it. The moped gets 100 miles per gallon.

Maybe a lawn mower engine would work also.

i am not a mechanic, I dont know.