Thorp Air Command - T18.net

I am looking at a flying T-18 to purchase and have a question.

In looking through the logbooks, I see it is currently on its 4th voltage regulator in 500 hours in the air, latest is a Plane Power R1224. As best I can tell it is the original alternator from 1988, don’t know the model, no record of it being replaced.

Isn’t it more probable that the alternator keeps frying the regulators vs a string of bad regulations?

I would have to agree that whatever it is, its probably not the voltage regulator.

That is a well designed unit. The electrical system HAS to be taken as a whole. Obviously something is not right. My first thought would be a bad battery, or a battery with a cell down. But again, you cannot take one thing out of context. A good mechanic can diagnose the source of distress.
Cubes

Check all connections in the charging system. Grounds are usually the culprit but a bad connection anywhere in the system can cause the regulator to overheat.

I recommend removing any solder connections in the system. My bird would fly fine for 15 minutes or so before I would lose all electrical power. 10 minutes later everything would come back on… rinse, repeat. It was a bad solder joint that would heat up and lose its connection then reconnect after it cooled off. Impossible to detect on the ground as a bad solder joint looks exactly like a good one. Problem went away after replacing soldered joints with crimps.

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Thorp T18
O-320-B3B (160 HP)
68x74 Sterba Propeller

"The joke in aviation is, 'If you want to make a million, you'd better start with £10m.' " -Bruce Dickinson