Jump to content


Photo
- - - - -

Refurbishing An Alternator


  • Please log in to reply
8 replies to this topic

#1 JonnyAlpha

JonnyAlpha

    Up Into Fourth

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,748 posts
  • Location: North Devon
  • Local Club: Exmoor Minis

Posted 13 March 2020 - 10:21 PM

So I have a spare alternator that I stripped off of a Metro and thought I'd have a go at refurbishing it for my new engine build.

 

It was quite tatty to start with:

 

S1h7z8R.jpg

 

SHtkYmk.jpg

 

Managed to get it apart:

 

TXxh5Hl.jpg

 

 eoaBfAD.jpg

 

WXonymt.jpg

 

Only problem was that one of the long thin bolts that hold the case together snapped off :-(

 

LatSfmU.jpg

 

Then after soaking some of the steel parts in citric acid and wire wheeling the aluminium parts, I started to clean it up:

 

kpIw5yK.jpg

 

kuf66qX.jpg

 

Fy9E5vY.jpg

 

Still needed to do the outer coil and electrics:

 

SLymNl4.jpg

 

WXonymt.jpg

 

Gently held in the vice:

 

uwWdrDV.jpg

 

gSqyYAY.jpg

 

And here it is after cleaning up with Bright Spark contact cleaner:

 

tYPiYrt.jpg

 

I'll probably spray the metal core of the outer coil with black plasticoat.

 

Cleaned up the other steel parts but they need another soaking in the acid solution:

 

xtLCZgo.jpg

 

Just got to sort out the snapped bolt:

 

MLgaTBQ.jpg

 

More to follow.

 

 



#2 MatthewsDad

MatthewsDad

    One Carb Or Two?

  • TMF+ Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 781 posts
  • Location: Warrington

Posted 14 March 2020 - 08:58 AM

It's nice to see original parts being refurbished and re-used rather than scrapped.

#3 MacGyver

MacGyver

    One Carb Or Two?

  • TMF+ Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,027 posts
  • Location: Fribourg

Posted 14 March 2020 - 10:41 AM

Nice one! ?
You could weld a bolt to the end of that...

Ben

#4 blacktulip

blacktulip

    Crazy About Mini's

  • TMF+ Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 6,224 posts
  • Location: Braintree

Posted 14 March 2020 - 12:06 PM

Great stuff. I hope it works afterwards

#5 andyapanel

andyapanel

    Super Mini Mad

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 605 posts

Posted 14 March 2020 - 01:27 PM

Brilliant. My wife is threatening to isolate me in the garage if I show symptoms; I have several alternators that need TLC. Sorted.



#6 panky

panky

    Camshaft & Stage Two Head

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,783 posts
  • Location: Cheshire

Posted 14 March 2020 - 02:25 PM

I did one a few months back for my Commer camper, basically the same unit. A rewarding little project and you can get overhaul kits cheap (less than £20) off ebay. They include bearings, regulator slip ring and brushes. 

I had the same broken stud issue, and managed to knacker the end plate up completely trying to get it out, but found a new old stock one for less than a tenner - lucky me :shy:



#7 JonnyAlpha

JonnyAlpha

    Up Into Fourth

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,748 posts
  • Location: North Devon
  • Local Club: Exmoor Minis

Posted 10 April 2020 - 08:29 AM

Hi;

Just resurrecting and updating this project.

I have had the pulley and fan in citric acid to remove the underlying rust, the problem is, with the current crisis I had forgotten they were in the. The fan has cleaned up nice but was quite pitted, but the the pulley (the encapsulated nut / spacer), seems to have disintegrated and needs replacing.

These were the parts in question before clean up:

5PpOZnQ.jpg


And this is the fan now.

 

gj4HLQ7.jpg

 

I will post up a pic of the nut / spacer later as I seem to have forgotten to take one.

 

UPDATE

 

Here's the pulley with the encapsulated nut, as you can see it got pretty mashed up:

 

ESpOivQ.jpg

The Alternator was labeled as a Lucas LRA100 23802. I have been advised that this is an ACR115 with a 15mm shaft.

When you look for pulleys on eBay they usually come with a Fan (all for about £10), so looks like it will be getting a new fan? I am tempted to replace the electrics too, but may just put it together first and see if it works.


The only thing I need to check is that, as seen in the pic above, the pulley on mine has an integrated hexagonal nut on the back of it (its the inside of this that is damaged), in the pics of the ones on eBay there appear to be two different types:

 

One with what looks like a separate spacer instead of an encapsulated nut:
 

This one.

And another with what looks like a separate spacer / nut

This one.

I also remember finding this during the clean up and not knowing what is was:

7DNKUMs.jpg

 

Is it from the alternator or my transfer case? 

 

Thoughts?


Edited by JonnyAlpha, 10 April 2020 - 08:49 PM.


#8 JonnyAlpha

JonnyAlpha

    Up Into Fourth

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,748 posts
  • Location: North Devon
  • Local Club: Exmoor Minis

Posted 17 May 2020 - 10:09 AM

So I ended up ordering a replacement fan and pulley for the Alternator. The fan seems fine but the pulley is distinctly thinner.

Here is a pic of a ruler balanced across both to show the difference:

 

pm2FkRD.jpg

 

And a mock up on the Alternator itself, to show that the the pulley centre will be in a different line to the original.

 

fWifXtA.jpg

 

I guess until the Alternator is fitted to the block and the water pump and fan is in place I won't really know what the impact is and what to do about it. All I know is that everything will need to be in line.

 

Any thoughts?



#9 MacGyver

MacGyver

    One Carb Or Two?

  • TMF+ Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,027 posts
  • Location: Fribourg

Posted 17 May 2020 - 11:14 AM

Big washer? ?

And the o ring is for the gearbox like in this thread/picture from Project_1275_GT: http://www.theminifo...ttach_id=207081

Edited by MacGyver, 17 May 2020 - 11:18 AM.





1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users