Removing the alternator

[Crossrodes]

I'm now in the process of removing the alternator on my '79 R65.  Ultimately I want to take the timing cover off and replace the gasket which is leaking.  I am following the Clymer manual and have removed all the electrical connectors and fasteners and am now trying to remove the stator.  All that is happening is that the aluminum cover on the stator is loose and it will only move so far (about 1/4" out from the timing cover).  The stator coils are not moving at all.  They seem like they are fastened to the cover (or they are corroded on there).  I don't want to force anything unless I know what I'm doing.  

So what is the story on the stator (the coils)  are they likely corroded on there and I will have to use tool to pry it off or am I missing something?  Also is there a puller tool I can make to pull the rotor off if I need to do that?

[Crossrodes]

Thanks Montmil.  I haven't figured it out yet but I will.

Regarding the timing chain...I thought of that also but so far each step I take on this project leads to yet another step.  I've gone further than I planned so far....but I'll take a good look at the timing chain, sprockets, tensioner and spring while I'm in here.

[Crossrodes]

Monty my brushes are about 1/2" long.  Any idea how long new ones are?

Andy good tip...thanks for that but it looks like a friend had the tool and will loan it to me.

Mike

[Justin B.]

Monte, where did you "hide" your article?

[Crossrodes]

I'm still stumped trying to get the stator assembly removed.  Here's where I am:

I have all the electrical connectors off, the brushes are removed and the three studs holding the housing are removed.  I can only move the cover about 1/4" away (toward the front of the bike) from the rest of the alternator assembly.  The stator coils are not moving.  I see two possibilities:

1. The Clymer manual and the parts diagram show an anti-rattle pin in the assembly.  I don't see this pin on my alternator and the instructions do not call for its removal.  Does this pin exist on the '79 R65 (possibly at the bottom of the alternator out of sight) and does it have to be removed to get the stator cover and the stator off?

2. There is a 3 wire connector at the 5 o'clock position on the stator housing.  The instructions call for the wires (leading externally) to be disconnected from this connector which I have done.  The connector itself is still mounted to the stator housing and 3 wires which are soldered to it lead inside toward the stator coils.  I'm guessing that these are the wires that are connected to the stator itself.  Do these wires have to be disconnected?  It doesn't seem likely as they are soldered to the connector.  What this would lead me to believe is that the field coil (stator) should be sliding off the assembly with the stator cover.  However this is not happening.  Should the stator be sliding off with the cover and if so what do I have to do to loosen it up?

Mike  

[Bob_Roller]

The only anti-rattle pin in that area, the best I can remember, is at the bottom of the engine, it's the roll pin that the front cover goes over to hold in place while putting the other two fasteners in.

It's been a while since I had the stator cover off, but I believe the cover and the stator wiring come off as an assembly.

The steel lamination's of the stator, are a close fit into the engine case, you may need to get a thin blade ,like a paint scraper in there to break it free.

[Crossrodes]

Thanks Bob. You nailed it.  The steel stator and the aluminum tabs to which the stator attaches were the problem.  I used some liquid wrench, a razor blade to scrape the interface between the stator body and the aluminum tabs and then used some gentle persuasion with a large screwdriver to pry it loose.  It popped loose reasonably quickly once I knew what I was doing.

My guess is that this stator has never been taken off and that is why it is corroded so badly.  I'm thinking I will use some marine anti-seize between the aluminum and the steel when I re-install this.  That way the next guy who takes this apart in 30 years will not have the problems I had .  I used this anti-seize on a sailboat aluminum mast when I installed some hardware on the mast with stainless screws.  After five years on the ocean these screws came out with no problem.  So it should work here.

The rotor came off with no problem using my friends tool.

Now who wants to make any bets as to the condition of the chain and sprockets?  :-?

[Andy-Gadget]

I find I can tell how good a fitter is by how many different size hammers he has in his tool kit.

If it is just one, and that one is a big one, run, don't walk, away.

The size of the hammer has to be carefully matched to the job in hand, and isn't the rough general use tool some might think them to be.

You are correct in the problem of carrying a hammer on a bike, and over the years I have come up with many solutions.

Carry a hatchet.

There is an Australian Army entrenching tool on the other side, very handy for cooking with camp ovens.

I used a tube spanner from my BMW tool kit to provide the handle for a separate hammer head, no photos sorry.

My Hatchet in use "adjusting" the rivets on my Cali 2 rear guard late last year.


A carefully applied rock is always an option, the unfriendly comment that you can fix a Hardly with a half brick and a cold chisel assumes you actually have both on hand.

My rotors don't get stuck

[suecanada]

If I can be of any help, my EnduraLast 400 watt upgrade instructions called for removal of the rotor and reassembly. He stresses torqueing the rotor on the crankshft no more than 14 ft. lbs or 19 Nm. Do Not Overtighten, he said! Just thought it might be helpful.

[Crossrodes]

Thanks Sue.  I haven't checked the torque specs in the manual yet but I'll keep that in mind.  

I'm curious about your upgrade though.  What equipment did you put on your bike that you needed the upgrade?  I plan (probably not until the fall now) using a heated jacket liner on the R65.  Will this alternator provide enough power for this.  I think the jacket liner (Gerbings) draw a a maximum of 10 amps.

Mike

PS: My wife and I will be in your neck of the woods in August.  I'll be riding there  (Riding my Goldwing) and I'll meet my wife who will fly.  I'll be visiting some old high school buddies in London and Grand Bend.

[MrRiden]

Poverty riders tool tip:
In an emergency any tool is a hammer.

[Justin B.]

Here's a comparo of new vs 80k brushes.  I didn't think to lay a ruler against them...

[Crossrodes]

Very interesting Justin.  Was that 80k on an R65?  If so it tells me that I have a lot more miles on this bike than I thought.  The brushes I have are definitely not the original set and they are 1/3 worn.  I'm estimating, based on these brushes, that I must have somewhere around 150k miles on this bike depending when the brushes were changed.

After I got the timing cover off I took a good look at the chain...it is a replacement as it has a master link and both it and the sprockets seem to be in good shape .   The tensioner seems to be good too.  This is a surprise to me as I thought that the timing cover had never been removed because of the corrosion I saw around the stator.

[Justin B.]

Mike, these were from an '81 R100.

[suecanada]

Crossrodes I decided to upgrade the alternator output with the EndruaLast kit so I wouldn't have to worry about running my heater Liner and lights in a town setting. Passing through an urban area I always turned things off before. My mechanic also said that it looked like my diode board had gotten overheated so the time was ripe for an upgrade. I chose the EnduraLast as it is brushless and the rectifier/voltage regulator, which replaces the diode board in the front of the engine with the alternator, now is mounted near the battery on the left side running in cool air. It doesn't seem to get warm enough to cause too much heat for the battery cover there but I have protected the cover anyway. Overall the kit is neat. But I think the Motorrad Electrik kit would be just fine too. I like to travel warm!!
So the upgrade runs the heated liner and gloveswhich are the Powerlet ones and a fairly big draw (up to 98 watts but that is a bit warm!); The running lights which I have ordered H3 35 watt bulbs for and are not working yet; heated grip wraps which were given to me; and the GPS to come in the future which is not a big draw right?
So bottom line was the diode board needing attention so I went for a brand new upgrade!