generator light

[jollatine]

Before a recent 100 mile journey from Brum to London I did a couple of checks on the engine and was surprised to see some sparks issuing from the dynamo when I pulled on the accelerator cable. Near the middle of the journey the Generator light came on and stayed on, and needless to say the battery became flat towards the completion of the journey. I've looked through the Haynes manual and my guess - as someone who doesn't get involved in engine maintenance - (beyond topping up the oil and checking the tension of the fan belt) - is that the brushes are worn in the dynamo. Is this something I can deal with or should I bite the bullet and get it down to Jacks garage? Problem is the garages are closed and I need the van! Any advice much appreciated.

 

[ozziedog]

Get your battery charged up first off with a mains charger, if you haven`t got too far to go to work and back, you may do it with just an over night charge, a lot will depend on how quickly your bus starts, and if you need your lights etc on, how far do you have to go, Can you charge the battery at work ??? This might get / keep you mobile till you can get sorted one way or another, another second hand genny ???? Straight swap ? 8)

Ozziedog,,,,,,, :lol:

 

[jollatine]

thanks ozziedog, i've no battery charger though. Still got enough bat power for a couple of starts though I think thanks to the AA

 

[froggy]

Change the brushes, there easy enough to do.

 

[uber cool]

look here
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=672527

you can buy and replace the bushes, but might be quicker to get a 2nd hand one to get you up and running then fit new bushes to yours and replace at a later date.
its a fairy simple job to do with basic tools

 

[jollatine]

replacement of the brushes an unmitigated disaster. Managed to get the top one out, the new one did NOT go in easily, now it is stuck in there - according to the haynes manual it should slide easily in and out of its housing - that will not be happening. When I looked at the one on the underside of the generator, I have to confess, I gave up. How can you possibly deal with that one without taking the generator out. The idea of doing it upside down is too much.

 

[crede999]

replacement of the brushes an unmitigated disaster. Managed to get the top one out, the new one did NOT go in easily, now it is stuck in there - according to the haynes manual it should slide easily in and out of its housing - that will not be happening. When I looked at the one on the underside of the generator, I have to confess, I gave up. How can you possibly deal with that one without taking the generator out. The idea of doing it upside down is too much.

take belt off ,slacken the genny strap, undo the wiring (disconnect battery first), undo the four 10mm bolts that attach genny to fan housing and spin the whole genny round , you dont need to pull it out , this way allows you to get to both sides once done reposition as before

the new one did NOT go in easily.........do you have the right ones ? was it to wide too long or too thick ?

regards
chris

 

[Merlydog]

take belt off ,slacken the genny strap, undo the wiring (disconnect battery first), undo the four 10mm bolts that attach genny to fan housing and spin the whole genny round , you dont need to pull it out , this way allows you to get to both sides once done reposition as before

the new one did NOT go in easily.........do you have the right ones ? was it to wide too long or too thick ?

regards
chris

Chris that's a great tip thank you, I've got to do mine very shortly so will use that. If I can twist it, I didn't realise how heavy they are!! Is it self explanatory taking the belt off & does it just go bk on easy or will it need to be the right tension etc, albeit start getting complicated?! :?

 

[jollatine]

Thanks for your response and jenny tip.
Here is the original next to the new one. There seems to be little in it, new one maybe 1mm wider and the slanty bit on the wrong side - I wouldn't know. With regards getting the belt off, how is that done? You cant just pull it off can you?
For other readers, this must all seem a bit petty, but there may be others out there who may benefit from it I hope/guess

 

[jollatine]

oh, also, I got the feeling there is still some life in the old one anyway?

 

[crede999]

take belt off ,slacken the genny strap, undo the wiring (disconnect battery first), undo the four 10mm bolts that attach genny to fan housing and spin the whole genny round , you dont need to pull it out , this way allows you to get to both sides once done reposition as before

the new one did NOT go in easily.........do you have the right ones ? was it to wide too long or too thick ?

regards
chris

Chris that's a great tip thank you, I've got to do mine very shortly so will use that. If I can twist it, I didn't realise how heavy they are!! Is it self explanatory taking the belt off & does it just go bk on easy or will it need to be the right tension etc, albeit start getting complicated?! :?

firstly make sure your belt is the right tension as per your manual ,taking the belt off is easy enough just hold the belt or jam the pulley where the notch is on the rear half with a screwdriver , undo the nut on front and take the front half off make a note of how many shims(big washers) are there , to put back ,if you belt was too slack take one of the shims out , if it was too tight put an extra shimm in ,then put pulley half on then shimms on outside then big stepped washer thing, then nut and tighten up with spanner or socket, youll find youll be turning the whole engine round but thats fine , for final tighting hold belt or jam pulley again and tighten nut
your brushes look fine to me so they should fit fine make sure retaining springs are holding them down, there new so will need bedding in ........although tempting dont spin the genny by hand the wrong way otherwise you could end up with busted bushes they can be quite brittal, ..... when fitting i tend to use a magnetic screwdriver and put the screw through the hole with a little blob of grease inbetween so they stick together ......so you dont drop the screw :shock:

hope this helps
chris

 

[Merlydog]

Happy Days thank you Chris that's very helpful hints for me.. I'm hoping to give it a go this weekend :mrgreen:

 

[jollatine]

well thank you too chris, I think I will leave this until saturday morning and give myself plenty of time. Your tips are appreciated. j

 

[Marvel]

Thanks from me too, part way doing the same thing, although the PO had put one of those EMPI dress kits on the dynamo which made in impossible to get at the brushes. So I've managed to pull it off and done the top brush, but that bottom one is gonna be fun :?

 

[froggy]

If the brushes feel to tight them just get some emery cloth (wet and dry but do it dry) and take a bit off the sides or where ever its catching.
Its only carbon so easy to do, just dont breath the dust and do this away from the dynamo (fit to see wheres catching, remove, walk away, rub down, refit)