What are you working on today?

[Steve_S]

Building an engine on a rather tight deadline. Almost done.

 

[MikeP]

Wish I was out wrenching, but been working a system disaster recovery test since yesterday morning.

 

[Trevor Triumph]

Today spent most fo the morning getting the pedal and bell crank out of the rusty Spit. Most of the afternoon with a friend cleaning and repairing the hub for my wife's bicylce. Still looking forward to finding the strange sound in my Spit and installl the newly won steering wheel in the wife's Spit. She won the wheel donated by Spitbits at Triumpshet.

 

[martx-5]

This AM (Saturday), I stuffed a new Lucas Sport coil in the TR3. There was nothing wrong with the original, but it will reside in the trunk as a spare. I now have an almost complete ignition system in the trunk in case I need anything for a roadside repair. Two sets of points (Mallory dual point), cap, rotor, condenser, and now the coil. Having spare parts in the trunk will almost guarantee they will never be needed. It will always be something you don't have in the trunk that will break. I better run out and get a spare fan belt! Maybe a fuel pump...

 

[DrEntropy]

Generator brushes, Art.

Took the MGB on a round trip to Cleveland a while back... as I was stowing spares prior to the trip, my neighbor jokingly said: "Where's the spare generator?" I shoulda Zen'd in and tossed a packet of brushes into the glove box. Didn't.

Got within 20 miles of goal on Lake Erie when the genny light came on. Luck was with us as there was an old well-known parts supplier in Mentor, a ten minute side trip. $4 worth of brushes and the return trip went without incident.

Wierd things happen.

 

[GregW]

Should ask your neighbor about lotto ticket numbers.

 

[JodyFKerr]

So, my TR8 still isn't done. Now that the power steeringis in I'm also refreshing the rubber brake lines and rebuilding the rear cylinders once I can convince the rear drums to come off.

In the mean time I've been saddled with the sister in law's Corolla with bad idle problems. Based on work so far I think it was just a dirty MAF. Got to put in a new. Rake light bulb next.

 

[bgbassplyr]

Cutting out the rust and welding in new metal in the TR4.

 

[Bayless]

Finally got shiny new BRG paint on the nearside door jambs of the Prefect. The jack stands are so I can get under to paint the frame rails. They were painted with the body attached on these cars.

 

[Banjo]

Got the TR2 moved over in the garage and continued my trip around it with the paint stripper.
I also went and looked over a 1970 VW type 3 fastback. Pretty crusty, but could be a fun commuter for the right $$$
Has Fuel injection that is not working at the moment.

 

[DrEntropy]

Now get to "demo" th' bathroom... water leaking from between tub and floor.

All LBC hopes are dashed again. More home "improvement" missions in future.

"Fuss an' Bother!"

 

[martx-5]

Generator brushes, Art.

Took the MGB on a round trip to Cleveland a while back... as I was stowing spares prior to the trip, my neighbor jokingly said: "Where's the spare generator?" I shoulda Zen'd in and tossed a packet of brushes into the glove box. Didn't.

Got within 20 miles of goal on Lake Erie when the genny light came on. Luck was with us as there was an old well-known parts supplier in Mentor, a ten minute side trip. $4 worth of brushes and the return trip went without incident.

Wierd things happen.

\

That's why I have a 10SI Delco taking care of the electrical needs!

 

[Steve_S]

What, alternators never go bad? :wink: Beauty of a generator is that when they eventually do go bad, they can usually be repaired in five minutes with $7 worth of parts, even on the side of the road.

 

[martx-5]

What, alternators never go bad? :wink: Beauty of a generator is that when they eventually do go bad, they can usually be repaired in five minutes with $7 worth of parts, even on the side of the road.

Having worked in the electrical rebuilding business for over thirty years, what I've seen is that MOST generators CANNOT be fixed in five minutes with $7 worth of parts. Having only to replace brushes to get a generator back working is a rarity. Doc got lucky! It's usually the armature that decides to throw it's solder all over the place, and yes, you MIGHT be able to re-solder it by the side of the road, but not likely. If that's not the problem, maybe it's that $2 bushing in the back that wiped out. Of course, the now wobbling armature has just taken itself out along with the fields. Oh, I suppose we could re-wrap the fields on the side of the road...the armature...we don't even re-wire armatures at work. We salvage them out of cores...if we can find a good one!

And yes, alternators do go bad...that's why I've been in the business for so long. But if I ask my 60 amp alternator to put out the maximum that your 22 amp generator can put out, the alternator is hardly working. On the other hand, I can go to any parts store and get a direct fit Delco 10SI replacement alternator for about $40 and be on my way.

 

[elrey]

Right now I'm working on finding out why the 5 hp 230 single phase motor on my SS5L I.R. compressor has just started changing speed/ sound. [slows then speeds up weirdly then slows again.] Guess I will check the individual legs of the service with a volt meter first to see if the feed is up to snuff. Otherwise was wondering if the running cap. could be to blame? I am of the impression that they either fail or are good, not intermittent. Not my forte. Can't paint without it. It has a new starting cap., starts fine [seems slow running] and the pressure switch and head unloader are working properly. Something failing in the motor itself leading to uneven amperage draw? Anyone around with any electric motor experience?

 

[DrEntropy]

Doc got lucky!

That lucky streak is about 42 years long. I have seen genny destruction as you describe, just never personally. And in 32 years pullin' wrenches on others' LBC's/Alfas/Porsches with generators, the most common failure by far is brushes, then bearings/bushings. The number of 'meltdown' ones I've run across is low. <span style="font-style: italic">Maybe</span> half a dozen.

 

[Steve_S]

No disrespect intended but I have to agree with Doc. After 20+ years dealing with British cars, 95% of generator problems I've seen are simply worn brushes. On rare occasion you may see a generator suffer a meltdown, but it's nearly always due to a fault somewhere else in the system - broken or missing pulley fan, overcharging, unprotected short, etc etc. A poor rebuild can also be trouble - not soaking the oillite bushing before installation can cause premature failure, etc. But you can't blame the design of the generator for that!

if I ask my 60 amp alternator to put out the maximum that your 22 amp generator can put out, the alternator is hardly working. On the other hand, I can go to any parts store and get a direct fit Delco 10SI replacement alternator for about $40 and be on my way.

By that logic I could put a 100 amp alternator in and at the 60 amps maximum your alternator is putting out, mine would hardly be working either. But that's all redundant anyway because who would ever need that much power in an MGB?!? With a properly functioning generator, I can already run every system at once.

Besides, isn't the point that with a generator you don't HAVE to find a parts store? You can carry a bearing and brush set in the glove box in case your generator decides to give up the ghost some day. Properly maintained in the garage, you should never need to use them anyway :wink:

 

[elrey]

Cleaned em, buffed em, bearing/bushing and brushed em. Once in awhile turned em. Good as new. And no stinkin diodes.

 

[elrey]

So I go out to the shop and check the power and it is fine, kick on the compressor and it runs without weirdness. Squeaks when it starts but not at the shivs. Bearings sound o.k. when stethoscope applied. Squeak may emanate from the floating contacts at the armature. Motor may be running slower than it was or I may be just thinking so. I don't want to blow the thing as they are not cheap. Load test? Maybe it is just poor power as we had a brownout last week and everything was weird. :frown:

 

[Banjo]

Art, I bet the reason most of the ones you saw were really buggered is because the simple brush failure ones all got fixed at the local garages. If that didn't work, then they got sent to you.
I have to say I agree with your logic for using the Delco alt. I'll probably keep the genny in the TR though. It's part of what makes it unique. If it were a daily, I might be thinking different.