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I'm trying to take apart my spare FD Alternator to replace the blown voltage regulator. I've removed the four long bolts that hold the two halves of the casing together and now I'm trying to separate the two halves.
After a whole lot of prying, jiggling, and hitting with a BFH, I've managed to get the two halves to come about 1/2" apart, maybe a bit more.
No matter how much I try to persuade the shaft to slide in through the front bearing, it just won't go any further, and I'm afraid that I'll break something if I go at it any harder.
Is there a trick to this? Is there a particular tool or technique for pushing the shaft through through the front bearing (or rather, pulling the front housing off from around the shaft)?
If I recall correctly, the FSM calls out for using a high power soldering iron to heat the case to get it off. Or maybe to separate the rectifier from it.
I gave mine a few whacks with a rubber mallet, pulled really hard, hit it some more, pulled,etc. and mine came apart in a couple of minutes. You can also remove the 4 screws that hold the bearing in place; may help a little?
This would be a really good time to buy the polished alternator case I have for sale (pulley and other alternator not included).
Last edited by MilesBFree; Oct 11, 2023 at 07:19 PM.
We have to press them out everytime. Hitting it will work eventually but you're more likely to hurt something in the process. If you have 2 pieces of wood, you can suspend the alternator between them and use a BRASS punch or something soft to hit the shaft and it will drop the rest of it on the floor.
We have to press them out everytime. Hitting it will work eventually but you're more likely to hurt something in the process. If you have 2 pieces of wood, you can suspend the alternator between them and use a BRASS punch or something soft to hit the shaft and it will drop the rest of it on the floor.
What do you use to press them out?
Good to know that I'm not missing some kind of hidden bolt or other retention mechanism. It's just really stuck on sliding the shaft through the front bearing. Maybe I can press it back closed again and add some lubricant to the shaft to help, or try some heat like someone suggested.
We use this rod. No idea where it came from but it's the right size for the shaft. The press can be replaced with a BFH or some other striking device. Propping the alternator between the 2 woods like this allows the body to move while keeping the face stationary
We use this rod. No idea where it came from but it's the right size for the shaft. The press can be replaced with a BFH or some other striking device. Propping the alternator between the 2 woods like this allows the body to move while keeping the face stationary
A picture is worth a thousand words. Awesome, thanks!
Sounds like I'll have to rig up some pieces of wood and some kind of percussive persuasion device (BFH).
From my understanding, that'll get the front half of the shell removed from the rest of the alt. Then I should be able to lift the rotor assembly out by the shaft? Will there also be a lot of friction holding that in place or is the rear bearing less snug?
And once the rotor assembly is out, then the stator is soldered to ... something at the back of the alt (I'm guessing the rectifier that's bolted to the back half of the shell?).
Holy crap, I'd seen a bunch of his recent videos, but this is DEEP in the archives. Nice to see the actual FD alt being taken apart, all the other videos I was finding on YouTube were for other alts.
The only thing that bugs me is that many (most?) videos cut out the part of how much effort it takes to get the pieces apart and just make it look like it all slides apart effortlessly. In this case Rob's video is on an alt that's already apart, so it doesn't really say whether it took a lot of prying to get the rotor out of the rear half, or whether it just lifted out easily. He did mention that the rear bearing came out with it, in your experience does that usually happen?
I've managed to find online sources for both the rectifier and voltage regulator, does anyone know a good source for bearings and brushes?
Sometimes the rear bearing is stuck yes. This is the method to remove them when that's the case. The shaft is put through the hole on the press and the nut installed. Then a swift and aggressive pulling motion will walk the back shell off...... eventually. Basically slam it backwards so the press holds the alternator and the back shell will move with your hand. When it finally let's free, the core is hanging on the press and the back shell is in your hand
