Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1997 09:33:12 -0500
From: Michael Jones <JonesVWs@aol.com>
Subject: Re: 76 alternator blues

>Date:    Fri, 17 Jan 1997 17:38:51 -0600
>From:    "R.D. Robertson" <rdr@arn.net>
>Subject: Re: 76 alternator blues

>I found a large automotive electrical rebuilder in my town which
>rebuilt my '79 Bus' alternator and starter for $105 total,
>including Texas sales tax (8.25%).

>If your bus has much more than 100k miles on it (161k
>kilometers), I recommend having these two items rebuilt as a
>precautionary measure.  Before rebuilding and after removal, the
>alternator on mine made creaky noises when turned by hand (bad
>bearings).

Roy is right on! I shredded an alternator in Virginia many years ago near the
end of an 800 mile road trip. I was over 100 miles from home and the pulley
end bearing let loose. Trashed the casing, pulley, and stator windings! I
nursed it home (luckily it was daylight) and threw in a used one.

Since that time, I have rebuilt at least 8 of these things for different
buses, type 1's and 914's.

With the right tools, it is unbelievably cheap and "fairly" easy to do this
yourself. How does 8 bucks and your labor sound for virtually the same job
that the rebuild shop does?

Here's how:
(Note: I have not explained how to get the alternator out of the bus (72-79).
This is probably covered in your manual...Haynes, Bentley, Muir...whatever.
Eveyone has a manual, right! The reason I am posting this is that most
manuals don't tell you how to rebuild the alternator!  Please read this whole
posting first to decide if this is something you have the tools or time
for...you're only going to save about $40 per alternator. Also, I should
define the 2 main parts of the alternator: The rotor is the "go-roundy" and
the stator is the "standy-stilly".)

1. First, you need something to get the pulley nut off. I use my half inch
impact wrench....ZZZZZZZing! Off pops the nut! The next easiest way is to
loosen it in the bus...with the belt on and a rag lodged in the pulley (don't
use a screw driver and mess up the pulley). There is some sort of wrench to
hold the pulley, but I have never owned one.

2. Next, you need a bearing puller. I got the cheap JC Whitless set with all
the pieces. On alternators, it works great! It has tapered plates (with
cutouts) that clamp around the bearing and then the puller part threads into
these. I first use this plate to get the pulley off. Slip the plate behind
the pulley and locate the puller thrust screw on the end of the shaft (use
the flat end insert to avoid damaging the end of the shaft). DO NOT HAMMER
OFF THE PULLEY BY HITTING THE END OF THE SHAFT. The most common failure mode
during this repair is the "Gee, I can just get this off with a hammer"
syndrome which always leads to the "Hey, I mushroomed the threads and I can't
get the nut back on" syndrome!

3. Next the long clamp screws and nuts have to come off...the three long jobs
you see on the outside of the stator. I use a hand impact screwdriver I still
have from my motorcycle days. You whack this thing with a hammer and the end
turns! Make sure you take off the nuts on the back side, as well as the tin
cover and the electrical connections underneath before you unscrew these.

4. With the clamp screws out, you can separate the front housing (pulley end)
from the stator. I use a piece of wood to tap on the mounting supports until
the rotor and housing come off of the stator as one unit. Now you use the
puller to get the housing (with bearing) off the front of the rotor. Rig the
puller backing plate behind the housing and pull it off the rotor just like
you did with the pulley in step 2. Unscrew the bearing retainer inside the
housing and take the bearing out.  Use the puller to take the other bearing
off the end with the collector (the collector is the double copper ring job
on the opposite pulley end). BE CAREFUL NOT TO DAMAGE THE COLLECTOR. A
scratched and nicked collector is our enemy.

5. Hang in there. The hard part is over....well almost. There is a brush
holder in the back of the stator housing. It's usually white thermoset
plastic. It has a couple screws holding it in and a spade terminal connecting
it to the rectifier (diode) plate. You have to take off the rectifier plate
to get it out. Once it is out, put it in a bag with the used bearings and go
to your local electrical automotive place (LEAP...you guys use FLAPS, I use
LEAPs). Show all the stuff to the guy behind the counter. Make frequent
references to how you did it all yourself. Smile proudly. He'll probably sell
you the brushes for $2 and the bearings for $3 each. (Don't feel bad, he
probably paid pennies for the brushes and under a buck for the bearings!)
BTW, these parts are all common to many different cars (the bearings are
probably the same on a chevy!)

6. Desolder the old brushes and resolder the new ones. Do them one at a time
to duplicate exactly how they are located.  Be careful not to wick the solder
too far up the brush leads. When you are done, you will need to push the
brush up through the holder until the end of the spiral spring is against the
side of the brush. This holds the brushes in a lifted position for assembly
(this is really a neat design!). It actually is easier if you do this trick
before you solder the leads.

7. Put everything back together...you did draw a diagram of where the
washers, wires, and screws went, right? You can sand the collector with 400
grit paper and clean with contact cleaner (before you put the bearings on),
if you want. If it looks clean, I let it go. If it's deeply rutted, the LEAP
can turn it (about 8 bucks). For that matter, the LEAP can solder the brushes
in for you too...but you're eroding your bottom line with each step he does.

You can get the bearings on by pressing (the right way) or taping on with a
block of wood. I use a big honking vise (horizontal press) with sockets for
spacers.

Just before you close up the electrical connection end (opposite pulley), put
a small screw driver or ice pick through the opening above the brush holder
and snap down both brushes toward the collector. You should be able to see
the spiral spring ends position themselves on the tops of the brushes. Button
the rest of it up and put it back in the bus.

I keep a rebuilt alternator "on deck" at all times. When I get a "new" bus or
914, I rotate this one with the old one and then rebuild that one. The
Motorola type 1 alternator is very similar and I have rebuilt a couple of
these (BTW, I put one of these in my '67 Westy and what a difference!). If
you are not a purist...and you like 55 amps to the stock 30, get one of
these. If I get enough response, I'll post the procedure for this (unless
someone has already posted it!).

Don't know how long these home rebuilds last... never had one fail. Also, I
have only  seen one with bad diodes. The PO of "Lumpy" hooked up the battery
backwards and fried the rectifier big time! He was so pissed off, he sold it
to me for $200!

Mike

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