Alternator - 1958 Dominator 600

Bearing in mind that you are probably fitting a new and encapsulated stator which may differ in how the leads exit compared to the original stator, I would say whichever fits best. Depending on the particular stator, I have fitted them either way and it works ok.

I fit them with the leads on the outerside, then through the hole in the small bracket and then out through the inner chaincase hole. My manual has it just the same as yours. I've never noticed that contradiction before!

Cheers

Alan

Hello Yes Alan's Right hear if you fit it with wire inside chances are the sprocket with chew the wire up ! Yours AJD

Mick - I have 106/P and section 122 actually says about the Lucas RM19 Alternator "..the stator should be fitted with the lead take off side towards the primary chain and not towards the outer portion of the chaincase." . That is correct grammar but I'm still not entirely sure which way round it should go! It appears to say that it should come out at the back of the stator, which would be closest to the inner primary chaincase - that's how it looks in Fig14 on page 33.

Lucas (and Norton) illustrations of the RM13 and RM15 always show the cables at the front of the stator - facing outwards from the engine when fitted.

I too have bought a new encapsulated stator so hope it won't make any difference - I'll just fit it whichever way keeps the cables away from any moving parts!

Lionel

It may be impossible to get the 'correct' air gap. Try sliding a 6 thou feeler gauge around the circunference of the rotor. If there is a tight spot, hopefully you will be able to lightly tap the stator until the feeler can slide easily right the way round. Tighten the stator nuts and check again. You may have to repeat this process a few times. As long as ther is a gap all the way round and no contact between rotor and stator you should be OK.

HiMick -I think I bought it at last year's April Stafford show (up there again this year as always!). Probably on the outdoor stand on the main approach to the main hall - near the end on the right. They sell "Sparx" and Triumph stuff I think. Mine's a 3-wire "Sparx" so is suitable for 6V or 12V, unlike the 2-wire type which is 12V only. I'm keeping original with 6V. I think it cost me £90 for the stator & rotor.

Cheers, Lionel

PS. Don't forget that new stators don't fit the old rotors - different diameter. You have to buy both parts. As far as I know you can't get a new stator for an old rotor or a new rotor for an old stator! Cheers, Lionel

Um, sticking with 6 volts. If you are actually going to use your bike after dark, wouldn't it be rather better to go to 12 volts? A 60 watt halogen headlight is really rather better than the 30 watt original one, especially as all the other vehicles out there have moved with the times and have startlingly bright headlights. Really, it is better to see and be seen. Even cyclists now sport astonishingly bright lights. I suspect it is for a jolly good reason. Gordon.

Previously wrote:

Um, sticking with 6 volts. If you are actually going to use your bike after dark, wouldn't it be rather better to go to 12 volts? A 60 watt halogen headlight is really rather better than the 30 watt original one, especially as all the other vehicles out there have moved with the times and have startlingly bright headlights. Really, it is better to see and be seen. Even cyclists now sport astonishingly bright lights. I suspect it is for a jolly good reason. Gordon.

Haha! Go out in the dark Gordon? What do you think I am - an Owl? LOL!I've got 35/35W halogen bulbsfor my 6V system and I'm wary of changing anything that might not pass a concours inspection. My experience of halogen bulbs gives me 20 - 25% more light than standard tungsten - but hey - it doesn't get dark in the Summer! I'll be using them as daytime running lights too I expect, unless I rig up a bunch of LEDs. As too being seen - it makes not an iota of difference according to the two fatalities of local riders recently.

When I worked on the motorways as a Bridge Engineer I had a 'motorway'car with a flashing light bar (halogen andxenon lights), reflective rearand side stripsas well as wearing a fluorescent jacket and trousers, both with double reflective strips - and that was in the daytime! I still used to park up and embankments wherever possible - not the hardshoulder which is the most dangerous piece of road in the country! I'm with you on being seen, which is why I support the use of fluorescent and reflective jackets for bikers on another NOC thread. Been there, done that, seen the blood!

Cheers, Lionel

Lionel previously wrote:

which is why I support the use of fluorescent and reflective jackets for bikers on another NOC thread.

Cheers, Lionel

Absolutely your choice Lionel. But that's what it should remain, an individual choice.

Personally, I don't believe that wearing reflective gear will make a difference as it's not that other road users cannot see you, it's that some don't look!

Best Wishes

Alan

Unfortunately Alan it is often the case that you have to tell people what they need rather than what they want. My experience is based on working 20 years on motorways and trunk roads. This is not the same as members of the public simply driving on them. My motorway permit allowed me to legally park on the hardshoulder (on the grass verge or embankment was MY choice, if it was possible!) as per the Police and emergency services. This give a different viewpoint of the way people drive andmaintain their vehicles - or NOT!

Wrecked caravans and motorhomes straddling the central reserve barrier is one of the the first signs ofSummer! Why? Using old and/or incorrectly inflated tyres is the most common reason that I have noticed.

If you ran over a pedestrian at night in poor weather because he/she was wearing dark clothing, whose fault would it be? Wouldn't your defence be that they were all but invisible?Insurance companies think the same way. If you are in a bike accident and were wearing dark clothing, they will apportion at least part of the blame to you, regardless of whose fault the Police say it was. (Insurance companies are autonomous) All academic if you are dead of course.

Ride safely and look out for idiots - try not to be one!

Cheers, Lionel

Unfortunately Alan it is often the case that you have to tell people what they need rather than what they want. My experience is based on working 20 years on motorways and trunk roads. This is not the same as members of the public simply driving on them. My motorway permit allowed me to legally park on the hardshoulder (on the grass verge or embankment was MY choice, if it was possible!) as per the Police and emergency services. This give a different viewpoint of the way people drive andmaintain their vehicles - or NOT!

Wrecked caravans and motorhomes straddling the central reserve barrier is one of the the first signs ofSummer! Why? Using old and/or incorrectly inflated tyres is the most common reason that I have noticed.

If you ran over a pedestrian at night in poor weather because he/she was wearing dark clothing, whose fault would it be? Wouldn't your defence be that they were all but invisible?Insurance companies think the same way. If you are in a bike accident and were wearing dark clothing, they will apportion at least part of the blame to you, regardless of whose fault the Police say it was. (Insurance companies are autonomous) All academic if you are dead of course.

Ride safely and look out for idiots - try not to be one!

Cheers, Lionel

However you might see the pedestrian in dark clothing on a dark night a little bit sooner if you had a brighter headlight... and they are a such nusiance to disentangle from the front mudguard.

Of course it is up to individual choice. As I use my bike at night on unlit rural roads, I opt for the best headlight I can get. Black sheep are even harder to see at night than pedestrians!

Don't forget half the road users out ther are below average - and that applies to us too. Gulp.

Cheers, Gordon.

Previously wrote:

Don't forget half the road users out ther are below average - and that applies to us too. Gulp.

Cheers, Gordon.

That comment takes me back. Many years ago when a trainee physics teacher, I had failed to get over what I considered a very simple idea to my class. My supervisor said, " Bear in mind how thick the average pupil is, and then consider that half of them are even thicker." It is almost universal to consider oneself average or above. I think I could make a persuasive argument that this explains the failure of education policies over the last 50 or so years. I am, of course, a genius!

Cheers

Alan

There a number of reasons why the required rotor/stator clearance can disappear.

1) A badly made (cheap copy) stator will probably have lumps of the encapsulation (if it has any) sticking out all over the place. You could take a chance and just leave it to grind its own 8 thou gap but a better idea is to run a flap wheel inside for long enough to remove any resin bumps and also polish up the metal bits.

2) The old type of rotors are notorious for the central sleevebecoming loose just prior to the whole lot exploding. Check this area carefully by rocking the rotor on the crankshaftafterremoving the nut. Also, it is possible that a broken Woodruff Key has let the rotor spin on the shaft and wornit enough for side side play to appear andspoil the clearance.

3)Check the stator carrier and make certain that a) it is flush against the engine side and b) the stator is parallel to the side of the engine. Any part not correctly seated will tilt the stator and mess up any chance of an even clearance all the way round the rotor.

Finally.........It does not really matter which way round the stator is fitted as long as the leads are clear of the chain and sprocket. Years ago, the Norton factory admitted that their service/maintenance bookcontained mistakes withdiagrams and descriptions of fitting the alternator thatcontradicted themself.Fitting the wires towards the outer coverappears to be most people's choice. The only problem with this being the double right angle the wires may have to bend before exiting the inner case. If you go for a belt drive conversion, you will find the extended stator mounting studs willpush stator and these wiresup against the outer cover which will then chaff themthrough. On this occasion, it is best to have the wires facing inwards.

Mick, am I right in thinking that you have sufficient clearance in theory but that when assembled the rotor is running eccentrically to the stator? That is you have too great a clearance at some point but too small at another?

Cheers

Alan

Mick,

It seems that you either have misalignment between the stator, stator housing and where it bolts to the crankcase or even that the crankshaft extension is running out.

If not already done carefully check the fit of the stator to the housing and the housing to the crankcase, all surfaces must be clean with no gaskets or gasket compound.

If you have access to a magnetic base clock gauge you will be able to determine if the crankshaft is running true, if not then a crude way to give a basic idea is to get a piece of stiff wire connected one end to a part of the engine say to a barrel flange nut/stud and bend the other end to just touch the crankshaft in way of where the rotor fits, turn the engine one or as many as required revolutions observing if the crankshaft moves in relation to the end of the wire this will tell you if the crankshaft is OK or not but will not tell you how much it is running out if any.

For alternators see www.norbsa02.freeuk.com here you will see what an encapsulated stator looks like, the rotors for obvious reasons are not

Good Luck

Tony

Mick, in my experience the studs that hold the stator are not always straight or perpendicular to the crankcase. I think that when you dismantled your motor the studs got moved and this has resulted in your problem. You might be able to put things right by undoing the studs and moving them around. Also shim the gap so that it is centred before you finally tighten up. Pull the shims out when all is tight. I have sometimes had to set the studs slightly to get it right.

Cheers

Alan

Pleased to read that using spacers worked.

Hope the rest is going ok.

Cheers

Alan