Re: [T3] Another Generator bites the dust

["Martinez, Leon" <martinezl@ftscpac.navy.mil>]

Well, the oil leak was not really an oil leak it was 
the massive case pressures caused by blowby from
the hole in the #3 piston, all upper engine components 
were replaced during this repair.

 As for luck , could be I do not know if the T-3 spirits
are causing all of my broke stuff, maybe some holy water
and some prayers can cure the luck or at least exorcise 
some demons.

I have checked the charging system wiring and also checked 
for shorts in the whole car and all clean . I replaced the 
voltage regulator twice. The first one, the contacts were 
worn away (burned), then burned the new German one, the contacts were
fused, I guess too much current from charging a very dead 
large battery. I finally bought a Bosch electronic voltage 
regulator, never again will I have problems with burned or 
fuses contacts, the new part just drops in. I always check 
the charging system with a ammeter to see if excess current 
causing premature worn brushes or damaged regulator, always 
looks ok but maybe I did not catch the problem.

I do not have overly power hungary systems, lights only use 
55/65 watts , stereo always turned to low since speakers sound 
crappy now, I do have fans to cool the oil coolers but they should not
draw much current.

My bad generator pile is getting bigger, I have burned/pitted 
3 generators, physcally I could feel them getting hot, on one, 
the comutator has worn so out of round that the brushes bobbed 
up and down like if they were on a cam, another melted the 
solder inside I thought it was caused by a worn 1200 AMP battery , got 
a new battery (600 amp) and still roasted the solder on another.

The begining of this year I had two generators that gave lots of 
sparks from the brush to comutator contacts, the brushes wore 
every week or a few days more or 1000 miles . I replaced it 
with a Bosch rebuilt generator that had the brushes sparking
right after I installed it , the generator light flickered 
after two weeks, this has a one year warranty , I kept it 
in the trunk, I will return it today for another, I replaced it 
with another from my blue Fasty, and this one did not spark at 
all when I installed it , it charged well and did not heat up.
I used this generator for a month until my engine blew .
This generator seemed to have been reciently rebuilt.
Upon repairing my engine, the generator dropped a copper
segment from the comutator, this destroyed the brush mount and the 
comutator wires. When my engine blew oil , I think the epoxy 
that holds the copper segments probably desolved.

I finally got another from the junkyard and this seems to work fine,
I am just wondering 'for how long ?' I am going to pickup another
rebuilt Bosch generator today because of warranty.

Still in search of reliability in the charging system , may need to 
eventually switch to the VW alternator conversion, will have
to modify the tin though.

LEON MARTINEZ

SAN DIEGO AND TIJUANA









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