Subject: RE: Pesky Loop Generator Bracket
Author: Jesse Open
Date: Nov 26, 2002, 2:54 PM
Post ID: 1711471424
The CAUSES of the screws loosening are the problem(s).
1. Loose locating pin on the generatort bottom.
It is amazing how many people have tried every trick and added bracket
they could think of and never corrected the loose locator pin at the
generator bottom. It may be loose where it screws into the generator
and/or loose in the hole it mates with. It can be fixed by fitting an
oversize pin and reaming the hole for a GOOD fit.
2. The ribbed mounting surface that the bracket rests on.
This area is too small to properly support the generator load . The
area is often worn down from a loose or broken bracket. I like to fill
the area with an aluminum filled epoxy paste to give a better bearing
area . Ambassadors have a better mount pad and are not affected as often
as the Eldos are
3. Short bolt penetration
It is a good idea to use studs with COARSE rather than fine threads.
Bottom tap the holes and make sure the studs are bottomed in the
hole.This is the only place a little Loctite helps. Every thread
counts. Use good grade 5 nuts and I also make up a 3mm thick flat plate
from hard tool steel to spread the load over the inside of the bracket.
4. Tight belts
The short belt is very unlikely to slip unless it is too old . Get a
new belt and run it a bit on the loose side . It needn't be very tight
at all to prevent slipping. Tight belts are also harder on the front
main bearing.
5. Uneven mating surfaces.
The semicircular seat on the front of the engine and the saddle of
the bracket should all contact the generator evenly all around with
little or no pressure applied. Hold the generator in place by hand and
check for clearance with a .005 feeler . Adjust as needed for the best
possible fit.
The generator mount on these loops is piss poor at best. You must use
every trick to optimize the system. I have in the past broken two of the
mounting ears going to the distributor bolt. After carefully going over
the mounts I have had no trouble with loose generators and I no longer
use the extra distributor bolt. Of course every time the tank is off it
is a good idea to double check but so far the above steps are treating
me very well.
Richard Arimoto wrote:
| I know that better minds than mine have attempted to fix the pesky problems with the loopframe generator brackets and have failed. I first tried muscle and blue loctite, I assume everyone does, but that didn't work --no surprise there. I was going to try using red loctite next, but figured that probably wouldn't work either, and it is a bit of a pita to take everything apart and tighten the bracket, so I did some thinking. I couldn't find studs to fit, so that was out. My theory is that is you can keep the two allen-head cap screws (AHCS) that hold the generator bracket to the engine from backing off, the bracket should stay firmly attached (bracket fracture is another matter) [I know: Maybe, maybe not. I said it was a theory]. So, how to keep the cap screws from backing out? What I decided might work, and we'll be finding out in the next few months, is to fabricate a piece of metal to �tie� the two AHCSs together (the turning or loosening force on one of the screws would be prevented by its attachment to the other). Here's what I'm trying-first I started with a template. I made this to show the guys in the shop how the cap screws were oriented and what the basic unit would look like. This template was cut to fit the two cap screws holding the bracket, and it is adjustable to capture the orientation of the AHCSs in their working, i.e., tightened down, position. I had the guy in the shop cut a couple short pieces of a 3/8 inch hex wrench to fit into the AHCSs (these are just a little bigger than 9 mm and therefore fit into the cap screws with less slop than the metric wrench would); these pieces of the allen wrench are about 5/8 in long. I then had two holes drilled into a small piece of 1/4 plate: these are positioned so that the allen-wrench pieces will drop straight down into the heads of the AHCSs (the AHCSs are on the bike, already tightened down). The pieces of the allen wrench were then welded to the plate, keeping their orientation such that they drop into the AHCSs. I'm thinking that this piece will prevent the AHCSs from loosening. We'll see. => Any opinions or predictions on this?? Oh, it cost $15, including the hex wrench. I probably didn't describe this very clearly. I'll take some pics tonight in case anyone would care to see. Rich A |
1969 V700 Euro
1977 T-3 LAPD for sale or trade for Cal II
1993 Cal III Fuel Injection FOR SALE!
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1019192&uid=636945&membe