Frozen Alternator

FreeBeeTony

Captain
Joined
May 15, 2002
Messages
3,991
Forgot to mention that on the 1st start-up my alternator was stuck.....belt started smoking.
I free'd it up with a wrench and some WD40.
Started it up again, added more WD40 and seems to be fine...charging and quiet.

Think I am OK?
 

Idlespeedonly

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Messages
779
Re: Frozen Alternator

Probably not, I wouldnt risk getting stranded. Probably needs to be rebuilt or new bearings atleast. I tend to take care of my stuff pretty well. If I had a choice I would take better care of my boat thought. It is alot easier to work on a car sitting alongside a road somewhere. than a boat floating with no power.
 

sutor623

Rear Admiral
Joined
May 23, 2011
Messages
4,089
Re: Frozen Alternator

I wouldnt risk it. How do the copper coils look from outside of the alternator? Did it seize up from not being used. I would keep an eye on my voltage meter for the next few trips......
 

fishrdan

Admiral
Joined
Jan 25, 2008
Messages
6,989
Re: Frozen Alternator

Think I am OK?

Nope



As said before, fix it or it will leave you stranded.

It's usually the front bearing that goes out and you can replace it for $5-10, a "good" auto parts store will have the bearing. Pretty easy fix if you have the tools to break the front nut loose, impact wrench will spin it off in a second. Lube the rear roller bearing with a dab of grease while you have it apart.

Or, you could buy a cheap china knock-off alternator for $60 from DBelectric and have a new alternator. I've been running one for a year or 2 and it's been working fine. These units are not as precision made as a Delco built unit as I had to hammer a socket onto the case bolts when I needed to re-clock the rear cover. The rear shield wasn't punched as refined as a delco and the socket wouldn't go onto the screws, without hammering :facepalm: I'm under the impression that the innards will be the same, if the front bearing goes out it will be some odd sized bearing that you can't source, or they'll have it swedged into the case, or something else that makes it a throw-away unit.... :rolleyes:
 

FreeBeeTony

Captain
Joined
May 15, 2002
Messages
3,991
Re: Frozen Alternator

Or, you could buy a cheap china knock-off alternator for $60 from DBelectric and have a new alternator. :

Funny you mentioned that.......that's where I got this one from ebay!!
It only has ~70 hrs on it........

So you don't think I could replace the front bearing?
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
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Jul 23, 2011
Messages
50,313
Re: Frozen Alternator

Funny you mentioned that.......that's where I got this one from ebay!!
It only has ~70 hrs on it........

So you don't think I could replace the front bearing?

Anything man-made can be re-made. seriously, if its a name brand alternator, bearings are available.
 

fishrdan

Admiral
Joined
Jan 25, 2008
Messages
6,989
Re: Frozen Alternator

C'mon Freebee, be our DB alternator guinea pig and rip that thing apart. Let us know if the bearing is replaceable and if it's the standard Delco 10SI "6203" front bearing. It would be really nice is it's an exact copy of a Delco 10SI, but who knows until you get into it. I wouldn't be half surprised if the front bearing was swedged into the case (aluminum crimped over to retain bearing). It would be a heck of a lot cheaper to swedge the bearing in, than to put in the bearing retainer. Who knows?.....

Oh yeah, you're going to need a tooooth pick if tearing it apart, to hold the brushes in the case while assembling. Don't forget to remove tooth pick or it won't work (don't ask... :facepalm:)
 

FreeBeeTony

Captain
Joined
May 15, 2002
Messages
3,991
Re: Frozen Alternator

I actually got it from bpelectrical_co........not DB alternator.......but....

I did order bearings last night......it's a Mando style alternator.

I'm not too familiar with alternators but I'm gonna give it a shot being it was so cheap and the bearings were only ~$15.

I'll let you know how it goes over the w/e.
 

FreeBeeTony

Captain
Joined
May 15, 2002
Messages
3,991
Re: Frozen Alternator

WOW, I did a bunch of assuming and was wrong. Sorry about that.

No problem..........

I started the boat again last night and it seemed fine.
Going to leave it for now and see what happens after some higher RPM usage.
Maybe I'll get lucky.......the R&R of the alternator is not friendly to my back......:)

Wish me luck!!
 
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