Hi everyone,
As I have a long grey beard I remember when Lucas 'ACR'
series alternators were fitted on new production cars.
Along with the guys in my office we used to reckon a life of 55K
miles for and ACR unit due to failure of the slip ring assembly.
Experience with several units suggested that 60K miles and
you were definitely on borrowed time.
However it is very easy to inspect and replace the slip rings on
this series of alternators and in the UK the parts are still available from
my local auto electrical suppliers.
The problem is that the slip rings are concentric and the centre brush
sits in the middle of the shaft rotation axis gradually wearing its way
through
the copper slip ring. Eventually it will bore its way right the way through,
lose contact and fail the alternator.
To replace the assembly, remove the back cover, disconnect regulator,
remove brush holder assembly and inspect slip rings. If centre one has a hole
in it unsolder the two connecting wires, pull off slip ring from shaft, push on
new slip ring, re solder, change brushes and reassemble.
With practice the complete job with unit on the bench can be completed
in about 20 minutes.
It is also possible to change the alternator bearings at the same time
but if this is required a replacement alternator may be a cheaper option.
John Dowson
At 11:11 AM 5/23/99 -0700, Chris DeStaffany wrote:
>
>Went for a cruise last night and the red ignition light came on. Volt meter
>says it's not charging. Damn! And guess who hasn't been paying to much
>attention to the threads on this the last couple of months. And on top of
>this, the VTR site appears to be down. Double Damn!! Any trouble shooting
>ideas. The regulator has been acting kinda funny for quite a while now.
>The voltage would just jump um about a volt and a half for about half the
>time the thing was running.
>
>Chris DeStaffany
>1975 Spit with red light on.
>
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