Generator Won't Charge and the Reason

U

ursus

Well-known member
Struggled to determine why a non-charging generator will motor well when the fan belt is off. Surprised to find that the pulley had lost its grip on the armature shaft and was free to spin on it such that the armature no longer generated amps. I wonder why Ford didn't think it necessary to have a keyway and key on this part of the generator?
 
Properly fitted tapers have a surprisingly strong lock. I restore a lot of model A generators. I often see deformed shaft tapers caused by some gorilla hammering on the end of the shaft. Once deformed the pulley will never lock properly to the shaft. Place your pulley on the shaft with no nut. If you can rock the pulley back and forth at all, the tapers are not fitting properly.
 
ndnchf said:
Properly fitted tapers have a surprisingly strong lock. I restore a lot of model A generators. I often see deformed shaft tapers caused by some gorilla hammering on the end of the shaft. Once deformed the pulley will never lock properly to the shaft. Place your pulley on the shaft with no nut. If you can rock the pulley back and forth at all, the tapers are not fitting properly.
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Good information! Fortunately, the taper on my unit was intact and the time spent freewheeling by the pulley was brief. Thanks!
 
When installing the generator pulley, be sure both tapers, (the shaft and the pulley) are clean and dry, no oil or other contaminants.
 
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