Thanks David, it's nice when things all work out, for sure it doesn't happen all the time :-)

And I have to emphasize that really it was quick fix to give me some time to get a truly fresh alternator installed.

Alistair

> On Jan 13, 2017, at 12:05 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Good for you Alistair.  I love it when people repair things.  Most of us
> just go with replacing, as it is simpler, but lots of things can be fixed.
> mcneely
> 
>> On Fri, Jan 13, 2017 at 9:59 AM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I love stories like that...Too often we're made to toss out things that arr
>> fixable... Whole vehicles soon, I'd predict.. Like Japan?...JDM Subie
>> motors?
>> 
>> 
>> On Jan 13, 2017 8:57 AM, "Alistair Bell" <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>> 
>> Dennis is going to love this :-)
>> 
>> Alternator has been whistling the last week or so, getting louder every
>> day. I knew what was wrong.
>> Confirmed it yesterday, felt the play in the pulley (belt off).
>> 
>> This alternator owes me nothing. It's the one that came on the 92 Jetta
>> 1800 I4 I put in my 82 westy back in 94. I've already replaced the brushes
>> twice and the bearings once.
>> 
>> I have a parts alternator in bits and pieces in the barn. I had cleaned up
>> the slip rings on the lathe and I figured the rotor was good enough as a
>> back up.
>> 
>> Yesterday at lunch I went to the local Napa and bought replacement (2)
>> bearings. They were no name bearings. Oh well, hoping they will last for as
>> long as it takes me to get a spare alt together.
>> I pulled the whistling alt from the van. Got it apart and and confirmed
>> pulley end bearing shot.
>> The the bores in the frame where the bearings sit were tight, no wallowing.
>> The bearings were tight on the shaft. So it was just the bearing itself
>> that had failed, worn out.
>> 
>> I put the new bearings on the rotor that I had cleaned up ( btw, slip ring
>> diameter was about 26.5mm). All went back together easily with only one "oh
>> darn it" moment when I dropped the woodruff key.
>> 
>> And back in van and back in service.
>> 
>> Total cost was 26 bucks for the bearings, plus one and a half hours of my
>> time.
>> 
>> ( noticed my brushes were close to wear limit. I think I might try
>> soldering new brushes as this particular reg is an adjustable one.)
>> 
>> And after I had put it all back in van, and was mulling it all over,
>> realized I should have pried up the rubber seals on the cheap bearings and
>> given them some extra grease, or at least check if there was enough grease
>> in them.
>> 
>> Alistair
>>