Series 2 Possible seized dynamo?

Hi All,

Long time no post, I hope everyone is doing well and looking after themselves. due to the old coronavirus i've been living away from home with my gfs family. I've got my series 2a there now and unfortunately a few weeks back when we were going down a hill the fan belt snapped, it stank of burning rubber in the cab and we made it back to the house since it was under a half mile away.

The old belt was truly mullered, it looked like a westies shit, though the next day we had to house sit further afield for 2 weeks, so i've got back, bought a new belt, which Euro Car Parts assured me would fit (it didn't) then ordered two from Paddocks. Fitted it, tensioned it (correctly i hope) and started the landy, which needed a jump but otherwise was fine.

Then it started pissing smoke from the engine bay, thinking maybe it was old oil burning off i left it for 30 seconds or so on a somewhat rough idling (which i forgave as it's sat for a month. It warmed up and idled nicely but the smoke didn't clear. The belt has melted around the edges and underneath, specifically on the points of contact with the engine wheel, dynamo wheel and fan wheel. I'm certain the burning smell was the belt melting as it's pretty ruined itself.

So the fan was spinning and the engine was turning, so I can only think the dynamo has seized? Should I be able to turn the blades on the dynamo by hand without too much strength? If so, how can I test this? Is it pretty straight forward to remove and take apart for cleaning up/WD40? I'd obviously prefer to refurb the current one as opposed to buy a new one but if I have to then I guess I will.

TL;DR

I think my dynamo has seized
How can i check?
How easy is it to remove?
How easy is it to strip and clean then reattatch.

Cheers all, hope you're well.

Below pics are:

Old belt after it ate shit and the new belt after running for approx 30 seconds.

Yes should spin real easy.

Flossie said:

Yes should spin real easy.

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At the small blades yeah?

****, okay thanks flossie, i'll look at pulling it out tomorrow morning.

It's just a shaft with a bearing at either end basically. Very little resistance to turning.
iirc, old dynamoes used to have an oil hole in them to lube but I've not looked at one for maybe 35 yrs.

Flossie said:

It's just a shaft with a bearing at either end basically. Very little resistance to turning.
iirc, old dynamoes used to have an oil hole in them to lube but I've not looked at one for maybe 35 yrs.

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okay thanks, tbh i don't think mines been looked at for maybe 35 years either.

The problem with your landy is easy to see, it's that bloody checker plate on the wings.

Col

Colthebrummie said:

The problem with your landy is easy to see, it's that bloody checker plate on the wings.

Col

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You can blame the previous owner for that one. I don’t want it on there either but I’m nervous to remove it and leave holes in the wing.

If it is truly seized, and it sure sounds that way, I doubt very much that any cleaning or lubing will get it working. Needs to go to an alternator/starter repair shop for new bearings.

I may as well just buy a new one. Hopefully not too expensive. Strangely mine doesn’t look like the results that come up when I search series 2a dynamo. Mine looks more like this
https://bearmach.com/alternator-sui...MIoLqJw8ba6wIVzuF3Ch0N6wr7EAQYBCABEgIVg_D_BwE

I’ll get some pictures in the morning. If anyone could advise me on what to order and for how much, tomorrow, I’d be very appreciative.

That's an alternator not a dynamo

My brother's 1960 Series has an alternator. I was confused at first but then realized I was looking at the wiring diagram for the wrong year. Then again I seem to recal we decided the engine is 1968.
Might be cheaper to fix.

Yeah I figured maybe it was converted and I never realised. Hopefully that’s so because that seems cheaper!

Gord Wedman said:

My brother's 1960 Series has an alternator. I was confused at first but then realized I was looking at the wiring diagram for the wrong year. Then again I seem to recal we decided the engine is 1968.
Might be cheaper to fix.

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Mine is a 1968

I think alternators became the norm in the early 70's

Col

Yeah looks like mine is the series 3/RRC alternator as per my link above and not a normal series 2a dynamo.

Has anyone got any wisdom on getting it removed, anything I should look for or be wary of prior to doing it? I figure I may as well try and take it apart and try to free it up. It’s a loss if I can’t and I’d get a new one. So nothing to lose to be honest.

also if anyone can confirm that the one I had linked earlier is correct or provide me with a part number for a replacement then that’d be appreciated.
Thanks you.

The one with the plug is Lucas type A127 here is on with higher output than originals 75A
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/3241933428...7779&msclkid=f4f444c719b81a2247311b9fe007c3e2
They are handed I think RH is the correct tensioner orieintation.

Getting them off is a right b@stard unless you have extremely long arms and dislocateable fingers. I started taking mine off months ago and gave up. Either the wing needs to come off or the front panal and rad. I've got one bolt left to do but then I've got to put the new one back on. If I had somewhere better to work on it, I'd take the flipping engine out and be done with it.

Col

That's an old alternator so its quite possibley siezed. You can get overhaul kits and bearings, but the risk of damging something is high and a whole new on is under £70

okay thanks all.

rob1miles said:

That's an old alternator so its quite possibley siezed. You can get overhaul kits and bearings, but the risk of damging something is high and a whole new on is under £70

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can you recommend a replacement link please?

Colthebrummie said:

Getting them off is a right b@stard unless you have extremely long arms and dislocateable fingers. I started taking mine off months ago and gave up. Either the wing needs to come off or the front panal and rad. I've got one bolt left to do but then I've got to put the new one back on. If I had somewhere better to work on it, I'd take the flipping engine out and be done with it.

Col

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yeah i ****ing noticed that today. I got underneath, loosened and removed one of the nuts but can't for the life of me get the other off due to the lack of space. I'm off to halfords or homebase to try and get a tiny socket set like the one i borrowed to do the water pump. To add to the pain of removing the nuts, the bolt on the one i removed doesn't want to move at all. So i'm getting close to making it someone elses problem. I'm thinking of just drowning the bolt in wd40 and hoping it starts to move... At the moment the bolt won't move but the whole alternator will instead.

Bolt A - Can't reach to get proper purchase or move it. Hence going to get a mini socket set.
Bolt B - The nut came off okay, but the bolt won't budge and moves the whole blasted thing when i try.

Get some penetrating oil like RP 90 or just paint with diesel, better than WD40 in many ways.