Brush gobbler

[Ryan Wright]

Oh, have a heavy duty soldering iron on hand to get the leads off the
old slip ring. I used a standard gun-style 100 watt unit with the
trigger. It worked, but took some doing. A smaller unit, such as the
typical pen-style used for electronics work, would be ineffective.

-Ryan

On Sun, Jun 15, 2008 at 9:25 PM, Ryan Wright wrote:
> Tom,
>
> They sent me the same exact part # you have.
>
> Here's a picture of my old slip ring:
http://www.ryanwright.com/tmp/slipring.jpg
>
> Just look at the wear on that son of a gun! No wonder it was eating
> through brushes. You can also clearly see the inside of the slip ring.
> Note, no notch. Instead there are those very tiny splines. The shaft
> on my generator has corresponding splines. My Kohler is model 12.5cc,
> spec 135010.
>
> They also sent me a "Ring, tolerance", part # 238211. I didn't order
> it. It's a thin metal strap looking thing. Not sure if they assumed I
> would need it or not, but I've no idea where it would go, as I don't
> have anything like this on my generator. I guess I'll find out Monday
> when I talk to them.
>
> -Ryan
>
> On Sun, Jun 15, 2008 at 3:56 AM, thomas_sorrentino
> wrote:
>> Ryan,
>>
>> Thanks for the update. Excellent information. I'm all geared up to do
>> this at Tom Warners rally next weekend. You've got me wondering about
>> having the correct slip rings though. The new one I have sounds just
>> like the one they had sent you (has a large key notch). On the box
>> it's part number 359447, description ring collector. Is it possible
>> to post any photo's of what you got and what your suppose to have? My
>> private e-mail is tomsorrentino at hotmail dot com.
>> Also I'm really curious to see if your old slip ring is worn like
>> mine?
>> Thanks again.
>>
>> Tom Sorrentino
>> 1987 PT38
>> Bedford Hills, NY
>>
>> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Ryan Wright"
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Update: Looks like they sent me the wrong slip rings. My shaft &
>> slip
>>> rings have a bunch of tiny splines that hold it in place. The slip
>>> ring set they shipped me has a large key-notch in it. Bummer - I'll
>>> have to call them Monday morning and get this straightened out.
>>>
>>> So far, though, folks, this looks to be a relatively easy repair
>>> without taking the generator out. You just run the generator all the
>>> way out on it's slide, then climb under there. I'm actually able to
>>> sit up once I'm in there, so my head & upper body is in the cavity
>>> where the generator sits when closed. Much more comfortable to work
>> in
>>> a sitting position vs. laying on my back. Take the back "vent" thing
>>> off, remove the brushes, relays (I think that's what those two
>> little
>>> silver things are), voltage regulator and all other wires. Mark them
>>> and/or take pictures so you know what goes where (I'll provide my
>> own
>>> pictures and a better write-up when I'm done). Remove all of the
>> bolts
>>> holding the rear "cap" onto the generator and remove that cap.
>>>
>>> Now you have access. De-solder the two wires on the old slip rings
>> and
>>> carefully move them out of the way. Use a gear puller to remove the
>>> bearing and slip rings. This is where I'm at. Then, just re-assemble
>>> with new parts. No need to pull the generator out of the coach and
>>> deal with fuel and coolant lines, oil, hydraulic lines and all that
>>> entails.
>>>
>>> Time spent: Probably 4 hours worth of actual work for me thus far,
>>> much of it spent trying to get that darn cap off the back of the
>>> generator. Finally took a long stick and tapped it out from the
>> front
>>> (thanks Ralph for the advice). Now that I know what I'm doing, I
>> think
>>> I could get to this point in half the time. In fact, with all of the
>>> (right!) parts on hand, I'm guessing I could do the entire job in 4
>> to
>>> 6 hours start to finish next time. That assumes there are no gotchas
>>> when I start putting it back together, but I can't see any from
>> here.
>>>
>>> If you've ever pulled the transmission out of a car, just dig in and
>>> do this. This job is a piece of cake by comparison. Well worth doing
>>> yourself - I've got a measly $100 into the parts. Very happy I
>> didn't
>>> spring for the 4 hour round trip drive and the $1600+ in labor to
>> get
>>> it done by the pros.
>>>
>>> This is a simplistic explanation but it's a good overview for those
>> of
>>> you itching to tackle this. As I said, I'll have lots of pictures
>> and
>>> a more detailed write-up of the procedure available on my web site
>>> once I'm done. I'll post a link at that time.
>>>
>>> -Ryan
>>> '86 PT-40 8V92, Yanmar powered Kohler 12.5kw genset
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, Jun 14, 2008 at 2:30 PM, Ryan Wright
>> wrote:
>>> > Hi Tom,
>>> >
>>> > My parts just arrived Friday night. I spent several hours under
>> the
>>> > coach this morning and am heading back down there in a little bit.
>>> > Yes, this can absolutely be done without removing the generator.
>> It's
>>> > not all that difficult, really. I'll have pictures and such ready
>> here
>>> > in another week or two. Should have mine finished up by tomorrow
>> if I
>>> > don't run into any problems.
>>> >
>>> > -Ryan
>>> >
>>> > On Fri, Jun 13, 2008 at 8:10 PM, thomas_sorrentino
>>> > wrote:
>>> >> Ryan,
>>> >>
>>> >> Any progress on this yet? Tips? Shortcuts? Does it seem like it
>> can
>>> >> be done without removing the generator? I'm getting ready to do
>> mine
>>> >> soon.
>>> >>
>>> >> Tom Sorrentino
>>> >> 1987 PT38
>>> >> Bedford Hills, NY
>>> >
>>>
>>
>>
>