Too hot to touch Generator body

Just drove about 2-3 miles around the neighborhood to "flush" the water I added when I installed my newly re-manufactured radiator. Now I can drain it and add new coolant and water.

When I got home and let it idle, the generator sounded "noisy" and the body of the generator was too hot to touch. I just read the lubrication manual and it says "do not lubricate": the generator. If the front and rear bearings have dried out, what can I do? If I squirt oil down around the rear "fan" shaft near the rear bearing, will the oil get into the rear bearing and lubricate it? What about the front bearing? It looks like there is an allen-wrench plug that might be covering a lubrication port for the front bearing? Any ideas?

I guess while I'm at it, any idea of the best way to order a pre-made plug wire set? I have a civilian distributor. Is there a particular kit where all the plug wires are long enough? Are they resister wires? The plug-wire set on there now has a few plug wires that are just barely long enough. I guess I should install a new cap and rotor. Will NAPA or Advance Auto Parts be able to look-up stock Gladiator 6-cylinder plug wires, cap and rotor? Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

NAPA gives you a set of wires with no ends on them, and tells you to make them yourself. Kragen/O'riely/whatever they're called in other states gives you a set of 232 wires, two feet too short, then insists they must be right because it's the part number the computer tells them when they select 230.

Both have the correct cap and rotor, though.

I used wires from a ford or dodge V8, can't remember which one... one of the 3**s from the '70s I think. Has a good assortment, and the proper straight boots. Toss the two spare wires in the parts bin. Tell the guy at the counter to keep bringing out boxes until one looks good.


I've never had luck lubricating alternator bearings by spraying in the ends. If it's hot because of bad bearings, you'll need to repack them. I've never taken the stock alternator apart to see how much work it'd be. However, if your batteries were low, say from sitting a while, it's normal for the alternator to get toasty warm recharging them.


--Randy

Mike,

Before I would tear into the alternator, make sure it just wasn't trying to charge the battery. If the truck has not been run for quite some time, the alternator will charge the battery and of course it will get hot.

Even though I have never taken a military alternator apart, I would be very surprised if oil would be a fix. I would imagine that the alternator has sealed ball bearings which are usually not to be serviced.

You may want to try a volt meter on the batteries and see if the voltage is way up too. Could be that the regulator is making the alternator charge way too high.

But please don't squirt oil on it!

It shouldn't sound noisy unless you have dry bearings or bad brushes. Disassemble it and see what you have, grease is probably what you'd need.