Alternator rotor and stator clean-up...

[gerard]

Hi!

I dismantled/disassembled my alternator this weekend. Quite straight
forward from the Haynes manual, but nothing in the Bentley about
disassembling an alternator. Bentley = how to do it, Haynes = how to do
it completely without those funky tools. Sometimes, at least. Only
problem I had was the front casing screw removal, had to drill one out.

Anyway, the rotor, stator and diode retaining thingy are all covered in
gunk and sand and have a wee bit of rust on the edges of the stator that
face the rotor.

Can I use some benzene and a very soft brush to clean these things up?
What about the very slight surface rust on the rotor and stator? Will a
quick once over with some fine 600 grit sand paper do the trick?

I pulled the front bearing. Used a fat screwdriver as a drift. The
bearing wasn't noisy when I spun it on the shaft, but after removal it
was a bit tough to turn. I assume these are generic type ball bearings
that I can probably pick up from any bearing supplier. Is that correct?
Also, the Haynes manual says to install the front bearing using a tube
on the outer race. The slip ring end bearing has to be installed with a
tube over the inner race. Is it correct to install the front bearing by
pushing on the outer race of the front bearing? Just doesn't seem like
the right thing to do (like the installation of wheel bearings).

The casings were also full of junk, some scaling and plenty of filthy
grease. Took about an hour to clean it out and then another hour or so
to do the first stage of polishing of the casing.

The slip rings "feature" quite deep grooves, but I assume this is not an
issue considering the carbon brushes are pushed up against the rings.
Would it be a good idea to use some fine sandpaper to remove the ridges
on the slip ring copper? I'll just mount the rotor and get it spinning
and then hold a strip of sandpaper against the copper to smooth off the
big edges. Or should I leave it be?

Thanks.

G.