Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

General Discussion => Campfire Talk => Topic started by: High On Octane on January 21, 2014, 02:01:26 am

Title: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: High On Octane on January 21, 2014, 02:01:26 am
Seriously, just watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq-FrWG2--o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Scottie
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: JVS on January 21, 2014, 02:25:16 am
Damn!!!  :o

I'm really glad you're okay! Scary stuff.
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: ERC on January 21, 2014, 03:03:19 am
Did this just happen? On some models the breather exits into the primary so the pressure has to be relieved from the primary by a fitting or a hole drilled into the filler plug.   ERC
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: azcatfan on January 21, 2014, 04:24:53 am
Wow, dude!  Nice job keeping it together at speed.

As for the primary, I always thought the hole where the alternator wires come through would be the place to give due to pressure.

I'm glad you're safe...
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: ace.cafe on January 21, 2014, 12:34:22 pm
Probably it was just the heat expanding the air inside, causing it to pop. If it was dry, the the heat could build up pretty quickly with no venting.
However, I have to admit that I have never seen or heard of that happening before.
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: AgentX on January 21, 2014, 12:40:54 pm
Crazy!!!

One question...you say your alternator cooked itself because it was run dry?  The rotor and stator aren't in contact, so I didn't think it'd be a problem.  Always thought that the primary chain and clutch plates (on the stock wet clutch, anyhow) were the reasons for the lubrication.

Ask as I was planning on running a dry clutch from Newby.
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: ace.cafe on January 21, 2014, 01:04:51 pm
Crazy!!!

One question...you say your alternator cooked itself because it was run dry?  The rotor and stator are in contact, so I didn't think it'd be a problem.  Always thought that the primary chain and clutch plates (on the stock wet clutch, anyhow) were the reasons for the lubrication.

Ask as I was planning on running a dry clutch from Newby.
You can run a dry clutch and dry primary, but you have to provide plenty of cooling vents when you do that. It can't be sealed up. It needs some air going over it.
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: High On Octane on January 21, 2014, 01:29:26 pm
I've been pondering this event ALLLLLLLLL night long.  The only conclusion I could come to, is that somehow, the primary cover was never completely seated (it's been a cunt ever since it broke and I had to have it welded up) and all the ATF had slowly, or quickly, who effing knows, drained out of the primary which obviously had been causing some serious friction.  I had noticed a small bit of smoke coming out of the hole where the alternator wires come out.  I pulled over and stuffed my face an inch from my exhaust to get a whiff, wasn't electrical, metal or oil.  I had smelled it before but couldn't pin point it and associated it with heat and the cold air and kept riding.  I guess it was the smell of burning epoxy, and I got to smell it for over an hour waiting for the tow truck to show up.   :o    When you watch the video, the sound is extremely deadened due to a sensitive mic and loud exhaust.  You really can't hear the exhaust at all in the video, yet my primary popped loud enough to be heard over the exhaust.  So, is it possible that with the little amount of oil and the mass amount of heat that the ATF vaporized and ignited and actually BLEW my center nut off?   ???  I mean, I have a small bruise on my ankle bone this morning, it didn't just fall off.  In fact, I'm pretty sure the guy in the utility truck I was passing thought I completely blew up my motor.  It sounded like a gun shot when it went.

Scottie
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: heloego on January 21, 2014, 02:30:04 pm
Scary video, Scottie. For you and the guy in the truck!
Glad you're OK.
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: ace.cafe on January 21, 2014, 02:43:50 pm
 
Quote
...ignited and actually BLEW my center nut off?   ??? 

Scottie

Well, at least it was only your center nut.
You still have your left nut and right nut left!
 ;D
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: cyrusb on January 21, 2014, 02:47:04 pm
Did it strip the center holding bolt threads?
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: azcatfan on January 21, 2014, 03:02:09 pm
 
Well, at least it was only your center nut.
You still have your left nut and right nut left!
 ;D

I was waiting for an equally minded person to crack wise on him blowing a nut....   ;D
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: High On Octane on January 21, 2014, 03:30:20 pm
 
Well, at least it was only your center nut.
You still have your left nut and right nut left!
 ;D

Right you are!   LOL  ;D
I just might say screw it and order a belt drive.  I'm sick of my clutch slipping anyways.

The center stud appears to still have it's threads.

Scottie
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: barenekd on January 21, 2014, 06:35:35 pm
Some Enfields came with the crankcase breathers blowing into the crankcase and had breathers on the back of the primary cases to take care of the pressure. Over time some got replaced with the nonvented ones and blowing them off was not unusual!
As for oil in the crankcase, the chain still needs it!  I guess the oil could be used to cool the alternator, too.
Don't know why you'd lose control of the bike because the primary blew off, especially if the oil was already gone and there was nothing to blow all over the real wheel, which can make things a bit sporty!
Anyway, interesting clip!
Bare
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: AgentX on January 21, 2014, 10:37:04 pm
You can run a dry clutch and dry primary, but you have to provide plenty of cooling vents when you do that. It can't be sealed up. It needs some air going over it.

Oooh.  Any excuse for speedholes!!!
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: scoTTy on January 22, 2014, 02:19:52 am
well at least your limited vocabulary was calmer than mine would have been.. ::)

I checked my Electra and saw a tube just exiting to the air there.  maybe you should add one , the way you have been winding it up
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: High On Octane on January 22, 2014, 02:26:48 am

Don't know why you'd lose control of the bike because the primary blew off, especially if the oil was already gone and there was nothing to blow all over the real wheel, which can make things a bit sporty!


Actually, if you pause the video just before it fades out you see my rear wheel is covered in oil and so is my sidewall.  I must have gotten the bulk of the oil off of the tread while I was riding on a dirt road about 6 miles prior to the incident. 

Scottie
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: High On Octane on January 22, 2014, 11:41:51 am
I went out to the garage after work last night and looked at things a little more closely.  After closer inspection, I found that the last 3-4 threads on the center stud (the only threads I could get the mounting nut to grab onto) are totally sheared off, so it was in fact an explosion that sent it flying off, not just the nut falling off and the cover plopping out of place.  Also, it turns out that my rotor wasn't seated truly on the crank and had a tiny 1/16" wobble to it, almost not even noticeable.  After I removed it I found 2 problems:  1, the center hub was not completely flush against the rotor, but ever so slightly.  And 2, the mounting stud that the rotor mounts to the crank is so weak that the threads on the crank end are ready to snap off of the stud.  The stud was bending where ever I moved it to with little effort.   :(  Oh the joy.

(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/lethalinj/BurntAlternator_zpsdc1af094.jpg) (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/lethalinj/media/BurntAlternator_zpsdc1af094.jpg.html)

(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/lethalinj/ThreadsGone_zps5bab8a53.jpg) (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/lethalinj/media/ThreadsGone_zps5bab8a53.jpg.html)

Scottie
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: heloego on January 22, 2014, 01:04:55 pm
 :o
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: redcat on January 22, 2014, 07:43:52 pm
I had know idea such a thing could happen. Very glad you are in one piece after all the health issues you have faced recently!
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: baird4444 on January 23, 2014, 01:33:12 am
something to look at- years ago I had a wobble in my output shaft.
Pulled the motor and took it to Slam Duncus in Rolla, MO.
New output shaft and all that....   later on I did find a small wobble
again, hmmmm.  Alt. magnet had gone off center! Took it down to
my brother'n law, a nationally recognized pulling tractor engine
builder and had him chuck it up in the lathe....   
.0130 (i think, I'm no machinist)off the outer and round again
just something to look at AND it sure made it easier to center
on re-assembly!    - Mike
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: High On Octane on January 23, 2014, 02:06:13 am
I cleaned up the alternator today and REexpoxied it, grabbed the rotor stud from the Chief and just threw it back together.  I THINK I'm good.  We'll see.  I decided I'm just going to buy a bolt and rethread the inner cover and just start using a bolt with a gasket and crank it down good.

I'm glad to hear that baird because if this shit burns up again I'm machining about 1.5mm of that thing.  It's just so stupid freaking tight.  >:(

Scottie
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: baird4444 on January 23, 2014, 02:15:34 am
while you have it open and assembled, go ahead and kick
it over and see if thar's any wobble, now's the time.
Title: Re: You're Not Going To Believe This!!!!!
Post by: High On Octane on January 23, 2014, 03:27:36 am
I fired it up with the alternator off and rotor bolted up and it's no longer wobbling.  But it just seems tighter than any other alternator I've had on a bike.  Normally it seems like there is about an 1/8" gap all the way around and mine only has maybe an 1/8" with them both removed and the rotor inside the alternator pulled all the way to one side.

Scottie