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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - alternator dis-assembly

O.K., new alternator will be here tomorrow. Old one's off but I'm being cautious about removing the old pulley/fan. Are they just stuck on there or is there a specific technique involved in their removal?

TIA
Mike T
Mike Taylor

hold the pulley firmly in the vise

take a 15/16" ring spanner and undo, normal thread

The pulley is a straightforward fit on the spindle but it has a Woodruff key on the spindle to make the pulley turn. The pulley should just slip off the key and spindle

Some spindles have a hexagon key hole in the end, these are easy enough to undo too

Allen key in the hole, alternator on the ground held down by a strong foot, smart tap anticlockwise on the same 15/16" ring spanner to undo the big nut
bill sdgpm

Thanks but...huh?
It's , of course, a no-brainer to remove the nut. Never heard of a Woodruff key but I'll google it in a moment. Should the pulley/fan simply slip off the end of the spindle then?...'Cause it don't-hence my question, before I start banging on it if there were any particular techniques involved :)


Mike
Mike Taylor

I did know you'd be able to do the nut bit!

The pulleys often take some gentle persuading after 40 years or so, the key often grows to fill the slot under the influence of rust and distortion

Woodruff key: a half moon (ish) shaped piece of steel that sits inside a (nearly) semicircular slot on the spindle and transmits the drive from the pulley to the spindle via a keyway machined into the hole in the pulley
bill sdgpm

A Woodruff key keeps pulley's, gears , etc. from spinning on a shaft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_(engineering)

What you probably have is a rusted on pulley & fan...soak it down with penetrating oil & tap a bit with a hammer.
Dave Rhine ('78 1500)

Gentle persuading-I can relate to that concept...How's this....a length of rope tied into a loop, run through the pulley and twisted to keep it in place. The other end of the loop slid over the top of a fence post and a few taps with a hammer to persuade the spindle to release the fan/pulley :) Even the key needed a few taps with the hammer and a screwdriver to release its grip!
Thanks Gents
Mike T
Mike Taylor

This thread was discussed on 17/06/2010

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