Author Topic: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection  (Read 43185 times)

Offline John Rudd

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #275 on: January 13, 2020, 11:01:12 AM »
"but it won't be here now until second week of January, by which time I'll be in Barcelona ...."

Have you been and come back already? :lol:   I must have dozed off...  :coffee:
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Offline awemawson

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #276 on: January 13, 2020, 11:23:35 AM »
John, if you look 'up thread' they arrived early and I fitted them (with only a minor trauma) before I went and yes now I'm back after a brief dalliance with Gaudi architecture, Tapas, and Bull Rings  :clap:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline John Rudd

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #277 on: January 13, 2020, 04:56:11 PM »
Ahhh, and here's me thinking you were off on your jolly holidays.... :ddb:
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Offline awemawson

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #278 on: January 13, 2020, 05:04:21 PM »
Those four days WERE my jolly holidays. We can only both get away when we can get farm sitters  :med:

(I got 6 days last year )
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline mattinker

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #279 on: January 13, 2020, 05:33:18 PM »
John, if you look 'up thread' they arrived early and I fitted them (with only a minor trauma) before I went and yes now I'm back after a brief dalliance with Gaudi architecture, Tapas, and Bull Rings  :clap:

Ah, Gaudi!

Cheers, Matthew

Offline awemawson

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #280 on: January 13, 2020, 05:44:37 PM »
Well at least the conversion of the Bull Ring into a shopping / eating / venue place was masterminded by British architect Richard Rogers, but then poor old Gaudi was a bit tied up having been squashed by a tram in 1924, and after all he was 74 at the time so perhaps couldn't manage the Bull Ring. Even the Cathedral he designed, and was buried in, still isn't finished  :clap:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline tom osselton

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #281 on: January 13, 2020, 05:44:51 PM »
You could have a plate that sits on top but clamps on the back by screws / bolts.

Offline awemawson

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #282 on: January 16, 2020, 06:35:20 AM »
The magic 3.3 mm Cobalt drills arrived this morning so I could get on and fit the grilles.

I did manage to snap one of them despite extreme care - the inner face of the casting has a steep taper, so one flute of the drill breaks through before the other is ready to emerge and thus grabs and snaps, but six holes drilled and tapped at the expense of one lost drill isn't too bad considering how unbelievably hard this cast iron is.

Now the hunt is on for a suitable housing for the generator. A 15 foot container would be just about ideal, but I don't think they come that length - tens, twenties and forties are usual. I need an internal space of at least 13 foot x 6 foot but within reason more is better.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline mattinker

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #283 on: January 16, 2020, 06:38:32 AM »
Well at least the conversion of the Bull Ring into a shopping / eating / venue place was masterminded by British architect Richard Rogers, but then poor old Gaudi was a bit tied up having been squashed by a tram in 1924, and after all he was 74 at the time so perhaps couldn't manage the Bull Ring. Even the Cathedral he designed, and was buried in, still isn't finished  :clap:

Gaudi Roberts, chalk and cheese!

Offline awemawson

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #284 on: January 16, 2020, 07:02:04 AM »
To be frank neither Gaudi nor Rogers is to my taste architecturally Matthew. Neo classical for public buildings and vernacular for housing suits me better.

. . . .now go find me a 15 foot container  :clap:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline edward

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #285 on: January 16, 2020, 07:57:55 AM »
20-footer, Stihl saw, 8 miles of MIG wire and dogged determination should see a 15-footer :-)

Offline mattinker

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #286 on: January 16, 2020, 08:26:54 AM »

. . . .now go find me a 15 foot container  :clap:

You mean a 4.5metre one?

Offline awemawson

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #287 on: January 16, 2020, 08:37:02 AM »
I'm no expert, but I rather suspect they are designed and specified in feet pretty well world wide  (ISO Standard now)  having American roots, just as continental threaded pipe fittings in the 'G' series (which seems to predominate) are directly derived from BSP in UK inch measurements  :clap:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #288 on: January 16, 2020, 08:42:32 AM »
20-footer, Stihl saw, 8 miles of MIG wire and dogged determination should see a 15-footer :-)

Yes I'd have no issues having a go, but alignment might be a bit tricky. Just been watching a YouTube video where a Chinese factory was making a 40 foot container EVERY 3.5 MINUTES for a German customer :bugeye:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline mattinker

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #289 on: January 18, 2020, 09:34:32 AM »
I'm no expert, but I rather suspect they are designed and specified in feet pretty well world wide  (ISO Standard now)  having American roots, just as continental threaded pipe fittings in the 'G' series (which seems to predominate) are directly derived from BSP in UK inch measurements  :clap:
Andrew,
Well, never thought you'd take it seriously! Yes, containers are always in feet! I seem to remember having had a conversation with you a couple of years ago on the "metric" BSP pipe threads, fittings quite often have "inch" markings on them!! Another international use on the inch and fractions of it are square drive sockets. Anyway, to cap it all, the inch was defined as 25.4mm in 1959!

Cheers mate, Matthew

Offline edward

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #290 on: January 18, 2020, 05:03:22 PM »
It's always rather tickled me that the German DIN standard Scuba regulator connector has a G5/8 thread :-)

Offline awemawson

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #291 on: January 19, 2020, 02:47:09 AM »
Yes it’s nice to see Whitworth form threads still exist in the modern world and crop up in the most surprising places. Joseph would be (rightly) proud that all his work wasn’t in vain.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline V8DRUID

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #292 on: March 04, 2020, 07:36:52 PM »
Thanks chaps  :thumbup:

Today's objectives:

A/ Remove and identify battery charging alternator

B/ Strip out the old relay controller and it's wiring.

Now this charging alternator has a pressed plate on the rear secured by three slotted head screws, but in such a position that you can't easily get a screw driver at them due to the oil filter housing, and they were VERY tight. They'd been soaking in 'Plusgas' over night but even so I ended up having to use my impact driver - anyway eventually they unscrewed revealing a mess and a bodge. The main output 'faston' terminal has obviously grossly over heated and is corroded and slack, and one of the other terminals has been bodged with ty-wraps and what looks like a bolt  :scratch:

Now previously I'd mentioned a mystery wire from a water temperature sensor that went into the alternator - no, the cable just passes through and behind the rear plate so at least that mystery is solved.

Try as I might I could not shift the through pivot mounting bolt, again it's not in the easiest of places but never the less it's 'spanner bending tight' and has been given another anointment of Plusgas.

It seems that the engine has  'pad mount' provision for an alternator, but has a bracket attached to the pad converting it to a more conventional 'J180' mounting but the spacing of the pivot 'ears' is rather short at  about 75 mm. It may be that I end up removing the pad mount adaptor and alternator as one and attack it on the bench.

The external charging alternator controller is a CAV 440A so I suppose it is probable that the alternator itself is a CAV - if anyone recognises it please shout. I think I'd prefer to replace it with one with an integral regulator but if I can get  it off I'll take it to my local 'auto electrician' who rebuilds starters and alternators and see what he has to say about it.

Identical to what I used to have on a Grove TMS180 crane and on my Ransome Rapier HS10 crane .... regrettably i can not for the life of me recall the makers name ..... the control units went wrong for a past time and always had a few spares sat about ... and a second unit on board the Grove .... which lived in the cab and was an easy change when the charge light failed to go out/came on .... the name will come to me ... eventually

Offline awemawson

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #293 on: March 05, 2020, 02:56:16 AM »
All fixed now thanks Graeme.,

It’s a CAV unit. The original was pretty trashed, rear bearing has collapsed peppering the slip rings. I sourced a working unit with noisy bearing and Put new bearings in and it worked fine, but I’ve also recently rebuilt the original unit as a spare.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline V8DRUID

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #294 on: March 05, 2020, 03:21:06 PM »
Joe, the paint was from Bitec who feature on eBay:

http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/MDA-Bitec/Hamer-Finish-/_i.html?_fsub=25448221011&_sid=210466991&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

!

I use Firwood Paints, Bolton, for my hammer finish paints ..... and just about every other paint requirement ...
used them for decades ... good prices and excellent products ...
their oil and petrol resisting aluminium primer is just awesome and incredibly long lasting as a finish with a couple of coats .. looks like a galv finish and stays the course for years 

Offline V8DRUID

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #295 on: March 05, 2020, 03:36:26 PM »
Yes there's a version of that type of switch on ebay that caught my eye - but when these things are exposed on vehicles or plant I'm not at all keen on flying leads - once ripped off that's it!

It'll be interesting to see how the surface mount switch survives vibration fixed to the engine - not that there is much, it runs pretty smoothly. Dead easy to change though now, just two M3 screws and no need to drain down :thumbup:

We had almost the exact same devices bolted to the side of the combustion chambers for the gas tumble driers in my launderettes and had remarkably little trouble with them

looks like the same unit as bolted to the back of the oven in our 'Stoves' induction range cooker .. controls over heat for the over head grill element .. and IIRC is open circuit at overheat 

Offline V8DRUID

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Re: Puma / Dorman 6LE / MacFarlane B46B / 110 kVA Generator Resurrection
« Reply #296 on: March 05, 2020, 03:43:06 PM »

So at the moment I'm thinking option B but would very much welcome comments from anyone reading this.

a bit 'heath' .... but how about individual, suitably colour coded, 250A welding leads with dinse plugs/sockets ... they'd handle the current, be very flexible .... and as it's only you using it ... on your head be it, getting the connections wrong .. as long as you're not colour blind  :) :)