How To Clean Brushes On Onan 4000 Generator

I'm not an skilful and don't play i on TV. I practice tend to similar reading service manuals and learning how to not take to set up something with simple maintenance....specially if it'south easy and the repair might be quite expensive. This was my projection today. I've posted in a thread or 2 nigh cleaning generator slip rings, only I don't think I've ever posted any info on how, so here nosotros go.

On some generators, voltage regulation is achieved by an expensive electronic control lath as is the case with my Onan six.5NHE. If the slip rings are oxidized from not beingness used for a while, resistance tends to fasten up and the magic smoke is let out of the VR board. If the oxidation is actually extreme, the carbon brushes either don't make contact or make intermittent contact and the consequence is intermittent/no power production at all. Even if the skid rings aren't oxidized, the carbon brushes tin can stick in the brush holder(s), which over again results in intermittent or no ability production, which is equally bad for expensive electronic controls(if present). On most generators, these parts are relatively like shooting fish in a barrel to access and service. If yous practice your set one time a month or so, you will probably never take a need to clean the slip rings. If the engine lasts long enough(probably not going to happen with nigh of the inexpensive 3600rpm sets), yous will eventually have to replace the brushes though.

This generator was originally installed in a motorhome. I purchased it from a scrapyard, so I don't take any information at all regarding it's by other than what I can deduce from looking it over. Since I don't know the history, I'm checking everything over and repairing anything that needs it before trying to get-go information technology. Someone has added 2 120v RV outlets, equally none were originally present with the unit hardwired into the original RV. Sideslip ring cleaning is not as critical on this genset as on the half-dozen.5NHE I mentioned earlier because information technology lacks those expensive electronic controls, only it'due south still skilful policy to clean them. The gray scotchbrite pads you see on top are what I used. Don't employ sandpaper or emery cloth as both will break downwards and the abrasive will embed into the soft copper slip rings and/or the brushes. Red scotchbrite pads would work a footling better, merely this is what I had. You can besides purchase and use a commutator stone.

I didn't take pictures of the disassembly to access the brushes and sideslip rings on this model. It's very probable that your fix is different and information technology wouldn't be applicable anyhow. Most won't be quite as easy as this one and probably won't permit as much room to piece of work either.

Here are the sideslip rings, and at the far left end of the rings is the commutator, which isn't going to exist present on well-nigh sets. I'll talk a bit more about it later. I've cleaned the two slip rings on the right. These were surprisingly clean to beginning with, so it's harder to run across the difference. I've seen far worse.

And here I've cleaned the other ii, and the commutator.

In the pictures above, two of the brush holders and brushes can be seen at the peak and lesser of the sideslip rings. At that place is some other on the opposite side, and one was removed to access the skid rings and commutator. All of the brushes demand to be checked to ensure that they move freely in the brush holder.  This is done by gently pulling the braided wire attached to the back of the brush. This set has 12 brushes in all, and some of them were very lightly stuck. Only eight of those brushes are for transmitting 120/240 volts though. All of the connections to the castor holder demand to be checked to ensure they aren't loose, broken, or heat damaged. Here is a flick with the braided wire circled in ruddy and some of the connections on this brush holder.

I spent about an hour in disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly. I could accept done a few simple tests to check for other bug, but since I did not accept a service manual with me, and I saw zero that led me to believe they were necessary, I did not. That hr was well spent in my stance equally I know for sure that things are make clean and all the connections are skillful. Any future troubleshooting will be easier with this already done.

And on to the commutator I mentioned earlier. The engine on this set does not accept a conventional starter, nor does it have a manual pull rope. The "starter" is actually the generator end. Ability(12v) is sent through the commutator, inducing a magnetic field, which so spins the rotor, which is fastened to the engine crankshaft and rotates the engine. Once the set is running, the first switch is released and power no longer flows to the commutator.

Source: https://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=55989.0

Posted by: riesauty1940.blogspot.com

Share this post