Starter/Generator Attn: BigSix

[Brent_Baumer 5]

See the attached copies out of the Kohler manual. (I didn't see any copyright on it so I guess doing this is ok). From what I can tell there is no difference between Kohler and Briggs as far as the SG and voltage regulator goes. The wiring diagram shown on page 3 is for a battery ignition setup which you don't have on your 700. See the following links: http://ourworld.cs.com/Bcbaumer/gen1.jpg http://ourworld.cs.com/Bcbaumer/gen2.jpg http://ourworld.cs.com/Bcbaumer/gen3.jpg http://ourworld.cs.com/Bcbaumer/gen4.jpg http://ourworld.cs.com/Bcbaumer/gen5.jpg Hope this helps. Brent http://ourworld.cs.com/Bcbaumer/gen2.jpg

[Brent_Baumer 5]

One more thing, sometimes my image host doesn't work so well. You usually can reload the page or try back later and it works then. Peter, if these pics aren't good enough, I can send you the fully scanned pages but the file size is so large that uploading is a problem for me sometimes on this slow connection. Brent

[MPH 12]

Brent: Thanks a million, man! Those copies are fine--the exploded views make it easier--maybe this time I won't have so many extra parts! But seriously, having never done one of these, this is a big help, especially the text discussing diagnosis, testing, etc.... I would also like to know the name and publisher of your manual, sometime, as it's written in very "down-to-earth" terms. I'm betting it's old? Because I personally have found that many of the manuals written say, b/w 1925-1950's are more fully explained, and I gotta believe the drawings are better, in many cases. So this is my "two ducats" in the "Old vs. New" pot of a few weeks ago. Everyone, w/o naming you all, thanks for all the help, advice and suggestions and vendor info, re: S-G, steering shaft and driveshaft disc. The Starter-Generator in particular is starting to look like fun for me now, as I'm trying to learn more about "'lectrics an' such" anyway. You know, it dawned on me that, other than (possibly) my old Ford pickup, I don't own a product that I can get this kind of support on, of this quality, at this speed, even for money. Think about it...Netscape wants $29.00 per tech. question over the phone, or you can email them for free (I did/we'll see). And I still wouldn't have 6 or 8 experienced individuals providing guidance/experience at any time. And the tractor is FOURTY-TWO YEARS OLD! Ken, the officers and all, you've really shown the real potential of the internet, the tractors and, dare I say, "community." (William Shatner could have said that better, I'm sure, but...hey, it's all about the trACtorS....) Thanks again, Peter

[Brent_Baumer 5]

Peter, I assume the manual I have was published by Kohler. It doesn't have any copyright or where published or by whom. It does have a date on it of 6/81. Like many other things, especially tools, I "borrowed" it from my dad and "forgot" to return it. I figure if he needs it he knows where he is likely to find it. I don't feel too bad about it as he does the same to me, only not quite (actually near) as much. Anyway, the manual is brown and says "single cylinder engine SERVICE MANUAL Models K91, K141, K161, K181, K241, K301, K321 & K341". It looks like he bought it from a machine shop in Muncie, IN as it has their stamped name and address inside the cover. Finally, the Briggs antique engine repair manual has the same info in it, but it is confusing and not as user friendly as the Kohler manual, IMO. As a matter of fact, I HATE the way the Briggs manual is laid out, but it is pretty thorough. Glad to help. Brent

[Dutch 4]

Peter, After you get the S/G disassembled, you may want to take the armature to a pro shop and have it "growled". That will tell if it has a "short". There are 3 tools that make S/G overhaul far easier. 1)Growler, 2)Hand lathe, 3)Mica undercutter. Every once in a while these are listed on eBay. Here's an eBay example. They usually go cheap since there isn't much call to fix antique generators.

[Woodydel 0]

Dutch: Very interesting. (I haven't forgotten about "polarizing" the S/G either-thanks!). How coincidental that you found a "growler" at this time, w/ 6 hours to go on the auction? Is a hand lathe just what it sounds like--some sort of handheld machining tool rather than a big machine? I was trying to figure out why the commutators need undercutting...I understand (from Al Eden's fabulous articles) that the mica is harder than the copper and will consume the brushes too quickly. But is it also that without the airgap between the commutator bars which undercutting provides, that "brush dust" and copper particles would cause a "short" between the commutator bars, so that the gap allows them to fall out, or is undercutting just to prevent wear? Just curious as, coincidentally, I'm reading my third book on Nikola Tesla, the Serbian-American inventor responsible for Radio, Neon Lights, A/C brushless (commutatorless) motors, long-distance transmission of A/C power, the first Hydroelectric Plant in the world (Niagara Falls), multi-channel RADIO-CONTROLLED ROBOTICS, in like EIGHTEEN NINETY-THREE!!! (or thereabouts) some development in Xrays, ELF radio waves, and there's more. That's right, Marconi did NOT invent radio, per the U.S. Supreme Court, so the kids' textbooks have been wrong for years! And a big part of Tesla's contribution was to get rid of the commutator and brushes (maintenance items) by finding away to harness the "rotating magnetic field" of A/C current. I beleive the author went so far as to say that all current would be alternating, (which I don't quite get...) but for commutators that prevent it from changing direction. So I'm interested in the commutator thing right now.... The book is "WIZARD: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla, Biography of a Genius," by Marc J. Seifer, 1996. There is an ongoing scandal involving how this amazing man, who died virtually penniless, gave us so much, and yet is so unacknowledged by modern society, the Smithsonian, etc.... There is a great PBS site on Tesla as well, entitled "Master of Lightening," at http://www.pbs.org/tesla/. (Haven't learned how to "link" yet...sorry.) Curious, isn't it, how as soon as you learn something, it tends to come up in life, like my S/G situation? Oh yeah, this puts the magnitude of Tesla's lack of recognition in perspective, for me anyway: Tesla repeatedly tried to sell his ROBOTIC, electrically-powered, radio-controlled model boat to the U.S. Gov't. as a weapons-delivery platform (can you say, "T-o-r-p-e-d-o"?) but was told it was little more than a "toy," unsuited for warfare. And yet, remember the nosecam pics of the cruise missles going down the chimneys in the Gulf War, approx. ONE-HUNDRED YEARS later? Check out the PBS site...I think you'll be "shocked" (pun intended). Peter

[Dutch 4]

Peter, That growler is only one of several on eBay right now. There is usually always one or more listed. A hand lathe is like a HD pencil sharpener. You put the armature in a chuck, set the cutting blade, and turn a crank. An undercutter is a metal “bed”. The armature lays in it, and you cut out the mica with an attached hand powered knife. These are very simple tools, and the kind you may use once in a lifetime. I’d post pictures of my growler, lathe, and undercutter if I knew which pile of junk they were under. The S/G you’re playing with produces DC current. AC current is produced by an alternator (the fields revolve instead of being stationary). Alternators are more efficient and last longer. Another example of why think the “good ole’ days” are over-rated. Sorry, but I wouldn’t be “shocked”. Many inventors have gotten the shaft (especially Black Americans). Our diversity and freedom is what makes America GREAT.