Inspecting for Goats syndrome.

[red_phil]

Hi all.

I found a piece of epoxy in my oil when I did an oil change recently.
It looks about right to be a bit of the epoxy that hold the altenator magnets in place.
I think the cause might be the smack that the altenator casing got when my chain snapped last year.



Anyway.

Any tips for getting the left side engine cover off?
Is it just a case of removing the sprocket cover, then undoing the bolts on the side cover and tapping it off?
Are there any pitfalls I should watch out for?



Also, if the magnets are ok, but missing Epoxy, what would work for holding them in?
I have JB weld, but I'm not sure it would like the heat and the oil.
I really don't want bits of JB weld coming loose and chewing up the engine.

[rangerbrown]

theres a lot of epoxy holding them in. if a little is missing and they all seem to be holding in place then i wouldnt worry about it. but thats jsut me.

if you try to use som jb weld it may interfer with the mag and the power out put could drop form the system. (thats jsut a mabe)

yep remove all screws and be mind full of there place, and the sprocket and then just tap it off woth a rubber hamer. the stator will be in the cover so dont go buck wild pulling on it.

if you yank it the wires and the volt regulator could be damaged

[red_phil]

good point.
I'm not sure about the magnetic / electric properties of JB Weld.

I guess I could see if the tubes react to a magnet.

[MarkusN]

Far as I know it's Epoxy filled with Aluminium powder. Should be OK, even if it's slighly electrically conductive.

[manofthefield]

I had a similar problem a year and a half ago... Here's the thread What is it?! -Junk in the oil strainer

It sounds like I had more epoxy chipping off than you, I think from a car hitting me/fall on the right side.  I used an epoxy that I bought from the hardware store to "cap" the ends of the magnets.  If I were to do it again, I'd look for an epoxy rated for higher temps.  But so far, I have had zero problems since them (I've put 7-8000 miles on in that time).   BUT... I haven't opened up the left side since, so I don't know for sure how that epoxy is holding up.  Hope this helps

[ducati_nolan]

Of course the lazy guy approach would be to keep your eyes open for a good deal on a stator/alternator and a gasket. Buy it when the price is right and wait untill you either find more epoxy in the oil or start having a charging problem. Then you can quickly fix it if and when you need to and be back on the road in no time. I don't think a little piece of epoxy would hurt the engine, as the oil pickup has a screen that should catch the big chunks and the filter should catch the rest. The epoxy shouldn't be hard enough to dammage the oil pump. Any of the repair manuals should show you how to take the cover off.
Good luck 

[red_phil]

The danger with waiting for a problem is the damage done when the magnets break free.
If the epoxy breaks and a magnet hits the stator it damages the stator and other magnets.
THEN the bits of broken magnet get swept through the engine by the oil.
cleaning that mess up is something I'd prefer to avoid.

[red_phil]

Well I can now add to the knowledge of the community.

DO NOT USE JB WELD TO FIX THE MAGNETS.

JB Weld is attracted to the magnets and climbs out of the places you want it to be so it can get closer to the poles of the magnets.

[MarkusN]

Shee-ite! So you say that stuff is filled with ferromagnetic powder? (Iron, in other words)

[sledge]

Epoxies are avaliable in many different types and grades. Jb is from the metal-filled family. As its intended to bond and replace missing metal it needs a high metalic content. Some others:
http://www.loctite.co.uk/int_henkel/loctite_epoxy/index.cfm?pageid=151&layout=2
As to if its metal content would "short-out" the magnets I doubt it, they are already fixed to a metal ring which is doing the job quite effectively. A build up of metalic epoxy on a magnet would alter its profile and therefore distort its field slightly but I doubt this would severley affect the efficiency of the alternator. There are products available that are more suited to the task of fixing the magnets, I would reccomend this stuff....Loctite HySol 9502.
http://www.loctite.com/int_henkel/loctite_epoxy/index.cfm?pageid=150&layout=2

[red_phil]

Well here is what was holding my magnets in place.
Good will and magnetism as far as I can see.