Sparx 3 phase disintegrating

I have a customer that has had two failures with 2 new Sparx 3 phase alternator systems. The first time I had him send the system back to me and I warranteed the parts and was backed up by the importer; I sent him all new parts. The new system also failed in short order. Both failures are the stators which present evidence of overheating/melting and show signs of interference with the rotor at the 3 O'clock position; the wear (destruction) is obvious; the customer states that a dial indicator show the rotor to be running true.

I have sold scores of these systems without issues. So I'm wondering if the root cause could be something with the engine or a lose primary chaincase? Is it possible for the drive side main bearing to have enough slop to permit the rotor to interfer with the stator, without blowing up?

Any of you have a similar experience(s)?

Bill.

It seems to me that this customer is unaware or does not understand the need for or the proceedure to maintain a minimum of .010" clearance 360 degrees between the rotor and stator surface. It is not out of the question to take a skin cut off the rotor. Sparx unit are notably tight and not in a good way.

I might think the if a bad bearing, it would hit all around and not just at 3:00.

I guess the primary inner could be out and need shimming it the center post, but I do not think that it would cause so drastic effect particularly if the customer validated the required clearance.

RoadScholar said:

I have a customer that has had two failures with 2 new Sparx 3 phase alternator systems. The first time I had him send the system back to me and I warranteed the parts and was backed up by the importer; I sent him all new parts. The new system also failed in short order. Both failures are the stators which present evidence of overheating/melting and show signs of interference with the rotor at the 3 O'clock position; the wear (destruction) is obvious; the customer states that a dial indicator show the rotor to be running true.

I have sold scores of these systems without issues. So I'm wondering if the root cause could be something with the engine or a lose primary chaincase? Is it possible for the drive side main bearing to have enough slop to permit the rotor to interfer with the stator, without blowing up?

Any of you have a similar experience(s)?

Bill.

Click to expand...

Crank bearings inspect well? pry up and down while watching the indicator?

I vote there is something amiss in the crank or primary and/or tranny to cause long term rubbing to destroy a tough part like the Sparx stator. When Ms Peel stuck her throttle to turn crank into a jump rope shape the rotor melted and abraided the stator resin and magnetic laminates, but after cleaning the rough stuff off it still worked fine. This Sparx failure is a one in a row double occurrance indicating to look further than the symptoms, like a fixing a flat but not sweeping nails out of drive way. Peel's over heating stator event only lasted a few seconds though not road going time element.

That sounds pretty common. Either his stator is not centered over the rotor or his primary chain is too tight. Jim

I had a sprarx stator disintegrate on me too. It was put on the bike brand new and lasted less that a year.

I think Jim has it right, ask your customer how much tension he has in his primary chain.

Too tight and it could pull the rotor a fraction rearwards, right where his 3 O'clock wear shows

Oh oh UGH, if primary so tight its deflecting crank shaft end then oh ugh likely trans shafts now bent also. Then again may just be a batch of bad stators and luck of the draw to get two of them in a row. Very few folks likely have to creep at low rpms after dark dodging deer in HI Beam while dragging brake light on for miles and miles, to state the 3 phase definitely allows more bright light in slow 4th but only take a bit more speed or a down shift to get as bright of 'light' from the wimpy Lucas charger. May want to get a cheaper used Lucas to sacrifice in case its bent shafts or busted bushes past point of no return just slacking off the primary tension, milk my be spilt and horses out the open barn door... don't ask how I learned this, by fixing only what seemed wrong to have it go wrong again so dug deeper for more manhood facing up to learning to live with a lawmower simple machine thats too complex to comprehend all is hidden complexities first time or 3 around.

Hi All,

In regards to the high output Sparx alternator kits:

Actually, it appears to be a different issue than actual contact between the stator and rotor.

I also had a couple of units go bad, including some in the shop that I know were set up correctly, and needed to get to the bottom of it. I returned my units to the distributor and they did some testing on them

Jury is still out and some further testing will be done. If it is determined if the failures are in fact caused by faulty parts, CNW will cover these under warranty to our customers.

If you have had a unit go bad, I recommend that you contact the shop you bought it from to see how they want to handle it

Matt / Colorado Norton Works

http://www.coloradonortonworks.com

I spoke with the customer earlier today; he disclosed that he is running a belt drive and that his main bearings have over 20K miles on them. I told him about my post on this site and invited him to read-up and join in. I appreciate the replys which quickly distill to many heads are better than one. Thanks

Bill.

RoadScholar said:

I spoke with the customer earlier today; he disclosed that he is running a belt drive and that his main bearings have over 20K miles on them. I told him about my post on this site and invited him to read-up and join in. I appreciate the replys which quickly distill to many heads are better than one. Thanks

Bill.

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Ask for a pic showing the slack in his belt.

CNW said:

Hi All,

In regards to the high output Sparx alternator kits:

Actually, it appears to be a different issue than actual contact between the stator and rotor.

I also had a couple of units go bad, including some in the shop that I know were set up correctly, and needed to get to the bottom of it. I returned my units to the distributor and they did some testing on them

As it turns out, most likely its caused by a faulty voltage regulator. This is a recent batch of regulators so it doesn't go back to far. In other words, if an older unit failed, this may still have been caused by the interference that is not uncommon.

Jury is still out and some further testing will be done. If it is determined if the failures are in fact caused by faulty parts, CNW will cover these under warranty to our customers.

If you have had a unit go bad, I recommend that you contact the shop you bought it from to see how they want to handle it

Matt / Colorado Norton Works

http://www.coloradonortonworks.com

Click to expand...

The stator, in this case, shows very distinct signs of abrasion on an arc, rearward facing, between the 2 O'clock position and the 4 O'clock position. I have no doubt that a faulty regulator could induce heat in a stator, but wouldn't the damage be evenly distributed or random at least?. This my customers second mishap, in both cases the damage was identical.

Bill.

Bill,

Not saying I know what happened to your customers units. I think the bottom line is there are some issues with the latest batch of Sparx alternator systems.

I have been getting some different opinions on what may be causing these melt downs and as we get more information, I will post it here. Stay tuned.

The stators I have seen look like they just started melting. One of them as early as 150 miles down the road. Charging system work fine until a certain point and then it just completely failed.

Matt / Colorado Norton Works

http://www.coloradonortonworks.com

Its current not voltage that heats copper, so I'd expect a feed wire would likely go first before stator electrically over heated. Electrical heating would swell bubble and burn the resin and copper out the sides or outer rim. Only mechanical alginment would foul the rotor into the magnetic steel laminates. I've had lawn mower stators get too hot, they don't rub magnets but the laminates get loose and slightly separated. Belts must have fairly easy 90' twist cold or will be too tight road hot. There have been numerous failures of zenor or potted regulators over the decades and only thing I've heard reported was battery boiled off not the stator injured.

I spoke with the customer earlier today; he disclosed that he is running a belt drive and that his main bearings have over 20K miles on them. I told him about my post on this site and invited him to read-up and join in.

Click to expand...

Also use a Sparx 120W with a belt drive and it does/has overheat(ed). The Wassell replacement (UK pattern specialist dealer) i originally put in failed after 4000 miles with the belt and sealed primary but was being used with the original diode. The Sparx is used with an electronic reg. It has not failed but the output lead goes crispy and the encapsulation expands, cracks and contacts the rotor slightly. It has 010" clearance to the laminations using an original Lucas rotor. It lives fine as it is and will fail eventually.

My experience with Sparx is that the owner of the business, is frankly a mechanical dunce. A brand new rotor would not fit onto a good drive side crank shaft that measured perfectly round at .750". The inner bore of the new rotor was .749". The advice from the boss of Sparx was that all you needed to do was to belt them on with a club hammer. Why? Because he claimed the original Lucas spec was inadequate and leads to rotor slop and his manufacture was correct and superior. The new rotor had to be bored on a lathe to achieve OEM spec and fit.
Anyone who has had to bash on a composite metal constucted rotor has to expect stress within the rotor body let alone the undesirable effect on the crankshaft. And as Sparx products are manufactured in China, I have to believe that "quality fade" is inevitable.