69 Ford 4000, Sorta spectacular alternator failure

Busted out my 1969 Ford 4000 and its loader to clear driveways last weekend. Temps were below zero and wind was nasty.

Anyway, plugged the block heater in, and he (I call it Harrison de Ford)... started up. Once he got started, I turned on the lights and left him running.

Ran the old boy a solid three hours with the lights blazing, once he got started. I didn't want to shut him down when I got off to use the snowblower for cleanup...or even if I went into the house for a coffee.

Anyway, my last trip out, I got on and started plowing. Then I heard a loud buzz-saw-like sound... like a buzzing/knocking. For a minute, I thought something was wrong with the engine.

Then I looked along the left side, the alternator was throwing sparks out the back of it. Looked like something came loose in there as was getting ground up.

I high-tailed the old boy over to his spot next to the barn where I keep him parked within reach of his block heater power outlet. By then, the buzzing had stopped, but my alternator light was now full red...dead alternator, before I shut him down.

When I got off, I felt the alternator housing. Not even hot to the touch, but it would take a lot to heat up the casing.

Oh well... I'm going to take it off and take it to a local guy that rebuilds alternators and starters. Hopefully, he can rebuild it.

All I can say is... from the sound and the sparks that were flying... a bad alternator is sort of a relief. For a split second, I was thinking much, much worse.

In hindsight. I think this alternator has been slowly going bad. The alternator light would always just barely glow, if I had the lights on...unless I was running right at full throttle. I had used the lights quite a bit during haying season last year, but always drawing wagons...on for a while...off while we unloaded...rinse, repeat.

Never had them on for three hours straight.

Probably just put the last straw on the camel's back...

Assuming your 4000 has a tach drive on it, you can get a reasonably priced replacement right here at the YT site.

https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/Ford-4000_Alternator-with-Tach-Drive_ADR0382.html

(quoted from post at 12:59:18 01/22/19)
Assuming your 4000 has a tach drive on it, you can get a reasonably priced replacement right here at the YT site.

https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/Ford-4000_Alternator-with-Tach-Drive_ADR0382.html

Click to expand...

It does have the tach drive on it. I'll take it to my friend first. He's always honest with me, if it's cost effective and reliable to rebuild, he'll do it. If not, he'll tell me to buy one.

Thanks, by the way.

Is it really an alternator?
Or, in fact, a Lucas generator?
The Lucas would have been original equipment on that tractor!

if it is a gen with tach drive I found one that is a nos from an old building here 50.00

You're probably right about "generator" vs "alternator", given the vintage of the tractor.

I admit to using the word "alternator" generically as a word for "that thing that runs off a belt and makes electricity for the motor and stuff..."

The one that's on there is original equipment.

If it doesn't have a tach drive then it is more likely an alternator than a generator. The original generator had a tach drive on the rear of the generator, and most replacement generators either came with the tach drive or had the old one moved to the new generator if the generator was ever replaced. Most that have been converted to an alternator do not have a tach drive, as they were not available for part of the history of the tractor and then they were prohibitively expensive for a while after that. It is only recently that the alternators with the tach drive have become readily available at a reasonable price.

It has the tach drive and is the same faded shade of blue as everything else on the engine block.

I'm thinking original generator.

It's been too cold to even think about touching metal with bare fingers; so I've been running the tractor with the non-functioning generator for a while. Hasn't been that bad. Just a little time on the booster or maintainer before/after running and no usage of the lights.



Might get it off and fixed next week, when it's a little warmer.