NOTE: This thread is also available to download as a PDF file from the Downloads (General) Section
If you hear a noise from the left side of the engine (typically the generator cover area), or your 14 stops charging the battery, a common problem on the later model 14’s is the stator bolt having come loose.
To check this put your 14 on its main stand and so long as the ground is flat and level, you will only lose a little bit of oil - if at all from removing the generator cover
TIP: When taking the bolts out of the generator cover, you will find that 2 of them have washers on; these bolts need to go back in the same position when you re-attach the generator cover. A simple way of doing this is to get a bit of cardboard, draw an outline of the generator cover and then push the bolts through the cardboard at the appropriate point as you remove them.
TIP: Watch your fingers when removing the generator cover as the magnets will try to pull it back onto the crankcases. You also have to be careful that the starter idle gear does not come off its shaft (if at all possible). Recommended approach is to gently pull the casing away slightly and insert wooden wedges to hold it apart. Then get a small thin screwdriver and check that the starter idler gear (top right hand corner) isn’t coming away with the casing. If it is, using the screwdriver gently push it back in place (if it does come out, don’t worry, we’ll cover that later!)
Take off the sprocket cover and unplug the wire to the alternator before removing the generator cover. Once removed, you can then check the stator bolt and tighten if required. This has quite a high torque on it at 118lb/ft and you will need to hold the generator rotor to do this. For the generator rotor, you will need a 31mm spanner which is not easy to find. If you cannot locate a 31mm spanner, then the cheapest way to make one is to get a calor gas spanner (which typically are cast and circa 30mm) and then using an angle grinder, just slightly widen the jaws (you may not need to do this as the calor gas spanners are generous in size often).
Before tightening the stator bolt, it’s worth removing and cleaning / drying the taper that the stator sits on using some paper towel and brake cleaner or similar. A lack of oil on the taper will give a better 'grip' between the stator and the crank. Before refitting lightly smear some blue Loctite on the bolt.
Before remounting the generator cover, if the starter idler gear came away when you took the casing off, then this needs to be re-mounted first. Recommended method for this is to once again put your socket on the stator bolt and just gently apply pressure so the crank turns slightly backwards whilst remounting the idler gear - it only needs a touch and the starter idler gear will pop back on with no problems.
Once all is good, then you are ready to re-mount the generator cover as before watch your fingers as it goes on, the magnets in the generator will suddenly pull it onto the crankcase and you don’t want your fingers in the way when it does!
Once the generator cover is remounted, then re-insert the bolts in the correct order (with the bolts with the washers on in the correct place, else you will get an oil leak) and torque the cover bolts up to 8.1lb/ft.
TIP: Before fitting the sprocket cover, just check that you have re-attached the generator plug!
If the reason you undertook the above procedure was charging, and you found no problem with the stator bolt, then it’s possible you have a problem with either the generator itself and/or the rectifier. The checking of these is covered elsewhere On the forum under the ‘Electrics’ section
Further reassembly instructions (if required) can be found on Page 3-63 of the workshop manual.
