My alternator is no longer charging so it's now been removed. The company refurbing it can't touch it for 2 weeks so i'm thinking maybe i can have a look at it first.

It's a Lucas 00194 unit.

When i took it off and removed the air cowl off the back i noticed there was a smudge on the positive plate and paint missing on the cover in the coresponding spot. Could the plate have shorted the alternator?

Is there a way that i can test the alternator with the cover off now that it's off the car?

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Ah.. Lucas..... the prince of darkness.


The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."
Lucas is the patent holder for the short circuit.
Lucas - Inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
Lucas - Inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.
The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker and Off.
The Original Anti-Theft Device - Lucas Electrics.
Lucas is an acronym for Loose Unsoldered Connections and Splices
Lucas systems actually uses AC current; it just has a random frequency.
"I have had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have never had any trou..."
If Lucas made guns, wars would not start.
A friend of mine told everybody he never had any electric problems with his Lucas equipment. Today he lives in the countryside, in a large manor with lots of friendly servants around him an an occasional ice cold shower...
Back in the 70's, Lucas decided to diversify its product line and began manufacturing vacuum cleaners. It was the only product they offered which did not suck.
Q: Why do the British drink warm beer? A: Because Lucas makes their refrigerators
Alexander Graham Bell invented the Telephone.Thomas Edison invented the Light Bulb. Joseph Lucas invented the Short Circuit.
Recommended procedure before taking on a repair of Lucas equipment: Check the position of the stars,kill a chicken and walk three times clockwise around your car chanting:" Oh mighty Prince of Darkness protect your unworthy servant.."


In all seriousness, I didn't know there were Lucas alternators for 914s. If you have one, get rid of it and replace it with a Bosch alternator.

Also, with any alternator on a 914, you need to trim the positive post as short as possible. Most rebuilders put a stud in that is way too long and hits the metal cover on the back of the alternator. If it does, you end up with a dead short that melts the wires on the alternator harness.

Thanks for the amusing read, it cheered me up a bit.

I bought it because it was all that i could find at the time (and still, so far) and the first one never worked straight from the box. this one has less than a thousand miles on it.

I'm also of the opinion that the person fixing it will make it better than new as i know of his work for over 25 years.

I called a supplier today who said they couldn't get bosch but could get a no name replica. £325 + 20% tax

I would offer to send you one, but the shipping from Texas to Wales would probably be more expensive than you would like.

I always take them to the local parts store and let them bench test.

Probably needs to replace the smoke.

http://www3.telus.net/bc_triumph_registry/smoke.htm

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Seen on a beautiful Jaguar at a local Battle of the Brits car/motorcycle show.

Heat in an English car with Lucas is a cardigan

I tried that recently with one I just rebuilt. I called to make sure they could bench test an alternator with external voltage regulator. They said they could. Drove a half hour into town and they put it on the machine. Nope! Machine said it could only be tested in the car. Drove another half hour home with untested alternator. It did pass all the diagnostic tests described in the factory manual that can be done with a multimeter though.