Cracked 28A Alternator Case

[Chris48623]

Hey all,

I'm looking for some advice here. I have the dreaded oil leak so I took my ST to my local mechanic since I have too many other projects and riding to do. He replaced the seals at the alternator and the leak is still there since he discovered a crack in the case for the 28A unit. I am now at a crossroads of either tracking down a cheap burned up 28A unit to buy for parts since my unit works just fine or just going for the 40A upgrade. The only accessory I have is a pair of heated glove liners that use 12W maximum and I may consider a phone charger too but that's a maybe. What are your thoughts? I have tracked down the shaft as well as the adapter plate. Additionally if I go for the 40A upgrade are there any good cheaper aftermarket units (I found a DB Electrical one) or is OEM the only way to go?

 

[kiltman]

There’s the generic one available on eBay for around $135 US. It works well. I have purchased one of these and found it satisfactory.
There is a loaner tool kit available with full instructions. You need to be a member of ST-riders to have access to it.

 

[Chris48623]

There’s the generic one available on eBay for around $135 US. It works well. I have purchased one of these and found it satisfactory.
There is a loaner tool kit available with full instructions. You need to be a member of ST-riders to have access to it.

Thank you! I will have to sign up there. So the "must have" parts that aren't generic things my mechanic would either have or be able to get locally are just the shaft, plate, and alternator, correct? I can get all of these for around $250

 

[Erdoc48]

I would bring it down to how long you want to use your ST. While it‘s likely true the 40A unit and other parts needed for the conversion will likely be more money, I would assume taking out the 28A unit will be just as labor intensive whether you use the 28 vs 40A unit. If your going that deep in the bike, just get the 40A unit and no more oil leaks in the future

 

[kiltman]

Sorry to put a bit of a damper on this, but the loaner kit is for the DIY not for a mechanic at a shop/dealer.

There is a fellow on this site that sells the adapter kit complete with bearings and a "Lewis Pin" (under $200) so that plus the alternator and a 30 amp fuse. will get you going I will try and provide the links if I can.

 

[Larry Fine]

There is a fellow on this site that sells the adapter kit complete with bearings and a "Lewis Pin" (under $200) so that plus the alternator and a 30 amp fuse. will get you going I will try and provide the links if I can.

Right now, he only shows the plate, not the plate with parts:

Honda P/n 11202-maj-g20 Adaptor Plate for 40amp Upgrade for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Honda P/n 11202-maj-g20 Adaptor Plate for 40amp Upgrade at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Chris48623]

Sorry to put a bit of a damper on this, but the loaner kit is for the DIY not for a mechanic at a shop/dealer.

There is a fellow on this site that sells the adapter kit complete with bearings and a "Lewis Pin" (under $200) so that plus the alternator and a 30 amp fuse. will get you going I will try and provide the links if I can.

I am not sure if this would change things at all but the mechanic in question is a friend of mine. He lends me tools and has an open offer to use my tire changer if he feels like saving his back. He constantly gives me discounts and sometimes free work (which I pay for in donuts and beer). I occasionally bring things to him because I want to support his business and certain things I just don't feel like doing. It's also not a dealer or anything. It's a small "old school" type shop. If that's still a problem, I will figure out another way to get a pin.

Is this the bearing you were talking about? 91004-MT3-003. That plus the alt itself, base plate, shaft, and a 30A fuse is all I'll need parts wise? Then the Lewis pin as the only specialized tool

 

[Bush]

I am not sure if this would change things at all but the mechanic in question is a friend of mine. He lends me tools and has an open offer to use my tire changer if he feels like saving his back. He constantly gives me discounts and sometimes free work (which I pay for in donuts and beer). I occasionally bring things to him because I want to support his business and certain things I just don't feel like doing. It's also not a dealer or anything. It's a small "old school" type shop. If that's still a problem, I will figure out another way to get a pin.

Is this the bearing you were talking about? 91004-MT3-003. That plus the alt itself, base plate, shaft, and a 30A fuse is all I'll need parts wise? Then the Lewis pin as the only specialized tool

The Lewis pin is easily made from one of the 28A stator bolts. Cut the threaded bit and head off the bolt, drill a small hole through the side at one end, big enough to put a strong piece of wire through and Bob's your uncle.

 

[Smudgemo]

This thread has more information for you: https://www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/40-amp-upgrade-question.174163/
The Lewis Pin (if I'm understanding it) is a way to allow you to pull it out through the oil drain hole rather than dropping the oil pan. The gear that engages inside the engine is split and sprung to not line up on the bench. The pin lines the two parts up so you can slide the gear into place during installation.
If the base plate is now being manufactured by a third party, you can still get the shaft, bearing, o-ring and wiring harness from Honda. The bearing size seems weird, I'm sure o-rings can be gotten elsewhere, and a guy can make a wiring harness w/o much trouble, but I looked at the shaft and it seems that when they run out, that's going to be the tough thing to reproduce until some clever person figures out a workaround. I'd certainly skip the 28A fix if it was mine. Apparently nobody has reported much success in rebuilding one, whereas the 40A is available as noted from Honda or a cheaper Chinese copy.

 

[STRider]

It may take me a bit of digging in my garage, but I still have the parts left over from replacing my 28A alternator with... drum roll... another 28A alternator. I couldn't bring myself to just dropping it into scarp metal. Was eventually looking to find a business that rebuilt the windings.

That said, I don't recall if the case you need is part of what I have. I'll let you know once I find them if you're interested.