2nd stator died within 10 miles!

[olliewtf]

surely that would make the problem worse? its pushing the mag closer to the flywheel therefore closing the gap!
its a good point though, I dont have a thick mag gasket fitted, so my problem is certainly clearance of pickup and flywheel. Just need to suss what is the best long term option for me. I can probably repair both stators, one works with correct clearance, but if i need to carry a spare its making sure each time that the spare has right clearances, or just fit an indian flywheel and forget about it.


EDIT: just taken a look at both stators, and the laminates under the pickups are the same height. actually, the new stator may be marginally shorter. So unless the k2 pickup was drastically taller than the one with vespa piaggio parts, then im not convinced that ive found my problem. If it was taller it was only marginally so, and im not convinced it was. and it didnt just wear the top of the pickup, which i would expect after not even 7 miles, but it literally tore it to pieces, there is nothing left of it, apart from the metal tag that is secured onto the stator. thats snapped clean off! so pickup didnt get loose but was completely ripped to pieces.
The stator was sitting recessed in the mag properly, im pretty sure anyway, as i remember having to push it in as the clearance was a tad tight. but was definitely sat properly. if it was that the crank was twisted, and effectively there was one big high spot which took out the pick up, that mustve been some high spot! and i did not note any oscillation on the flywheel.
Stumped, bitter and disappointed.
ta for everyones input.

[Adam_Winstone]

I've not read all of the details so excuse me if you've already covered this but many Indian stators (perhaps others) have a base that is slightly too big to fit into the machined recess of the mag housing, rather than sitting flush the adjustment slot area doesn't clear the lip of the mag housing and can cause the stator to tilt, rather than lay flat. This issue can result in the adjustment slot lugs cracking through and/or tilt, as mentioned previously. If the stator is tilting then something must be sticking up a little more than intended.

Might not be the issue but worth a look.

Adam

[olliewtf]

cheers adam.
spoke to sr, they were very helpful and asked me to send it to them to see if they can suss it / work something out.
They also measured one of their stators from base to top of pickup and it was the same as the previous one i took off, so pickup shouldnt have sat any higher, unless it was tilted as adam has mentioned. I did mention this but they werent convinced, although without seeing it and testing it they cant say for sure. hopefully they can send me a new pickup and i can start again, being a little more careful when fitting to check for rubbing.
will let you know how i get on, and hopefully the cause will become apparent.
cheers all!

[rosscla]

You could also consider drilling a couple of small inspection holes in the flywheel?

[olliewtf]

thats not a bad shout. although i dont own a drill aha but will consider it. i was in a rush fitting the new stator, so may have missed any rubbing, but im sure i wouldve clocked on whilst it was ticking over. also the way it completely shredded to pieces, with nothing of the pickup left, suggests to me that it didnt just rub the top away, it moved out and caught in a big way. but these are all assumptions...

[eden]

some pickups have longer metal contacts on their end. I had the same thing 2 weeks ago after making up a spare stator and using a new P200 pickup. it started then stopped. it had smashed the pickup off the plate and ruined 2 of the lighting coils DOH lol. I only noticed the longer contacts because I had bought two pickups and when I had a close look at the other one it had much longer contacts than any others ive seen.

[dapper]

some pickups have longer metal contacts on their end. I had the same thing 2 weeks ago after making up a spare stator and using a new P200 pickup. it started then stopped. it had smashed the pickup off the plate and ruined 2 of the lighting coils DOH lol. I only noticed the longer contacts because I had bought two pickups and when I had a close look at the other one it had much longer contacts than any others ive seen.

I had exactly the same problem when building an engine in French France for French Al. I just carefully filed down the two longer contacts till they cleared the flywheel and it was all good.

[Monty]

Well had mine in bits today no rubbing points on the stator or flywheel Brand new BGM with good readings good for nowt. replaced it with the old one I only replaced it as I had lost 2 of the lugs after opening up the slots. Jobs a good un. Off to see if i can get to the MOT station now without it packing in again.
PS I tried a dial gauge on the crank end. its difficult to measure. I tried it on the taper and in the end fitted the flywheel nut and measured it on the flat rim of the nut. It moves by 0.14mm. measuring on the taper was about the same maybe a bit higher but under 0.20mm
Now are any of them perfect out of the box. I have heard someone with a copper hammer can tweak it true but what is true.

[Strummer10]

Its a frustrating position when you shell out around £70 for these stator plates and they are faulty or incompatible with the flywheel. Last week I changed a mate's brand new stator as the timing under strobe light was disappearing from the light at BTDC ?? I would rather pay £100 for a stator and know it works ?? .....going backwards of course .....

Scooter shops and dealers must be pulling their hair out with rogue parts !!

[olliewtf]

update:

finally got stator back from SR and i have to congratulate them on their service.
I spoke to the mechanic there, and he could tell I wasnt a complete clown, so asked me to send it in. that was a week ago. Spoke to the chap yesterday. He said the mechanic had fitted a new pickup and tested the stator.
I did have to pay for the pickup and the return postage. However I wasn't charged for labour, which was nice, although it is only a 10 min job.

In hindsight, there was no definitive way to prove the stator defective, and im not convinced it was anyway. However, I wanted to prove that i had tested a few different things out and it wasn't as simple as it sounded, and that i wasnt a complete tool basically!

They've said that the warranty only covers the stators use with indian flyhweels as that what their designed for. I find that funny, firstly Im surprised and impressed that there is even a warranty, secondly the electronic ignition is not a standard lambretta part so its kinda funny that they have a standardised set of parts, but i suppose it does make sense. what miffed me a little was that they blamed it on me using a vespa flywheel conversion as the most likely cause, and because i did so, i wasnt covered under warranty.
The flyhweel is certainly not the problem.
ive fitted my repaired stator today very meticulously and before fitting measured everything compared to my old stator.
It seems to have paid off as there was no rubbing etc.
I will pull the flywheel soon to see if it has any rubbing marks, but i think the problems solved.
So tbh it looks like i may have fitted it wrong in the first place.

Scooter restorations did a good job and their customer service is very good. I wasnt expecting anything from them, but htey delivered anyway.

more importantly Im back on the road and dont have to get the train to work anymore.

happy scootering everyone and cheers for all your input.