A complete guide to how to strip the motor assembly is shown in the unofficial handbook, freely available via the c5alive website download section
The text from the handbook;
Notes on C5 Motor/Gearbox Assembly
The motor comprises a cylindrical magnet housing, a ventilated end cap which houses the brushgear and a plastic sleeve/finger assembly that closes off the other end of the cylinder. This plastic assembly which extends back over the cylindrical magnet housing is not of uniform thickness and this allows the motor to be rotated in its circular clamp to adjust the final drive belt tension. Too long through bolts hold the motor together.
The gearbox is a snap fit into a set of "fingers" which form part of the plastic assembly mentioned above. Once clicked into place it is difficult to remove unless all the click features can be unlatched at the same time.
Early plastic assemblies were brown in colour and suffered from a brittle fracture. A pale yellow/white plastic was subsequently used which solved the problem.
To disassembled a complete motor/gearbox, proceed as follows:
1. The brushgear must be lifted to avoid damage as the armature is withdrawn. The black plastic brush holders cannot be easily removed as they have a sprag feature that locks them in place. However, the brushes are held in metal sleeves and these can be pulled out of the holders by applying a steady force. One method is to clamp the junction of the wire and the holder (under its shrink sleeving) in a vice and then to pull on the motor assembly. The brushes should not be fully withdrawn so that their orientation and location remains unchanged.
2. Unscrew and remove the two through bolts.
3. Tap on the exposed end of the motor shaft (brushgear end) using a wooden mallet. This will force the plastic sleeve partially off the end of the cylindrical magnet housing.
4. Continue to pull the plastic assembly clear. It will bring the armature with it.
5. Watch for the two spacers that fit between the end bearing (brushgear end) and the housing. These often flip up and get stuck to the magnets.
6. When totally withdrawn, the armature can be removed from the gearbox by steady pulling. Its end bearings will pull out of the gearbox housing.
7. The gearbox can be taken apart after removal from the plastic finger assembly. The set of shims can be used to open up each finger latch. The whole epicyclic can then be pulled off if necessary.
8. The armature can be skimmed in a lathe if damaged, but the original was diamond turned to achieve a high surface finish and to minimise brush wear.
9. Some form of gearbox lubrication is necessary. Castrol LMB grease is suitable.
10. A common problem is wear of the plastic output pinion due to belt slip. Excessive tightening of the belt can cause the motor to tilt leading to early failure of the pinion. The motor should be held parallel via an upright plastic tongue. This can bow out allowing the motor to tilt. A simple metal plate was made available by Sinclair Vehicles as a retro fit to hold the tongue in place.
11. When reassembling the motor, fit the two spacers into the end cap, crinkle first then plain. Use a wooden rod to push them into place and keep the end cap down to prevent them dropping out and sticking to the magnets again. Guide in the armature and centralise its bearing in the housing by poking through the end cap with a suitable tool. When centered it should drop in cleanly. Note that end cap and the plastic assembly on the other end have features to locate to the magnet sleeve. Get these right during assembly.
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Topic: Motor assembly (Read 6751 times)
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