tall fuel pump commutator

[County Guy]

Hi.  After many hours of frustration attempting to make the old 'tall' pump work, I installed a substitute.  Now, several years later, I'm tired of listening to the noise it puts out, so I am rebuilding the old one that has been sitting on the shelf.  I don't expect to encounter too much trouble as it spins when current is applied.  BUT, have a look at the photo of the commutator on the rotor.  Is it too badly worn to function properly?  I suspect that the power output will diminish if the commutator is not isolating each segment properly.  If you feel that the commutator is too badly worn, what suggestions do you have for me?  Is there someone who can replace the worn commutator?  I would appreciate any help you might give me.

Thanks, Lockie

[Tyler S]

Lockie, It does look pretty bad to me. See George's post. Im sure he could sell you a good used winding. See the bottom of his post.
https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=25749.0

[ja17]

It seems, that as the commutator diameter decreases, so the usable length of the brushes decreases. The brushes will also wear faster since the contact spot is smaller (against a smaller diameter commutator). With the smaller contact spot, the PSI increases on the brushes. In addition, if the commutator is not perfectly smooth, brush wear will greatly increase.

[County Guy]

Thank you for the replies.  I hadn't really thought about how the diminishing diameter would effect the performance.  I sensed that it would reduce the overall output power but not how that would happen.  Good point about the brush travel.  I hadn't thought of that either.

I'm going to reassemble the pump with the better commutator and wait and see what suggestions members might have before deciding what to do with the one with the worst wear. 

Has anyone ever had an electrician replace the commutator on the rotor?

[BaronYoungman]

If you decide you are going to go the short pump route, I have rebuilt ones available. Bob (630) 903-9877