Stupid Mistake
Stripping the engine I got hold of an alternator case removal tool from Seeley (c £7.00) and proceeded to attach it to the two 6mm screws on the outside of the casing and duly wound them in. The case did not move. ???? So I wound them in a bit more thinking the gasket was stuck. There was a horrible cracking sound and I knew I had a problem.
Before I started working on the bike I had promised myself that I would clean and de-grease everything so that I would be doing it properly. Because the bike was on the hydraulic lift and I did not want all the grit and sh** to drop onto the lift, I did not do the necessary cleaning.
There is a 6mm socket head cap screw between the two forward facing screws attaching the clutch slave cylinder. The void where it sits was completely blocked with old chain grease. The casing had split around the bolt I had not undone because I didn't realise it was there. Bollox!!!
Lesson always clean before dismantling!!!
The alternator casing on my M900 is a bit difficult to replace. It has the oil drain tubes from the barrel separate, later models from (I think) 95 onwards have the oil draining through the barrels and therefore no need for the external drain pipes.
A replacement casing would have been like rocking horse manure. Fleabay was searched but nothing forthcoming after about 2 months. I therefore had no alternative but to look for a welding repair. I thought first of trying the lower temperature aluminium "welding" available on Fleabay but friends advised that there was no substitute for doing a "proper job".
Local alloy welding "specialists" were not keen, eventually I tried T3 who took the job on. T3 used to prepare all the bikes for the Triumph Challenge, now extinct. The bikes in their workshop were exquisite. I began to wonder if I would not be better to convert a 675 Triumph.
After 2 weeks they said that the cases were done. They had to weld it twice because there was so much oil ingrained into the alternator casting (c£80.00).
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