1959 CJ-5 - new to the board

[Timber]

My family has had a CJ-5 in the family since 1959.

I now have the jeep and it is all original even the tires with less than 2000 miles on them. I have yet to do much with the jeep, but wish to continue to plow snow with it. I plowed last year and all seemed well, but by the end of the season the plow was lifting slower. This year the situation has worsened.

The fluid in the hydraulic pulley driven pump was low. On the advice of a local tractor repair guy I added HIGH viscosity fluid and now the plow will not rise much at all.

So, it will be easy to try a standard fluid ..... what think all?

However, in playing or looking around I found the pump unit is very loose ( the pump is mounted above the generator or is that an alternator --- I am hardly a mechanic, by the way ). I was surprised to see all the play in the two bolts on the bottom of the alternator (?), and if I pushed or pulled on the unit I could get the plow to raise and lower. So I figured I needed to tighten the bolts. Ok, all froze up. the nut just twisted on the bolt. Could not tighten or remove.

Ok.... so I cut the rear bolt off. First problem..... I thought it would just be a standard bolt and off to Home Depot. As many of you know, it is not a straight bolt but shoulder bolt. So I need to replace it. So I found this forum and a couple of jeep on-line supply houses. But, what bolts, what bushings for a 1959 CJ-5? It appears there are two different bushings. One is more of a washer and the other a cylinder to push through the holes. ( I suspect the looseness of the assembly is caused by bushings being rotted away after 60 years )

SO

1. what thoughts on which hydraulic fluid
2. What bolts and bushings do I need (please be specific if possible)
3. What tension am I looking for on the belt (particularly perplexing since there will be alternator tension and tension for the hydraulic pump)
4. Do I likely need new belts. All has been fine, but would it be easier to tension all and improve operation?
5. Any other thoughts or advice to help me avoid surprises or trouble.

Thanks everyone.

[okiemark]

So you are thinking belt slippage is the reason for it not lifting? I have been working on a 57 but it has been converted to an alternator and does not have the hydraulic pump.

[Timber]

So you are thinking belt slippage is the reason for it not lifting? I have been working on a 57 but it has been converted to an alternator and does not have the hydraulic pump.

Yes, i believe the end problem is slippage but believe the root cause is the loose alternator or is it a generator (?).

If i push or pull on the alternator I can get the plow to lift. The alternator is very loose and it is just plain all sloppy at the lower bolts. I have worked on 1970's cars and never had an alternator flop around. Is this normal for a jeep? I have not dug around on the physical unit , but after looking on line for parts i see they sell bushings, so I wonder if the old rubber is totally shot and thus the alternator can be very free to "slop" around and therefore lose tension.

I also think that i made the situation worse by filling the hydraulic with HIGH viscosity fluid (on advice of tractor repair shop. I think he assumed 60 year old OLD worn equipment). So I will change that, but was having problems before.

So since you have a 1957 and have worked with the generator and or alternator maybe you can advise me on some of my problem.

1.. do I have a generator or an alternator? Stupid me, how can i tell?
2. It looks like there are two different bolt and bushing options for parts on line, any thougths? Part numbers? Specifically which bushings? they have a long cylinder version and then just a washer style? Is there a parts manual for my specific year?
3. What tension am I looking for on the fan/alternator belt? (The hydraulic runs off of the alternator via a small belt and not sure there really is a tension adjustment there)

Oh.... And my amp light on the dash is often lite, so I am assuming that is another indication that I am not getting proper tension on the alternator.

And so you can understand my situation with the hydraulic (since you don't have one); The fan belt turns the alternator/generator (?) and the alternator turns the hydraulic pump. So if the alternator is not spinning fast enough neither is the hydraulic

So if I focus on the charging system I may fix my lift.

Thanks in advance

[bmorgil]

Welcome Timber! Post some pictures, it will help out for sure.

[okiemark]

Well, I would just look up alternator or generator on a search and you will get a picture. A generator will be longer and generally painted whereas an alternator will be maybe 8 inches deep and usually not painted and just look like semi-shiny aluminum. I would bet it has been converted to an alternator and they did a poor job building the new brackets. That was the case on mine. You can buy a conversion bracket kit or fabricate one yourself. The folks that previously did the one on mine had the right idea, but the metal they used was too thin and they did poor workmanship which made it not ideal. Some pics would help us and I can take a pic of mine to show you if that will help. The original generator brackets were made pretty heavy.

[Timber]

Well, I would just look up alternator or generator on a search and you will get a picture. A generator will be longer and generally painted whereas an alternator will be maybe 8 inches deep and usually not painted and just look like semi-shiny aluminum. I would bet it has been converted to an alternator and they did a poor job building the new brackets. That was the case on mine. You can buy a conversion bracket kit or fabricate one yourself. The folks that previously did the one on mine had the right idea, but the metal they used was too thin and they did poor workmanship which made it not ideal. Some pics would help us and I can take a pic of mine to show you if that will help. The original generator brackets were made pretty heavy.

Hmm. Food for thought.

I am guessing it was not converted based on the fact that my Great Uncle bought the jeep originally and then he died just a couple of years later. Who knows. I will take a couple of pics in a couple of days. Going to be pretty hard to get a good shot, all tucked down in there with the pump on top.

As a side note I think the unit is black.

Do you know the year the manufacturer changed over from generators to alternators? Just a curious question.

[bmorgil]

The CJ's (Not Military Jeeps) became 12 volts in 1957. But I have read of a few late 1956 that were 12 volt. Willys was very frugal back then. They used up old inventory and then went to the new. It is possible it was a "Rolling" 1956 change.