alternator issue

[george1993]

I've just fitted up a new alternator today and I've come across a little issue. Where the drive belt fits over the alternator there's a bronze colour spacer and beacuse of this the drive belt is slightly angled. Would this effect it or just wear the belt out a little faster?

Help or advice would be great.

Thanks

 

[portland_bill]

Belt must be straight. Any offset will cause the belt to jump across the pulley grooves. If it comes off, you lose the electric power steering. If it moves inwards, it can foul the cambelt and do a lot more damage.

With a replacement alternator you may need to swap pulleys from old to new. Or it may not be the right alternator. If it is an aftermarket recon, it is likely one size fits all and the pulley is whatever it originally came with for whatever model it was on. Also make sure you've fitted the alternator correctly on its mountings, not the wrong side of them.

 

[sludgeguts]

I used to have a mazda B2000 pickup. The recon alternator as supplied by every spares shop within 30 miles was completely the wrong unit - only half the size of the original, yet it was the one listed in all their books!

How can they take an old unit off someone to be sent away for reconditioning & them not bother labelling it properly?

Recon unit - £50
Genuine unit - £250

 

[portland_bill]

The B2000 listing was probably down to one supplier getting it wrong and all the others copying it. The feedback that the listing is wrong can often get lost, depending on the supplier organisation. Unipart used to have their own team of technical people responsible for correct cataloguing. (Me) We used to compare supplier and competitor listings and iron out the inconsistencies, but this was a lot of work and there will always be a delay when manufacturers make changes. This work is now done solely by the suppliers, to varying degrees of accuracy. Suppliers based in other countries will often have different listings for their home markets and not always understand market differences. A lot of Japanese vehicles made in Europe will have locally sourced components and replacements sourced from the far east will often be wrong. The alternator listed for the B2000 is likely to fit a B2000 somewhere. (Maybe just the one)

Alternators from each original manufacturer will be standardised where possible. Internals will vary only by the required output, but mounting brackets and shaft length may be customised for individual applications, as will the pulley. Often the only difference between listings will be the pulley, so aftermarket remanufacturers will list one for all and pulley supplied will be pot luck. Important to check mountings, connections and pulley before fitment as often pulley swap is needed.

 

[varesecrazy]

if you can,
1, take it back,

2, strip off the pulley and remove spacer,

3, if it's a ribbed belt,
try and shuffle it around so it's as straight as possible, whilst still driving on as many flats as possible..!!,

Charlie

 

[fingers99]

FIAT have been known to change pulleys while leaving the rest of the alternator the same. What happens if you fit your old pulley?