Fan misalignment - I gues...
 

Well, I did it... I order the parts, and tackle the 'replace alternator' task. Car is Carrera 95. It was really not that difficult to replace following the tech articles here --Thank you guys!!! I noticed that my fan is metal not plastic, as it is the fan outer ring-alternator support.
However... Here it comes... After I reassembled the alternator/fan/belts etc. everything is in place car cranks at once, and... The fan grinds against a spot on the bottom of the ring. I noticed this when I assembled the unit, before installing it in the car. I lose the nuts and shimmed then fan with a washer, that I discarded later on. Obviously, the belt tension is enough to pull the fan down and make it touch the ring. Is this a common issue?
How do I fix it? I notice that there is a high spot in the ring where the fan grinds against. Should I attempt to sand it down, considering that it did not touch it before?

Please help!!!

Enrique.

Enrique: Be sure you have the alternator properly seated in the ring. If it's "cocked" a little, the fan will hit the housing.

Good luck.

Scott

I wouldn't sand down the fan shroud. You need the clearance to be tight in order to develop a vacuum. I'd try loosening the fan belt a little. Also, as Scott said, try tightening down the alternator mounting nuts (top ones) to pull the alternator up and into alignment.

If the strap is over tightened it will make it rub. It can also be caused by something between the housing and the saddle on the engine. If it isn't nice and clean it can distort it enough to make it rub.

Alternator seating has already been mentioned. Look for magnesium bloom where it seats. That could be changing the alignment.

The last thing is the housing could be distorted. That will require you remove a little (Little!) bit of metal. A sanding drum makes it easy to remove just a little bit. As mentioned before: The clearances need to be tight. It is more of an axial turbine then just a fan so close tolerances are important.