Weird Alternator Problem
 

Hey Guys

I went to replace my fan belt and when I removed the outer pulley half I noticed this groove that had been worn in to the square mounting on the alternator shaft. Can this be filled in with some type of epoxy or liquid metal or do you think I need to replace my alternator?

Mike

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1276900853.jpg

That's part of the fan.

I have the same problem with mine and ended up installing 2 pins in the holes of the fan that stick out and grip the pulley.
It may not be concours....but it works, and the pulley does move in relation to the fan.
Bob

i've carefully welded them up and reshaped with a file and disc grinder. gotta take it off first. the outer pulley half was loose and will need to be replaced of course.

Is that steel?

Thanks for the feed back. Does any one know what type of metal the fan blade is made of?

I believe yours is made from an alumninum-magnesium alloy.

Tom

even the hub?

The hub is steel.

Curious.... What causes this groove to appear?

from NOT putting the pully on correctly, the washers cut into the fan shaft and wear over time.

is it also worn on the opposite side of the fan hub?

also i think the fan hub is softer than the steel pully half?

and it should take a temporary fix with a 2 part epoxy

Mine is only worn as seen in the picture. It not worn all the way around. Mine was assembled like in the picture below only I had three washers on the outside and none on the inside. I know there should be a total of 6 but some post state it's not an issue to have less. Other than this how else can you install the pulley incorrectly?


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1277168186.jpg

Aus,

It's been some time since you posted this, but....

I am currently experiencing the same thing. I believe the cause is not the washers, but the pulley rocking back and forth. So in other words, it has enough wiggle room (maybe the shims do wear a little over time) to move, so that means it is not being captured completely by the nut.

So some things that could cause it:
1. worn shims - get new ones
2. using wrong number of shims - there should be 6
3. incorrectly installed cup washer - I am trying to verify this, but like in your diagram, it looks like the flat part of the cup washer should be pointing out. On my car it was installed flat facing the alternator.
4. incorrect aligmment of belt pulleys - make sure the fan housing is installed correctly. There is a dowel pin on the engine case that pokes out and is supposed to slip into a notch on the fan housing.
5. not related to what caused your problem but an issue that has come up a few times on the forums are complaints of the Porsche (goodyear) belt being too tight. I had an "opportunity" to order both and try both on installation and noticed a big difference. The conti is much easier to install. I took measurements and found the ID of the Conti to be 706 mm and the goodyear to be 693 mm. I also had a Dayco belt and it measured 709 mm.

Good luck.

AlfonsoR,

Great suggestions. Thanks!

Mike

Can anyone confirm which way the cup washer should be facing as your are standing at the back of the car looking at the alternator ?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1281396161.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1281396196.jpg

Thanks.

Mike

It should go in like picture #2

First of all ...some very bad info floating around in here.....you ALWAYS fit 6 washers....those you do not use between the pulley halves go under the mounting nut over the outside pulley half. NOT doing this allows the removable pulley half NOT to get real tightly attached to the fan half of the pulley, and will cause exactly the wobble-wear you describe around the rounded-end rectangular male piece. I challenge also the statement that some say you don't have to use all 6 shims. If you do a search you will find most credible people ( like the shop manual, or Bentley manual) will say to use all 6.

Thanks James. That's what I thought but none of the diagrams are very clear. Also, since that is how I have always put it, on the only remaining problem would be the number of washers. I never understood why your need 6, but as Will explained, it makes sense.

For the repair, I decided to try the JB Weld option first. It took three applications and filing to get it flush but the outer pulley half fits very tight now.

Got everything back together. It took shims 5 on the inside and 1 on the outside. It is running great. We will see how long it lasts.