Alternator Mounting

[Guest sparks]

Morning Everyone,

 

Below are a couple of pictures of how I have currently mounted the ford sierra alternator.

 

Is this suitable or does anyone see any problems?

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Mark

[spg]

How do you tension the belt. The strap fit to the water pump look like its supporting the altinator bracket

[enforcer]

That's what I was wondering too. The adjuster bar to the water pump doesn't look like it serves any purpose - how have you mounted the lower alternator mounting? This is where you would get any adjustment to tension the belt from

[Guest Dan_Beeston]

Hi Sparks,

 

I mounted my alternator low like yours (to clear exhaust/steering shaft etc, the fun bit is making a lower rad hose as it has to go through the centre of the alt belt to the water pump!

 

It does look like you adjustment bar isn't doing anything.........

 

I've fabricated another bracket that's bolted to the main alt bracket and sits over the alternator, there is then a bar that drops through this and picks up on the original tensioner mount on the alternator (which is on the bottom left corner once the alt has been swung down there)

This bolt pulls the alt upwards, thus tensioning the belt.

 

It's not pretty (made from various bits of angle and bar welded together) but has worked fine for the couple of thousand miles since the car was built, hasn't gone out of adjustment and the alt doesn't hit anything else!

 

I can try & take some photos or knock up a dodgy powerpoint diagram if it would help?

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

[Guest sparks]

Hi,

 

I have tried to work with what I currently have without sourcing another alternator and pulleys, so effectively a proper, may be inappropriate and inadequate bodge, which was reason behind the posting.

 

Lower mounting not used, belt is tensioned by moving the whole alternator and tightening up the bolts.

 

The alternator currently does not move, and belt is tensioned.

[Guest Dan_Beeston]

I'm much the same, couldn't be bothered sourcing a different alternator so just made the mahoosive Ford one fit!

 

Have you run the engine up yet?, I suspect the belt won't stay tensioned long once you're running, you will be generating a significant anti-clockwise moment about the main mount that will try & loosen the bolt, and once the engine starts vibrating I don't think it will last long.............

[Grizzly]

Looks OK to me Mark, but I'd turn the bracket around and put a bit more of a step in it.

That way, it would be flush up to the water pump housing and adjusted at the alternater fixing point.

I'd also use some hefty washers on the adjusting point nut, to keep it from moving.

I remember struggling to find the best solution in this area (I'm still not sure I've found it )

Some people have put the alternator above the steering column.

Are you going to run the bottom hose through the belt or underneath it?

If you go through and the belt were to fail, it's a drain down - Probably not what you'd relish on a roadside.

You could consider twin belts?

The belt doesn't have to be too tight, it's only driving the alternator & water pump.

As has been said, as long as it's all solid and not screeching, it should be fine.

I'll post some pics of my setup, if it'll help - Let me know.

[Guest Dan_Beeston]

The issue people have spotted with the adjustment strap is that both ends are fixed relative to each other, so you can't actually use it to tension the belt?

 

As Grizzly says you may well get away with it if the alternator mount is locked up tight, as the belt isn't doing all that much work.

 

If you are planning on running an electric fan however..............(mine puts a lot of load on the alt when it kicks in)

 

Mind you, even if you running a viscous fan, this is driven off the belt............

[Guest Dan_Beeston]

Oh yeah, nearly forgot.......

 

I think you will have to run the lower rad hose through the belt, which does make it a drain down job if/when you have a belt failure.

 

For this reason I run 2 belts (using alt/crank/waterpump pullies (pullys?) from an injected pinto)

[spg]

I made for want of a better decription a large C spanner with a short handle.

one end of the c went to the altenator piviot point and the other end to the old tensioner pick up point on the altenator (thread hole). The handle then connect to the origianl tensioner. I'll get some pic tonight it'll probly make sense.

[Guest sparks]

Hi Dan & spg,

 

Pictures would be great help if you can post some.

 

Didn't really want to run hose through belt, Steve in stockport has managed to run his hose underneath, was hoping to mount alternator and radiator like his but looking at the pictures he has posted, the alternator bracket looks different to my casting one.

 

With regards fan have not made my mind up whether to use sucker or blower, probably depend on how much room I have once rad is mounted and plumbed in.

 

Dan, how does the two belt system work? and pics if possible please

 

 

Cheers all

[Grizzly]

The bottom hose on mine goes underneath the belt. It doesn't matter whether you opt for a sucker or a blower. What DOES matter though, is that the air goes through from front to back and that it's sufficiently cowled in order to force as much air as possible onto the rad. I'll post some pics of my setup tonight. 3500 miles to date and no issues.

[Mat-Moo]

I understand what Dan is saying... basically your alternator has one mount point, but it requires two. One to pivot on, and then one for the tension bar. They way you have it, there is nothing to create tension on the belt.

[Guest Dan_Beeston]

Mega high tech diagram of my setup!:-

 

 

I couldn't get a very good photo as it's hard to get at (and my crappy camera makes everything look rusty!) but you can make out a bit of it here:-

 

 

You can see the new bracket above the alternator, the curved section is fastened to the block with the main alt bracket. The rest of the new bracket is made from angle for stiffness and is actually sat on top of the cast bracket, so the alt is pulled up rather than the bracket being pulled down.....

 

The bolt that pulls the alt up (there is another little bracket on the alt for it to attach to) is underneath the steering shaft in this pic

 

You can also see the twin belts running on double pullies, you would be surprised how much load an electric fan will put on your alt, plus you have to account for worst case (main beam on etc)

The higher spec Sierras had twin belts as they have greater electrical loads (electric windows, engine management with high pressure pumps etc)

 

Hope this helps!

 

Dan

[Guest timswait]

Sparks, you'll need some sort of tensioner. Bolting it up tight won't hold it for very long when it's being run under load and subject to vibration it'll very quickly come slack. Something like Dan or spg have done is what you need, the alternator needs to be held at two points, it'll rotate around one.