Hello all,

Im running a 2l blacktop zetec and I have now just knacked alternator number 3 in the last two months! It appears that the vibration of the car is shaking loose components in the alternator or bits of the electrical side fall off it.

IT IS DRIVING ME MAD

I can't belive I'm the only one to have this problem.

What alterntors are other people using?

The engine mounts aren't that stiff so I can't see it being them and all the alternators have been brand new units.

The alternator on the xflow engine I had in originally never went wrong so why should this?

All advise welcome

ATB Mark

Very common to over rev them.

When speaking to Dunnell They said there was two choices, Live with the fact you will need to keep replacing a standard part or get a proper motor sport item.

As I Doubt mine will see many miles a year I have taken the first option.

If that's the case then surely you could change the pulley size to drive it a bit slower, got to be cheaper than a motorsport jobby.

I run a s/h Mondeo unit, 5.5K miles later still fine. Running standard pulley size for crank and alternator so should be running correct rpm ( I think that's right..). I use a Spyder mount.

Yup, fit a bigger alt pully, or a smaller crank pulley. Or both...

I use a Daihatsu Charade 1.3 alternator. I had a 6 rib pulley the same size as the original daihatsu one made for me. Over 4000 miles (inc. 7 track days)and no problems yet.

I'm running a silvertop alternator from a mundao on the standard blacktop mundao mounts. Not quite a perfect fit but close enough.

Must have done 3/4000 miles and no problems so far...

Hi the most common problem for the alts to shake them selfs apart is when people mount them on the inlet side halfway up the block is that where yours is ?.

And no need for a mega expensive motorsport one either.

Cheers matt

procomp.

thats exaclty where it is, whats another alternative?

The pully is off a sierra so it is already about 3 times bigger than the normal mondeo pully,

Is there away to stop the vibration going from the engine to the alternator, like mounting it with some sort of bush, like the renault 5's did.

ATB

Mark

Hi i have always foud that when mounted there they are prone to vibration. I mount all mine down at the bottom below the water outlet using the standard CVH bracket system assuming that your engine mount allows it of course.

cheers matt

That's very interesting, mine is located under the throttle bodies & has already snapped a 8mm mounting bolt which I have now increased to a 10mm stud. I shall have to keep an eye on it.
Cheers
Ian

Mine is directly under the TBs, too. No problems so far....