Alternator install

Okay, not to beat a dead horse again but I have my alternator installed finally! I used a 7/16" all thread stud in the outer/lower head bolt.It was the only hole that would give me room to clear the heater hose outlet. I used one of the bolt holes on the oil/water pump for the adjusting arm mount. I found two spring eye bushings that I didnt use and they were the perfect length to space the pulley out. Hopefully you can see it in the pics. Is there any thing I should worry about by only using those two mounting points? After running it last night it looked to be vibrating a little. Oh, and I had to drill out the mounting hole on the alternator for the 7/16 all thread.

 

You really need to stabilize the alt with solid spacers. It will shake the guts out of the alternator causing premature failure.

 

You defiantly need a strong bracket. At full load a 100amp alternator can draw up to 3-4hp.

 

The spring eye bushings still had the metal tube in it and it tightens up pretty good. Is that not good enough????

 

Vibration will lead to eventual failure.... 10hrs or 1000000hrs you don't know.

Anyway to change it out to a steel spacer? Like cut down pipe or even a stack of washers?

Also run the engine through the rpm range to check for any weird harmonics.

Other than that its a VERY nice setup. I have a stud mounted alternator as well with no issues.

 

All thread is not really very strong, and another problem area I can foresee here is that the alt housing is sitting on a bunch of sharp knives----the threads themselves----instead of the smooth shank of a bolt, as it would be in a correct installation.

If at all possible, change out the all thread, and add a front support to the mount bolt.

Right now, all the weight of the alt is cantilevered on that all thread, and the belt is adding load to that when it is pulling against the alt.

I agree with the prior comments about vibration----Sorry to be a naysayer, but IMHO this thing is designed to fail. Off roading will only make it fail sooner.

 

yes, you need a third mounting point. 3 is pretty much the min. number of points to achieve stability. hence the term triangulation. i guess if it was me i'd be looking to fab a point from perhaps a header bolt. Many factory cars have that. sometimes the engineers have good ideas

 

yeah and your plug wires will fry like they are...

 

I added a 12si a few months ago. I saw where a few guys were hacking out the original bracket to make room for the larger diameter 12si alt, but it just didn't seem to leave much strength.

So, I took a 1/4 steel plate and started whittling.

Revised pattern to fit my existing bolt pattern.





Rough fit. I did have to weld up a hole and re drill it and I flap wheeled the inside edge so as not to catch exhaust air from the alt fan, but all in all, it's holding tight so far.


I realize this doesn't help your situation other than I think you're probably going to have to do some fabrication work to accomplish what your wanting.

 

I bought an aftermarket wiring kit and it doesn't have any wires for the alternator. Is one wire from the back of the alternator to the battery all I need? I see a pulg on the alternator and don't have any connector for it. This may not even be the right alternator for the jeep but it was on it and working when I got it.
And yes, I'm going to make a third mounting point, powder coat the brackets and install some straight plug wires so that they aren't sitting on the headers.

 

I recently installed a delco style alternator on my 73- cj6. i believe it was for a 75- 78. It had one post out the back and a square/flat plug on the side. the post on the back simply wireed to the battery as the main charging lead. in order wire the leads on the side i just went down the the pick n' pull and grabbed the right connector off an old chevy truck. The connector had two wires of varying diameter. The larger diameter wire is the field wire and must be switched to acc. power ( If run to constant power it will drain the battery). The smaller diameter wire is for the idiot light that comes on in the dash board to tell you your car isn't running. I wired that to a light on the back of my jeep so my fellow trail monkeys could see if i was "dead in the water" and gear up for another heroic extraction

 

Wouldn't hurt to ground her too. Here's a blurry pic of mine after it was hooked up. Pardon the sloppy wire connections.



ORielys has the pigtail for about $3.

You'll notice a #1 and a #2 on the slots for that hook up. As mentioned, one goes to your dash and amp gauge and the other is a remote voltage sensor. Search the forums here and you'll find info on it as to which one, plus other good info. I just can't recall off the top of my head.

 

#1 - idiot light
#2 - remote voltage sense

 

Thanks guys!!!! I have heard of a one wire alternator and didn't know if I had one. I'll find an accessory wire and hook to it. I thought one of them was for the amp guage...........

 

Yeah, and there in lies another possible need as to wither or not you'll need a diode on your #1 wire.

 

If #1 is hooked to an indicator light, you should not need the diode.

 

Can I use it for the ammeter guage?

 

Yep.

 

The ammeter gauge would not be connected to terminal #1 or #2, it would be connected to the larger alternator output wire.

 

Pardon me then. I was under the impression the #1 was hooked up to the light and the ammeter.