2.3 SOHC alternator woes, need input please

YungICY · Jul 7, 2017

So I have been having the worst time when it comes to the alternator on my 85 2.3. In the 5 years that I've owned my truck (2 of which it was under construction and pushed off to the side) I have been through like 6 or 7 alternators that have all failed in 1 way only.

The style of mount I have (pictured here) I believe to be the culprit.

The issue seems to be that I have to pull the alternator so tight against the belt to keep it from squealing (and yes I've replaced the belt several times) that it puts too much strain on the bearings in the alternator and wears them out prematurely. The latest one lasted maybe a month and is now starting to go out once more.

What options to I have for putting a different style mount/ alternator on my truck or are there any tips/tricks to solving this issue.
And simply because more info is better, the truck only has water pump and alt ran on one belt. No p/s and no a/c.

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RonD · Jul 8, 2017

What I found is this for belt layout: http://i.fixya.net/uploads/images/2_15_2012_2_17_25_pm.jpg

So alternator(upper right) has a good wrap around for belt grip, looks like more than a 50% wrap with no P/S pump, as shown in drawing

The squealing is probably coming from another pulley so either it has a bearing issue(too hard to spin) or the pulley surface is Glazed.

Whenever you hear fan belt squeal that means a pulley is being Glazed, it is getting a shiny smooth surface from fan belt slipping at that spot, Glazed area is like ICE to a fan belt.
New fan belt will also start to squeal when it hits the Gazed spots over time.

So when replacing fan belt that was squealing you also need to rough up the pulley surfaces.
Use scotch brite, emory cloth or other abrasive on pulley surfaces, to get rid of glazing

Also paint can provide a good grip for the belt, so painting the pulley surfaces it a good idea, smooth metal does NOT provide a good grip for the belt.

Friction is the only way a fan belt can work, it doesn't have teeth like timing belt does.

Clean and paint crank pulley belt surface, it looks like the most likely place to squeal, with just water pump and alternator accessories.

And putting on a P/S pulley, just the pulley, would be a good option, that long distance and angle from the alternator to the crank would make belt tension high on alternator adjustment

YungICY · Jul 8, 2017

Thanks Ron. As always, good info. I always thought it was the belt itself glazing over but that makes perfect sense that it would be a pulley and probably not the alt pulley. When I put this last alt on I also replaced the belt with it and it didn't squeal at all for a week or two then all of the sudden squealed like crazy so it definitely makes sense for it to be one of the other pulleys causing an issue.

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ericbphoto · Jul 9, 2017

You might want to check your water pump. If it's bearing is failing, that might be the pulley that is squealing. There is no reason that you should have to tighten the belt so much that it damages bearings. With 50 percent wrap on the alternator pulley, it should be last pulley to slip.

Eric B

Mark_88 · Jul 9, 2017

I had the exact same setup on my 1988 2.0 and it squealed like a pig...

I even replaced the alternator and that one squealed worse than the other so I took it back and tried belt dressing...that actually helped but may have been the lube I sprayed on the tension roller...

I've heard the belt dressing doesn't work and soap only makes it slip worse...so you might try RonD's suggestion and clean the pulleys up...certainly won't hurt.

I never actually did clean the pulleys myself but it is recommended more than belt dressing so try cleaning first...if that doesn't work then it may be bearings on the water pump or other if you have power steering or A/C.

YungICY · Jul 9, 2017

Yeah I'm definitely going with sanding the pulleys first. The water pump was replaced when I rebuilt this motor roughly 4k miles ago so it's unlikely that the bearing is going out but if sanding doesn't help than that will be the next suspect.

And I don't think it's the alternator pulley itself squealing but pulling the alternator tighter pulls the belt tighter against the other pulleys that are squealing main suspect being the water pump that gets less than 25% wrap.

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RonD · Jul 9, 2017

One thing I forgot to ask about was the Fan clutch, are you using one?

And is it working as it should, not on full lock up?

Direct drive fan, no clutch, might cause the squealing because water pump fan belt contact is not that much, so the added force needed for fan blades could be an issue.

YungICY · Jul 10, 2017

Yeah I'm using a factory style clutch fan. I don't believe it's locked but but I'll need to verify for sure.

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2.3 SOHC alternator woes, need input please

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