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ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

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stevegsmith
Posts: 2666

Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

Post#11 » Sun Oct 21, 2012 7:00 am

Fernando,
That lower alt ear hole looks dangerously oblonged. Any alternator shop should be able to swap that housing out for you for cheap. Wasn't the original hole 10mm? Looks like a Bosch housing.
One of the main reasons for my bushing was to take out the loose fit and keep it from wobbling. Over time, I believe the loose fit leads to excessive wear on the bolt and ultimate failure.

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Fernando BR
Posts: 2085

Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

Post#12 » Sun Oct 21, 2012 7:47 am

Steve i do have the original alternator with interior modified to 75Amp , that was the higher AMP bosch guy arrived with original body and i use it on travels by now.
I am making experiences and bought this alt for US100 . The only way to fit the original belt was to oblong this hole . The cause is the body dimensions (diameter). It was touching engine bracket and the L bolt could not arrive to the end of the alternator support. So i oblonged this hole only in the alternator center direction and used a big double washer to keep bolt tight- very tight , no movements on alternator . of course offroading all is different . With 10 mm bolt i will need to take bolt out in case of change the belt ( not a big deal ). Thats the reason i loved your idea , a bushing with the oblonged shape should fill the space.....Anyway i am driving it only in the city and for experiences. A question: when the bolt brookes alternator will loose but wont drop , true? Damages?

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stevegsmith
Posts: 2666

Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

Post#13 » Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:36 am

Fernando BR wrote:Steve i do have the original alternator with interior modified to 75Amp , that was the higher AMP bosch guy arrived with original body and i use it on travels by now.
I am making experiences and bought this alt for US100 . The only way to fit the original belt was to oblong this hole . The cause is the body dimensions (diameter). It was touching engine bracket and the L bolt could not arrive to the end of the alternator support. So i oblonged this hole only in the alternator center direction and used a big double washer to keep bolt tight- very tight , no movements on alternator . of course offroading all is different . With 10 mm bolt i will need to take bolt out in case of change the belt ( not a big deal ). Thats the reason i loved your idea , a bushing with the oblonged shape should fill the space.....Anyway i am driving it only in the city and for experiences. A question: when the bolt brookes alternator will loose but wont drop , true? Damages?


You could try a bigger pulley too...or even changing the size of you belts. That would get you a little more adjustability with the L-bolt (which I'm assuming is the top bolt in the adjustment attachment). Otherwise, I would go with another alternator. It's really important for all of the alternator bolts to fit as tightly as possible.

How many amps do you need?

If one of the two bolts breaks, the alt will flop around and you'll hear a noise and will likely see your temps climb. There is usually enough time to react and shut down without incurring much damage. Usually.

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Fernando BR
Posts: 2085

Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

Post#14 » Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:51 pm

Steve ,
75 AMP was ok until i introduce the second AC electrical fan . This improved a lot AC function ( specialy when truck is at low speeds or stoped on urban rush) . The problem is that with high bean and AC on the alternator light started to get red , a very palid red but showing that battery is loosing. It use to happen in then past when the original alternator was 55 AMP . Stoped with the change to 75 AMP into the old alternator body , and come again with two fans. Multimeter shows 12,1V with AC on and high bean on at iddle , what is not ok. Electrical store Guy said its impossible to put more than 75 A on old alt body.
So I changed to the SAAB bosch wich was said fit on 300sd and 300D .

How much for one of yours bushings? My son has a PO in the US. I liked your work and want to try it.

Thats the way the Bosch SAAB (from us ebay) is now, lets see what happens . I inverted lower bolt direction to front / rear to protect it from the work i had to do in the hole overture and used a big front washer.Bolt and nut have better protection in the back...I hope! Pics.
Attachments
alt 5.JPG
alt4.JPG
alt3.JPG
alt2.JPG
alt 1.JPG

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stevegsmith
Posts: 2666

Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

Post#15 » Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:27 am

Hi Fernando,
My cost was $20. Send me a PM and we can arrange details.
steve

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syncro_G
Posts: 824

Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

Post#16 » Sun Feb 10, 2013 9:50 pm

I just installed one of Steve's improved delco housings on my wrangler alt.
it's nicely done!

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stevegsmith
Posts: 2666

Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification - WARNIN

Post#17 » Thu Dec 26, 2013 11:45 am

Update.

Well, the bushing we had made was nice in concept but too soft…..and the other mod may contribute. Christian's and mine failed at nearly the same time although I think I had waaay more miles on mine. Christian brought one of the un-used bushings to a machinist and had some steel bushings made. We're testing them now.

Looks like the hole wobbled out a bit then the vibration sheared the bolt. The major difference with the Delco alt mount compared to the stock Bosch is the top adjusting arm. With the set-up that Christian and I use, we just have one arm on the top/front so more of the vibration is sent to the lower mount…which could be the cause of the extra stress and ultimate failure…Christian? The Bosch adjusting arm is much more stout and likely deals with the vibration much better. We'll see how the steel bushing holds up. Either way, the other stuff was just too soft.

Dai and Fernando, check your alternator before a long trip.
Attachments
bushing 2.JPG
bushing3.JPG
bushing1.JPG

Suppatime
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Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

Post#18 » Fri Dec 27, 2013 1:42 am

Fernando, I'm using the Saab ALX--- alternator on my 617... never had any issues with installation, other than a tight fit getting the bolts through and swapping over the pulley...

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stevegsmith
Posts: 2666

Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

Post#19 » Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:17 pm

Suppatime wrote:Fernando, I'm using the Saab ALX--- alternator on my 617... never had any issues with installation, other than a tight fit getting the bolts through and swapping over the pulley...

Suppatime, please tell more and take some pics.

Suppatime
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Re: ACDelco Alternator body mount hole modification

Post#20 » Sat Dec 28, 2013 1:46 am

I'll take some pics tomorrow.

It's a Bosch AL-129X that came originally on the Saab 900, 115A. A rebuilt one came with the sale of my truck, but I had to get it in, replacing the factory Bosch 55A model (which simply didn't cut it). It was one of the first things I did trying to chase down some electrical gremlins (that and a new battery ground to the chassis... still having issues, and I think it's the ancient wires / horrible splicing jobs over the years / bad connectors.

In short, it took two guys and a lot of muscle to get it in place. Still, that was easier than unscrewing the nut to swap pullies from the Saab one to the Mercedes one.

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