Alternator Alignment

britinusa · April 02, 2017, 05:40:09 PM

Here's what I found.

Using a steel rule as the straight edge and the face of the Crankshaft pulley as the reference face....

Distance from straight edge to the belt near the coolant pulley 0.585"
Distance from straight edge to the belt near the alternator pulley 0.540"

Which I calc as needing the alternator to move aft by 0.04"

There might be a small bit of aft movement loosening the 4 bolts on the coolant tank/exhaust manifold, but I'm not sure until I loosen those bolts.
However, there is no shim on the inboard bolt of the mounting bracket, so moving the bracket backwards is not going to cut it.

So right now I'm working on moving the alternator aft by modifying the spacer in the mounting bracket.

KWKloeber · April 02, 2017, 05:57:38 PM

Paul

Did you happen to measure also from your street edge print to see's face of crank pulley) to the belt edge on the crank pulley.?

From your pic (Could be deceiving) it looks like your belt is riding way low in the pulley. Are you sure you have the right width belt? What's it look like on the other pulleys?

britinusa · April 03, 2017, 05:05:42 AM

Thanks for looking that close Ken.
Pulley pic #1

britinusa · April 03, 2017, 05:06:37 AM

Pulley pics #2 & 3

KWKloeber · April 03, 2017, 06:37:45 AM

Paul,

Can't tell much about whether the belt is riding too deep or not, without looking at pictures of the "belt side" of each pulley. Uhhhh looks like you're missing a belt there buddy. Did you notice/verify that (Discounting needing to shift a little) the alt is true (not tipped askew) and both belt grooves are in-line for all three pulleys? Looks to have been set up that way with proper doubles on the three I don't know the belt width/angle for those pulleys ( were you able to confirm it's a balmer?) -- maybe RC has the numbers. Confirm the belt mfgr/number specs against those numbers. also suggest Top Cog belts if you can match the required width/angle. On the Dayco website, you can plug in your specs, and it returns a list of belts w/ specs that meat or fall closest to what you're looking for.

KWKloeber · April 03, 2017, 06:51:28 AM

While you're poking around in all that area anyway, you might want to switch all your perforated hose clamps to the solid/rolled-edge type (AWAB or ABA). I have just switched every single clamp on my boat

KWKloeber · April 03, 2017, 09:03:01 AM

Paul

In your 1st alt pic, it appeared (could be just the angle of the shot or a fisheye effect) that the pulley is askew compared to the straight line of the belt. Did you also find that on your forensics? Do you notice wear/fraying on one side (top outside edge) of the belt profile?

britinusa · April 03, 2017, 10:40:39 AM

Thanks Ken,
I won't get back to the boat till Wednesday (or chance Tomorrow)

I have found a machine shop within walking distance of my home, so contacting them about new spacers.

The double pulleys were installed by a PO.

There was only one belt in place when we purchased Eximius

The belt on now was one of several on the boat as spares provided by PO, but all were different, so I choose the one that resembled what came with the boat.

I read Maine Sail's note about preferred belts and will revisit that.

Now remind me - I have a boat because I like to work on boats and occasionally sail - do I have that right?

Paul

KWKloeber · April 03, 2017, 10:48:25 AM

Ahhh yes, I recall the engine belt issue now. CRS.

The JOYS of boat (any boat) ownership. But just think, once you have it figured out on your own, IT'S DONE! And done correctly.

I've posted this before, but FWIW, my westerbeke distributor recommends and sells the Dayco heavy-duty Top Cog (top cog construction) belt. I've found it cuts down on dust and it reduces heat build up better than the bottom cog belt (haven't measure THAT <wink>.) What's the brand/number of your belt?

kk

Ron Hill · April 03, 2017, 02:19:52 PM

Paul : It sure would have been nice if you had told all of us that you had a double pulley setup in your first post!!!!!!!!!!!

My thought

britinusa · April 03, 2017, 02:30:24 PM

Ron, not sure why they are double pulleys would change anything? Especially as the forward most pulley is not used and I have no idea why they're there. Also, I have nothing that indicates that double pulleys are of any benefit or disadvantage.

Would it be any different if they were single pulleys?

Paul

britinusa · April 03, 2017, 02:34:23 PM

Quote from: KWKloeber on April 03, 2017, 10:48:25 AM
I've posted this before, but FWIW, my westerbeke distributor recommends and sells the Dayco heavy-duty Top Cog (top cog construction) belt. I've found it cuts down on dust and it reduces heat build up better than the bottom cog belt (haven't measure THAT <wink>.) What's the brand/number of your belt?

kk

Ken, as the belt could possibly be the incorrect item, I'm not sure how to reply ref the brand/number.

If the double pulleys were not original (I have nothing that indicates they are or are not) then I guess I couldn't just use the 'Standard' belt.

Confusion is on the flood again.

Paul

KWKloeber · April 03, 2017, 02:58:40 PM

Paul,

The double pulleys on the crank and the water pump ARE NOT OEM. Take that to the bank.

Re: the reason for wanting the info off the current belt, is just the more data I have, the more likely to figure out what's going on. For instance, if the number tells me it's narrower or a different angle than the OEM belt, it's a good chance that is one potential problem.

In my business it's called "multiple lines of evidence." No single one is necessarily conclusive, but all taken together.......

It looks to me that you MAY still have the OEM crank pulley, with a second pulley bolted on front of it (looks NOT TO BE SO on the water pump and of course the alt pulley.)

You're set up for dual belts to reduce belt slip, wear, dust, heat, given the higher capacity alternator, rather than a serpentine type belt. Like Westerbeke engine below.

k

mainesail · April 03, 2017, 05:09:03 PM

Quote from: britinusa on April 02, 2017, 05:40:09 PM
Here's what I found.

Using a steel rule as the straight edge and the face of the Crankshaft pulley as the reference face....

Distance from straight edge to the belt near the coolant pulley 0.585"
Distance from straight edge to the belt near the alternator pulley 0.540"

Which I calc as needing the alternator to move aft by 0.04"

There might be a small bit of aft movement loosening the 4 bolts on the coolant tank/exhaust manifold, but I'm not sure until I loosen those bolts.
However, there is no shim on the inboard bolt of the mounting bracket, so moving the bracket backwards is not going to cut it.

So right now I'm working on moving the alternator aft by modifying the spacer in the mounting bracket.

If your alignment is accurate to .04" you're in better shape than 98% of the boats out there. Clean the second set of pulleys and buy a matched pair of belts. Try to find belts from same lot # with consecutive serial numbers or darn close... install them and move on to more pressing issues.

britinusa · April 03, 2017, 05:48:21 PM

Quote from: mainesail on April 03, 2017, 05:09:03 PM
If your alignment is accurate to .04" you're in better shape than 98% of the boats out there. Clean the second set of pulleys and buy a matched pair of belts. Try to find belts from same lot # with consecutive serial numbers or darn close... install them and move on to more pressing issues.

Thanks Maine Sail!
It was your suggestion that I look at the alignment referencing the crankshaft pulley face rather than the wooden beam of the lower set of steps.
The wooden beam appeared to indicate the alignment was out by as much as 0.25" or even more, it is difficult to tell.

'Clean the second set of pulleys' - Am I OK with just cleaning them with a scotch scrubber?

I did just read up on how to measure the Cut Length of a drive belt, so I'll do that next drive down to the boat.

Thanks Guys, really appreciate everyone's input.

Paul