On Sunday I noticed the ammeter going back to zero while the engine was on and the battery needed charge. The belt was spinning the alternator. Last night I noticed that the alternator had slipped down on the adjusting arm, so that the alternator belt, although in place, was very loose. This belt is a 25" motorcraft, only a week old (but it's been a long week for this boat!). When I tightened the alternator to the max. extent of the arm, the belt was still too loose for my taste. I have a single output alternator which was installed by a shop around 1995.
1. Can the alternator spin, maybe with a slightly loose belt, and generate too little output voltage to be useful?
2. I have always used a 25" belt. Is it practical to go to a 24" belt to get more tightness at a lower position on the arm? I have the Moyer alt. arm attached to the Moyer water jacket plate with welded on bracket.
3. I like to set the belt so that along one side of the belt there is 3/4" of play. That is, I can wiggle the belt from a position 3/8" to the right of it's normal position, to 3/8" left of it's normal position. 3/8 + 3/8 = 3/4, right? How much freeplay should there be here?
4. Besides length, what parameters guide the selection of a belt for the Atomic 4?
Thanks,
Marty (moored in Beverly, MA)
1. Can the alternator spin, maybe with a slightly loose belt, and generate too little output voltage to be useful?
2. I have always used a 25" belt. Is it practical to go to a 24" belt to get more tightness at a lower position on the arm? I have the Moyer alt. arm attached to the Moyer water jacket plate with welded on bracket.
3. I like to set the belt so that along one side of the belt there is 3/4" of play. That is, I can wiggle the belt from a position 3/8" to the right of it's normal position, to 3/8" left of it's normal position. 3/8 + 3/8 = 3/4, right? How much freeplay should there be here?
4. Besides length, what parameters guide the selection of a belt for the Atomic 4?
Thanks,
Marty (moored in Beverly, MA)
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