Hello all,
I purchased a 65 amp Balmar alternator with regulator a couple years ago and decided to get around to installing it. Therein lies the issue I ran into. The alternator mounted properly to the bracket but when I went to tension the belt something was providing resistance such that I could not move the belt to rotate the cooling fan. As it turns out, the cooling fan was hitting the mounting bracket on the engine. It seems that the fan blades protrude about 1/16" too far such that they hit the bracket keeping it from spinning (lucky I didn't try and start the engine - ouch that would have hurt). Either I was installing it incorrectly (quite possible) or there is some trick that I am unaware of to install it correctly. Fortunately the old alternator is still functioning fine. But it seems sad to let a perfectly good (and expensive) alternator sit in my basement unused (plus provide ample fodder for my wife to ask why I have so many "extra" boat parts just sitting around.
I have a late model A4 and as far as I know, the bracket / lifting eye plate is the original (I was only 2 when the boat was built - so who knows if it is "original"!)
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I purchased a 65 amp Balmar alternator with regulator a couple years ago and decided to get around to installing it. Therein lies the issue I ran into. The alternator mounted properly to the bracket but when I went to tension the belt something was providing resistance such that I could not move the belt to rotate the cooling fan. As it turns out, the cooling fan was hitting the mounting bracket on the engine. It seems that the fan blades protrude about 1/16" too far such that they hit the bracket keeping it from spinning (lucky I didn't try and start the engine - ouch that would have hurt). Either I was installing it incorrectly (quite possible) or there is some trick that I am unaware of to install it correctly. Fortunately the old alternator is still functioning fine. But it seems sad to let a perfectly good (and expensive) alternator sit in my basement unused (plus provide ample fodder for my wife to ask why I have so many "extra" boat parts just sitting around.
I have a late model A4 and as far as I know, the bracket / lifting eye plate is the original (I was only 2 when the boat was built - so who knows if it is "original"!)
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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