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  #1   IP: 73.162.100.138
Old 07-12-2022, 08:29 PM
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TheMoose TheMoose is offline
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Alternator Arm Support Arm Position

After looking through all the threads I could find and hawking every A4 video I could watch that showed the alternator side of the engine, I am still not 100% sure which side of the alternator the support arm is supposed to be attached to.

The 360 on the homepage of the MMI website shows the support arm forward of the alternator mounting hole (a.k.a. alternator adjusting lug),
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The A4 used for the MMI YouTube videos such as the ignition timing and tune up kit show the support arm aft of the alternator mounting hole (a.k.a. alternator adjusting lug)
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Hoping to confirm why the alternator support arm is mounted in different positions. Does it not matter? Is there a preferred position for the support bracket; aft vs. forward?

Here is a picture of my current set up:
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I have installed the alternator tensioner per the instructions (which show the support arm forward of the alternator) and have tightened the belt up so its nice and snug with maybe a 1/2" of play, but it still looks like the belt is kind of "wobbly" and not tracking perfectly.

Note: I checked alignment with a wooden dowel and the pulleys seemed lined up, although its very tough for me to see as I can't get a good direct view of the sides of the engine.

Note: I gave the pulley's a good yank by hand while changing the belt and they felt solid, no play or looseness observed.


Lastly, here is a link to a 1 minute video showing the engine running with the new belt and alternator support arm (please let me know if you see/ hear anything out of order): https://youtu.be/tYAkRQwTIMI

Am I just paranoid and it's working perfectly fine? Or is my head in the right place and I should work to get the belt running more smoothly?


Thank you very much to Don and everyone on this forum, I have learned so much about my engine from reading through the threads, as well as the tech tips and instructions published on the website.

Looking forward to any thoughts or words of wisdom
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  #2   IP: 162.245.50.226
Old 07-12-2022, 10:23 PM
Dave Neptune Dave Neptune is online now
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Welcome to the forum. Your installation looks correct as you want the load (belt) and the arm as perpendicular as possible for strength. The bit of wobble is no biggie as the old drive pulley is no longer in it's prime.

Dave Neptune
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Old 07-13-2022, 11:02 AM
B Moyer B Moyer is offline
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Alternator location

The fore and aft location of the alternator is established mostly by the placement and condition of the lifting eye bracket. It's usually the case that the support arm will fit more comfortably on one side of the mounting lug on the alternator or the other. The important consideration in this regard is how close the alternator belt ends up being to the distributor cap. If the belt threatens to rub on the distributor cap, you can usually get a little movement on the alternator by loosening and re-torquing the head stud nuts, or (with somewhat less risk involved) remove the alternator and bend the lifting eye bracket support arms a small amount away from the direction of the distributor cap. The arms on the lifting eye bracket are not all that strong.

Hope this helps answer the discrepancy in the 360 engine shot on our web site vs. the YouTube video.
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  #4   IP: 73.162.100.138
Old 07-13-2022, 07:35 PM
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Thank You for the words of wisdom, Dave Neptune - certainly learned a lot from reading your posts over the years. Glad to hear that bit of wobble is standard and nothing to really worry about.

B Moyer - thank you very much, that does answer the question of why the support arm is in different positions on same model engines. Its not that it doesn't matter, but the support arm position may be either forward or aft of the alternator adjusting lug on any A4 depending on the condition/ position of the alternator pivot bracket.

The original support arm I replaced with the tensioner kit had probably a 10 degree bend at the end of it, so I wouldn't be surprised if the pivot bracket has been bent too, possibly in the wrong direction.

Glad too know I'm on the right track - time to go sailing before starting the next project

-Mike
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