Thanks to all who offered advice on replacing my alternator/water pump
belt. I finally got the new one in by lifting the block a little,
levering the crankshaft pulley back a little, loosening the steering
rack bolts and applying some dish soap. Still, it was a fingerbuster.
Alas, it may have been for naught, and that's what I need some more
advice on. I was replacing the belt because I was replacing the
(apparently dying) Lucas alternator with the Bosch unit from the Ford
Fiesta that several listers suggested. After the belt odyssey, I was
really looking forward to firing her up and seeing that gauge read a
good solid 13.5 volts for the first time since I bought the car six
years ago. But it was not to be. The needle almost made it to 13, a
little better than before, but with the lights and heater on dropped
back to 12 and even a little below. A major bummer.
Here's the pertinent info: The Lucas alternator that was in the car
when I bought it, according to the receipt I found, had maybe 5,000
miles when it died and left me on the side of the road. I replaced it
with another Lucas rebuild from TRF; it always struggled and with
perhaps 2,000 miles was starting to dip toward 11 with the lights and
heater on and I thought: ok, this time, I'm not waiting until I'm on the
side of the road, and ordered the Bosch.
Now I'm not sure what to do. The 3 main connectors on the Bosch matched
the Lucas exactly, and I made sure I had good contacts. Charging level
seems not to vary much between idling and driving around town (which I
did in vain hope that the needle would climb). Is it possible that my
ground is bad? Where exactly DOES it ground (through the tension bar
thing?). A couple of years ago I went all around the engine bay and
cleaned or replaced every electrical connection I could find, from wire
splices to fuseholders. Of course, there are plenty I couldn't see or
get to.... Anyway, the only other pertinent info I can think of is that
the Bosch has an unmarked and unexplained blade connector tab with a
bolt and nut, in addition to the tab for a noise suppressor.
Any suggestions, however unorthodox, are more than welcome. The car
seems to run ok but I'm afraid I'm just going to keep burning out
alternators.
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