IN WITH THE NEW!

1 An easy swap?

Did later models of your engine come with an alternator? If so, a direct swap may be possible. We couldn’t get a genuine alternator, but these genuine brackets got around our problem with the lug.

2 Pivot and spacers

Use a longer bolt or threaded bar, plus stout steel tube, to mount the alternator so that its pulley is in line with the other pulleys on the engine. This will take some amount of trial-and-error fitting.

3 Fine adjustment

Use washers as shims for fine adjustment if necessary. File a little off the front alternator bracket if you need to. If using a long bolt/threaded bar, fit a spacer tube to avoid bending or breaking brackets.

4 Adapt tensioner if needed

With the positioning and pivots sorted, see if you can reuse the tensioner strap. You may have to make or adapt one. You can perhaps use a straight strip of steel rather than one shaped in a curve like the original. You may have to fit a spacer or bend the strip to get it to line up between the engine block and the tensioner lug on the alternator. Make sure it’s parallel to the arc of movement of the tensioner lug.

5 Tightening your belt?

Will the old fan belt still fit? If not, find out its length by measuring the circumference of the inner side, (not the outer) and try a size up or down. Sizes are often in part numbers – eg XYZ900AB is 900mm.

6 Wire the alternator

Now adapt the wiring. Remove the wire(s) which ran to the brushes of the dynamo (no longer needed).

Find the warning light wire (see wiring plan of car, but usually connected to D on the regulator) and extend it to the warning light terminal of the alternator (usually marked 61, WL, etc). Note: the terminal marked ‘W’ on many alternators is used for a tachometer, especially on diesel-engined cars.

7 Rewire or delete regulator

Retain the regulator as a junction box: take main output wire of the dynamo which ran to D+ on the regulator and connect it from A (or A1) on the regulator, to alternator output terminal (30/ B/ B+).