suspendedHatch

I have a 90 Si, the PS and AC were removed by the previous owner. I was thinking about relocating the alternator since it's such a pain to get in/out of the car. Extending the wiring is of no concern to me, but I would need a custom alternator bracket fabbed up that would allow adjustment and hopefully allow me to use the same sized belt. Anyone at least mildly interested or can someone think of a reason why it's a bad idea? Probably need my car to do it on so it would have to be near San Diego, and if you have any idea of a price range...

Wes V

Shawn;

I've also thought about this! I've got a B18C in an 89 hatchback. No AC or PS.

I've thought it would be a good idea to mount the alternator on the "front" side of the engine. It would be a lot easier to service and you wouldn't have to "clearance" the frame rail.

About the only draw-back I can think of would the heat put off by the headers. A simple heat shield should solve that.

You would have to figure out what belts are available in that length range. My guess would be to look at power steering belts. My engine never had the PS, so I don't really know.

It would also allow you to step up to a larger alternator with more output. (not sure what options are out there)

It may be a good idea to look for an old Place Racing AC mounting bracket as a starting point for fabricating. (if running a B motor) They are metal and you could just weld on the brackets required for the alternator pivot and adjuster.

(I love the "cause for alarm" page!)

Wes Vann

suspendedHatch

Thanks for the input. 2AM last night I overlooked the necessity of a heat shield. I have a D series. The alternator is already charging in the high 14volts, and there's no big stereo system or accessory equipment. I hope that I could reuse the stock alternator belt. So the only thing now is just to find a fabricator around here that doesn't say "I don't do automotive".

Wes V

You could make the belt a lot shorter due to the fact that you would mount the alternator as low as possible, to keep it away from the header. In my mind, it would just about be horizontal from the engine crank centerline.

Fabing up one wouldn't be hard, but you would need a block with crank and pulley, out of the car. If you have a bare block, I don't think you would have problems getting a local shop to do it. (I live in L.A.)

Depending on how low it's mounted, you may also want to think about having a water splash shield.

(while I have you on the line, I've got a question; How long should a standard Honda battery be able to hold a Bosch relay closed before the charge drops below being able to start the car?)

Wes

rjay8604

I did this on my 87 civic with a b16a. The alternator was bitch to access in the back and of course that frame rail was an obstruction. We made a very simple bracket that bolted where the AC used to and the other bracket bolted to the other AC threaded holes. We used like 1/8 thick mild steel strip that can be bought at true value. It was waaaaaaay easier to work on than on the back of the engine. And it used a normal belt size, i believe a 30.5" belt, which would have "305" somewhere in the part number.

ManBearPig4silly

It should be pretty easy to do. I wouldnt really worry about the heat issue. On my h22 it sits right up there anyway. Its even closer on my 02 se-r. There is actually a dent in one of the exhaust manifold primaries so the alternator clears.

jweller

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Wes V &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
while I have you on the line, I've got a question; How long should a standard Honda battery be able to hold a Bosch relay closed before the charge drops below being able to start the car? </TD></TR></TABLE>


Even the big automotive relays are only using 50 - 100 miliamps of curent to hold them open. Assuming a fully charged car battery, I'd guess it would hold the relay open for what ammounts to forever. Or at least longer than you would store a car with the battery connected.