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Windisch
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2014
Posts: 362
Location: Sacramento, CA 95822
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 Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2024 4:12 pm Post subject: 914 alternator adjustment (V-belt)? |
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OK, beautiful day here on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year (of the Dragon) in Suckatomato (the erstwhile capital of Californica), rain's gone at least for the moment and it's a bright, sunny day with temps high enough to comfortably work on 'Jezibel', my bright yellow '74 914 problem child.
Rolled up my sleeves and prepared to figure out why the alternator/gen light glows whenever I start the car...and continues to glow until after the car has warmed up a bit.
Checked the regulator (OK, alles ist Ordnung!), so that left the V-belt tension to blame as a likely culprit. YUP, reaching around to the V-belt's little hidey-hole space at the driver's-left front side of the engine, sure enough...the V-belt is clearly too loose (not QUITE Toulouse Lautrec, LoL,  loose but loose enough to cause the flickering ALT light anomaly).
Consequently, consulting my handy 914 shop manual, I found the 'TIGHTEN V-BELT' section and then located the hex bolt that holds the alternator in whatever position you wish it stay in. The only problem being that even with that hex-headed bolt loosened-up, I still can't budge the alternator to tighten up the slack in the V-belt...even after using some WD40 in hopes of getting the unit to move freely on its attachment.
I hesitate to go in there hammer & tongs and perhaps do some damage in my efforts to 'unfreeze' whatever seems to be unwilling to move on the ALT bracket, since getting to it for serious work is a 'drop-engine' procedure, sooooo....
Anyone ever had a problem like this with their 914's alternator adjustment? And if so, how does one resolve an unwilling-to-move-freely alternator (engine in car) without resorting to fearsome curses and impassioned whacking blows? Any insights would be most appreciated, of course, and 'Jez' would be eternally grateful, I'm sure!
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1973 Standard Beetle, 1974 VW/Porsche 914-4, 1.8 liter
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Der Volkswagen ist ein Ausdruck der deutschen Kultur der Allrad Art ...
[The only irrefutable evidence we have that intelligent life truly exists elsewhere in the Universe is the fact that so far it has NOT contacted humanity...] |
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airschooled
Air-Schooled
Joined: April 04, 2012
Posts: 12729
Location: on a bike ride somewhere
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| Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2024 1:35 pm Post subject: Re: 914 alternator adjustment (V-belt)? |
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There is a secret 13mm nut on the underside of the alternator that needs to loosen in order for the alternator to pivot.
Once that's loose, loosen the 6mm allen, push the pulley down by hand, and snug the 6mm. Last is the 13mm tightening.
Bently, et. al. are a little ambitious with belt tension. I like a little looser than spec to preserve the alternator bearings.
A loose belt usually slips at high speeds, not low RPM. Glowing charge lights mean a dirty connection or bad diodes in the alternator.
Robbie
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Windisch
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2014
Posts: 362
Location: Sacramento, CA 95822
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| Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2024 3:36 pm Post subject: Re: 914 alternator adjustment (V-belt)? |
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| airschooled wrote: |
There is a secret 13mm nut on the underside of the alternator that needs to loosen in order for the alternator to pivot.
Once that's loose, loosen the 6mm allen, push the pulley down by hand, and snug the 6mm. Last is the 13mm tightening.
Bently, et. al. are a little ambitious with belt tension. I like a little looser than spec to preserve the alternator bearings.
A loose belt usually slips at high speeds, not low RPM. Glowing charge lights mean a dirty connection or bad diodes in the alternator.
Robbie |
Robbie! Thanks a heap for that information about the 'lower' 13mm bolt that must be loosened before the top (adjuster) carriage bolt is loosened to move the alt. I was aware of that lower bolt but didn't realise that it had such a 'death grip' on the adjustment process. My car is a bit lower than standard (i.e. lower than with standard OEM tyres), so getting under it is a beeyotch. I thought I could avoid putting the car up on jack-stands, but changing the trans oil AND (apparently) getting to that lower 13mm bolt will require it, I guess! Thanks for that clarification. It may seem a trivial detail but to someone struggling to move a balky alternator, it is a MOST helpful bit of advice! Cheers, mate! 
PS: Maybe I'll just install a new V-belt, while I'm at it. Fortunately, I am clear on how to do that (now that the lower 13mm bolt's part in the whole process is affirmed).
_________________
1973 Standard Beetle, 1974 VW/Porsche 914-4, 1.8 liter
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Der Volkswagen ist ein Ausdruck der deutschen Kultur der Allrad Art ...
[The only irrefutable evidence we have that intelligent life truly exists elsewhere in the Universe is the fact that so far it has NOT contacted humanity...] |
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Windisch
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2014
Posts: 362
Location: Sacramento, CA 95822
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| Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2024 3:38 pm Post subject: Re: 914 alternator adjustment (V-belt)? |
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PS: Dear God, please it NOT be bad diodes in the alternator, LoL! 
_________________
1973 Standard Beetle, 1974 VW/Porsche 914-4, 1.8 liter
----------------------
Der Volkswagen ist ein Ausdruck der deutschen Kultur der Allrad Art ...
[The only irrefutable evidence we have that intelligent life truly exists elsewhere in the Universe is the fact that so far it has NOT contacted humanity...] |
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