Im going to raise this idea up the flag pole and see if any one salutes it. I was outside in my shop tonight Listening to my sweet ride. Looking at my nicely removed rats nest and newly found clean area. That when I saw the alternator I looked at my bling rotor housings and then to that POS alternator with the word misitbhshit...or whatever! and its fading color. I think to myself this thing is killing me i need to move it. Thats when it hits me. WHAT IF I take the alternator and move it where the air pump used to be. I know there might be a lil custom work but nothing me and my hobart cant handle. So has this been done? Can it be Done? Tell me what yall think?

 

I have actually considered this very same idea. I bet it would only require minor rewiring work, and would likely be somewhat easy to align the belt. Get real fancy, and add a double groove pully, no more worring about the water pump slipping.

 

Dudes, move it to where the AC used to be. That works well.

 

 

How about something like this?

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ght=alternator








https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.php?t=440933
the Group buy has already finished up. But you should be able to buy them from Pineapple Soon.

 

This car is my daily driver. Plus I live in Texas there is no way I could lose my AC its going to be 95 today.

 

Wuss.



If you put the alt in the Air pump location it will get very hot. I would bet on replacing it once every 6 months.

 

Looking at those pics with the alt relocated to the place currently occupied with the A/C, it appears the belt doesn't make much better contact with the bottom pulley than the stock setup does on the water pump. Still looks like a good chance for slipping the belt. Besides, I plan on keeping the A/C as well. It has been 95 to 100+ most every day for the last 4 weeks, and there is still another 4 weeks of summer heat left.
As for the idea of the alt getting hotter when located in the air pump location, I don't see it as being a problem. Sure, it will be closer to the exhaust, but the air pump has rubber hoses that run off of it. If heat was a major problem, they would have had a problem with the hoses melting. Anytime the engine is running, there will be air moving past the alt, same as it does in the stock location.

 

I've been thinking about moving the alt to the same place as the A/C compressor. I see how it looks now so I know I'm going to do it. Really cleans up the top of the engine.

 

It does make the engine look cleaner, but I still have my doubts about the belt slipping on the bottom pulley. I feel this slipage could be avoided by placing the alternator on the opposite side, where the air pump was originally located. The air pump belt was the primary drive belt for the water pump, with the alt belt as a backup. Moving the alt to the AP location would allow for maximum belt grip on all 3 pulleys, along with the ability to retain the AC.
Just my $0.02 worth.........

 

But, as mentioned before, the alternator would be getting TONS of heat where the air pump used to be.

I guess people have gotten weak these days. I've spent the last couple of months in Barstow California, where temps around 115 are commonplace, and I didn't use A/C ONCE while I was there (in a car). Roll down the damn windows, and you get more air flow than most A/Cs offer.

Now you may mention lost gas mileage. Yeah, I'm sure you would.

I can't exactly run this test in my RX7, as it doesn't have a computerized mileage calculator.

2002 Buick Regal GS: Digital Mileage Calculator/checker.

Windows up, A/C on, 70 MPH: 24 MPG, 85* interior temp
Windows down, A/C off, 70 MPH: 22 MPG. 86* interior temp

There's some evidence for you that there's no reason to use your A/C.

 

I think you may have gotten your on and off mixed around.

 

What's ya mean by that?

 

It looks like you're better off with the AC on...one degree cooler AND better gas mileage....and about the photos above...I can't believe someone had the $2400 spare change for that freakin fuel injection set-up...

 

there would be no slippage as long as the seperate yahoo belt was also used at the same time... The setup like that sure would look sexy and brings out the unique engine look, the alternator sticks out like a sore thumb the other way. But if you need to replace alternators every 6 months because of extra heat its not worth it.

 

My MoTeC setup? Including the ECU, hand controller, throttle body, manifold, injectors, wiring harness, fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator, etc., it cost me $700.

 

Have you watched the mythbusters episode where they actually test if its better to have your windows down without A/C or up with A/C? Tests using a computer hooked to the car to give instant gas mileage said what you said, better with windows up/ a/c on. But tests on a track with 2 equal cars, with exactly the same amount of gas showed differently. The car with the windows up/ a/c on actually ran out of gas 9 laps or so earlier than the other car with just windows down.

 

I was in the Army for 23yrs the first 10 as an M1 Tank crewmember, spent many of days at Ft Irwin,Calif and Ft Hood,TX, and in Kuwait and never was more miserable than at home at FT Polk, LA. If you live here you need AC or the humidity will drown you. I have AC in my 84 GLS-SE, 85 GLS-SE ,my 88 Conquest and even put it in my 75 Midget. I got my alternators chromed so they would dress up the engine bay. You can find them chromed for sale on Ebay, autozone. Women do not like to be hot, ruins there hair and makeup and make you miserable.

 

Exactly. Besides, I am old enough that if I want AC, then I will have AC, dammit.
I don't have any concerns about the heat killing alternators any faster. There wouldn't be any more heat on the dern thing than what it is subjected to already. Anyways, most parts stores sell alternators with a "lifetime" warrentee.
Just for grins, I used an infared heat sensor, and checked the temp of the alternator and air pump (unhooked) after a 25 mile drive. Less than 10*F difference, with the alt being the warmer one. Perhaps the cooling fan made into it has an actual purpose. The exhaust was slightly warm though, at 500+ when I got the hood open, but quickly dropped to under 400 while still running.

 

a buddy of mine with an fc took some kinda heat wrap but it was shiney...and wraped from the intake tube to the strut tower to make a wall seperating the header and intake tube (since there so close) and after a 1 hour drive on interstate and downtown stop and go traffic we pulled over and he showed me,, i put my hand behind the wall on the header side which was burning hot i moved my hand 2inchs over on the other side and it was acully cooler then the air temp outside the engine bay.!!! i could just do this if im worried of heat since he proved to me it was that big of a difference....

also like Rogue said LIFE TIME

 

So has anyone actually done this? I'd really love to hear some feedback on this move, such as reliability, duribility, belt performance, etc...

Sorry to revive a thread like this, but my cosin were looking at it tonight and thought up the idea and i'd love someone to tell me how great it worked out for them!!!!

 

Here's how buddy Tim did it, looks pretty cool huh?:



Says it gives him much better belt contact so he doesn't need the yohoo belt. He still is using it the dual alternator set up, but even that probably isn't necessary.

 

Yep. Several people have moved to the AC location. Pineapple racing did/do sell a kit for that. I don't think that I have seen anyone move it to the airpump location, but it should be fairly easy to do. You would probably need to make a heat shield to protect the alt from the heat of the exhaust manifold, though.

 

Two issues with relocating it on the air pump side of the engine; heat and balance. If you stick it over on that side you will need to shield the alt from the intense heat of the headers (I'm assuming headers because you had better have done that before even contemplating moving the alt). Also, now all the weight from the intake and exhaust are hanging from the one side of the motor. So I think putting it where the AC or PS pump was is a better location.

IMHO I think that the balance and heat issues is why MAZDA put the AC and PS over on that side. The air pump isn't vital and could stand the heat better on the otherside.

Ray, thanks for showing my alt :-) I was able to purchase a Pineapple Racing bracket from a forum member to do that for like 60 bucks. Keep an eye out they go up on here and ebay every so often. I already had the dual belt setup from before and that solved my belt slipping at higher RPMs. I don't think I need it now but it was easier to keep it. So I went ahead and put two belts on it anyway. Works great and I've had no issues with it.

BTW, I had already depinned my engine harness and rewrapped it so moving the alt was pretty much a 20 minute job for me. Hardest part was getting the AC out and removing the old AC bracket.

 

I was just about to page you Tim