New clokker-inspired junkard greatness: Adjustable (FD) Alternator Bracket!
 

One thing that has always bugged me about the fc is the lazy ass alt bracket. Its like the real engineers went to lunch and let the interns design it. Lets consider its qualities:

- Weak
- Easily tweaked/deformed (which contributes to alt bearing and belt failures)
- Doesn't hold tension for shit (leads to low alt voltage, the last thing fc electrical systems need)
- Works poorly w/ the double belt alt pillows most of us consider mandatory
+ Its light and simple

I've always wondered why we didn't get an adjustable bracket like the fd, cosmo or any other well engineered car. I even inquired about obtaining a cosmo bracket from forum members, but most stay w/the long block, or the alt if that is sold separately.

The Solution:
While at the yard for other items, I found an alt that resembled an fd unit w/ bracket attached, it looked the party so I picked it up. Unfortunately, although it fit great, it was about 1cm too short even at max adjustment. (Bear in mind this is on am fd alt, I would imagine it works fine on an s4/s5 unit)

On my next trip I happened to glance into an Toyota Camry engine bay w/ alt removed, and saw a bracket that looked similar but taller...hmmm. Got it home and it was like it was meant to be!

Pics coming soon...

interesting perhaps this could work for a taurus alt as well. would definitely be better than having to make a ghetto addition to the stock bracket or a whole bracket from scratch. any chance you are able to test the fitment with the taurus alt? otherwise what year/engine camry so i can test it out?

So are you using an FD alternator? Or does it simply resemble the FD alt bracket?

lets see this thing

The OP uses an FD alternator. I'm curious to see what he has come up with.

Okay thanks, was confused a bit at first.

I'm interested. The FD alternator doesn't have a threaded hole like the FC alts, so you end having to put a nut on the back side too. I always have to get someone to hold the prybar under the alternator while I get two wrenches on it.

Would this work with the larger Taurus alternator?

I'd like to see some clokker inspired blurry, out of focus pictures.

Followed by a wordy explanation of why it seemed like a good idea but didn't quite work out.

^
Pff... just take a look at any of my threads.

Oh, that's right. For instance :

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/alternator-belt-tensioner-pictures-977947/

In the end, it still works, but kind of sucks at the same time. It needs some more clokker-style finagaling, then it'll really be out to lunch. Or, maybe it'll work better. :lol:

Sorry for the delay, apparently google+ doesn't like to let you grab pic url's via phone, but I digress...
It should, the stock bracket is plenty long enough, I won't be testing that personally because the Taurus alt is hideous and will never be a part of my engine bay :lol:

Just for you...

Stock bracket next to the camry bracket.

***Please note, the bracket was originally silver in color with a galvanized looking finish, I painted the bracket black before taking pictures, so if you go look for one, don't expect it to look like this***
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-M...AE/s884/12+-+5

Installed.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U...DA/s884/12+-+4

Side view.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-p...yQ/s663/12+-+2

Back side attachment. I wasn't using the stock bolt, because as RotaryRocket pointed out the FD alt does not have a threaded hole, so it was long enough to fit, however if the bolt you are currently using is just barely long enough to fit through the stock bracket and FD mounting ear you will need to source a longer one....no biggie.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g...k4/s884/12+-+1

Fitment is close to the front mounting bolt, but not dangerous. Not sure if you can see in this pic, but I added two 5/16 (iirc) washers between the waterpump and the back side of the bracket to space it out a little. In retrospect, I don't know if this is really necessary.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-X...mk/s884/12+-+3

bracket
 

My late fd alternator bracket sits a little closer 2 that bolt :(
and it did not clear my strut bar without some mods.

Very cool, one more thing to put on the shopping list.

looks good what year and model camry did you find this in so i can grab one to test with a taurus alt

One additional note:
In stock form the bracket fits fine (although it sits a little higher than stock). I have a sexy style vented hood and the adjustment bolt on top hit the lip of the vent which dips down above the alt.

I remedied this by re-drilling the bracket mounting hole roughly 1" higher and .5" further outside. This dropped the bracket to the height of the alt and clears my vented hood. This would not be necessary w/ a stock hood, but some might prefer the asthetic appeal of a lower bracket.
pics to follow....
I am currently refinishing my Infini strut bar, so I havent tested that yet, it looks like it will be very close indeed. Not that it matters much since the infini bar doesn't clear the hood....yet:wink:

Don't recall exactly, but im pretty sure it was a mid 90's 4cyl, because there was a lot of room in the engine bay and the bracket was pretty far forward on the pass side.

I think I may have found it in the Camry '92-'96 parts catalog. It looks like it's the right shape.

Brkt, Alternator Adj., PN 12514-74012, $7.29

I'm guessing it was 7 bucks in 1996, but maybe it's still cheap. I'll call up the local Toyota parts dept. to see. I don't have any junkyards nearby.

http://www.turboninjas.com/camry/gen3_part_list.pdf

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1337881402

http://www.toyotapartseast.com/parts...ator-belt.html

i found it and its still cheap 8.20 brand new. they probably would charge just as much from a junk yard.

I just ordered one from Toyota for $14 w/ tax. Not quite the $8.20 you found it for, but at least I don't have to pay for shipping (picking up on Saturday). If it's wrong, I'll just return it on the spot.

Time to hijack this thread!

I tried to fit an fd alternator to my s5 na... Its not stock i bought a reman from aap. The back of the alternator is hitting the front housing hook. Is it the alternator or i did something wrong or it fits turbo model perfectly but not na?

I am going to send my stock s5 alternator for a rebuild and upgrade soon, and i already returned the aap alternator. Just curious thats all.

I could see it hitting there. The engine lift point on an S5 NA does have to sit forward a good amount to clear the UIM. S4 NA sits back more and the TIIs have the intercooler bracket instead.

Nice finds! hopefully that's the right one, it certainly looks the part. I actually paid $10 for mine from the junk yard, but that particular yard is run by a bunch of rip off artists. It would have been $2-5 at the yard I prefer to patronize.

As promised, here are pics of the OPTIONAL modifications I made to my bracket to clear my vented hood:

Its hard to tell here but I scored the top portion of the bracket to figure out how much adjustment range I could afford to chop off. I don't remember exactly how much it was but it was more than 1".
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-O...RM/s884/12+-+1

I then took that measurement and marked that far up from the top of the standard mounting hole, I also moved the hole about a 1/4" outboard to make sure the bracket didn't hit the CAS since the curved portion of the bracket would sit lower.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-b...Ts/s884/12+-+2

I mounted it up and it fit fine just like that, but I went back and cut off the bottom portion of the bracket because it just looked silly.

I really like this solution. Beautiful find. This will come in handy when my car is back on the road someday, lol.

Update.

I just picked up my bracket, and it is indeed the same one. But I found that Toyota, in their infinite wisdom, sells the slider piece and adjuster screw separately.

Bolt: 90080-10223, $1.48
Slider: 16385-20010, $8.83

So now I'll have to wait for those to ship in. The guy also told me that the bolt has been discontinued, so there is a limited supply still available. But from the look of it, it's one that could easily be found at a hardware store.

I Dig it! Doing this when my engine comes back.=)

These are the threads i like to see.

Just wish i would have seen it yesterday because i just got home from the junkyard, and could have picked up a bracket for myself.

Just awesome.. I like these type of finds, using parts from other cars. =)

Anyone installed this yet?

I deffinetly am when i get my motor back from being rebuilt.this is sick

bookmarking thread.

Great info!

Sharingan,what alt are you using?when i bought my s4 fc,belt was so loose i could almost take it off by hand!haha..well,not really haha.has new alt on,belt looks suuuuper stretched...couldnt tighten anymore because it was as far as it could go on the bracket

It's already been stated that he's using the FD alternator. The pulley from the FD alternator can't be used, since it's meant for a serpentine belt. Therefore, you either have to bore out the FC pulley or buy an aftermarket pulley. He just so happens to be using an aftermarket one from Japan2LA. If it's an underdrive pulley, it's hardly small enough to prevent the stock tensioner from picking up the slack. You probably bought the car from a jackass who put the wrong belt on it. It happened to me too, but it was fixed right away. That's what you get for buying a car from jackasses. :)

The only aftermarket belt that anyone should ever buy is Gates. They are the only company that gets my endorsement for aftermarket belts. Every other brand sucks, hands down.

Hahaha,I'm the one that feels like a jackass. And hell yea,ill look into those belts. Thanks Agreen!

I've seen you state this before, so I have to ask - why? I've been pleased with Goodyear Gatorbacks as I pretty much have always used them. I was not impressed with Dayco. I'm not quite sure what parts stores around here even stock Gates.

Gatorbacks and dayco topcog have always worked best for me. Belts w/ teeth on the inside edge seem to squeal more in my experience.

I'm not sure why belt companies feel the need to add those "teeth" to the inside. It's stupid really. I think of it sort of like this: Brittle fracture occurs when there's a low fracture toughness, high tensile stress, and a pre-existing flaw. Well, it's rubber, so #1 is already out of the question. It's under tension (hopefully) so there's #2. Adding those teeth give it the pre-existing flaw, so it only aggravates the situation.

I've used Goodyear Gatorbacks. While goodyear makes good rubber obviously, their design incorporates those teeth. But wait! Theirs have those gimmicky diagonally cut teeth!! They're notoriously hit or miss. Some have luck, some don't. It's most likely because they have mixed a quality rubber with a shitty design, which allows it to hold up longer before eventually the design gives way and it starts to squeal. I also was an auto technician for a few years, and believe me, the only belt that I've used with any luck was Gates. Dayco belts are absolute GARBAGE, and any house-brand belt like Duralast, Valu-Craft, Master-Pro, etc. are in the same boat.

But in order to really understand where I'm coming from, you'd have to put yourself in my shoes. Imagine a customer walks up to you and asks you to not only install a belt, but also guarantee your workmanship for 12 months. Any good garage will stand behind their work for at least that long. Now, imagine that they're so cheap that they go out and get a Dayco Poly-Cog belt from AAP because the sales guy behind the counter said that it has the best "grip", and it's the cheapest. So, you're thinking... ok, we'll save this guy some money and install the belt. 3 months later, it comes back, squealing its ass off. So now you have to remove the belt, give it to the customer, he takes it back to AAP to get a new one, he finally brings it back to you and you are now wasting your time installing a part you wouldn't want to stand behind in the first place.

I learned this years ago, and had to re-live this story once again when a friend of mine did that to me 3 years ago. He wouldn't spend the extra money for a Gates belt, even on my recommendation. I reluctantly installed it. A month later I got a phone call because his car was overheated, on the side of the interstate. I went to the parts store, bought a Gates belt, drove to his car and installed it. Charged him $100 and told him if it ever broke again that I'd personally buy him another belt and drive to him to fix it.

So the moral of the story here is: Buy quality parts, do it right, or do it twice. What if it's your only car and the water pump belt breaks? Now you're walking your happy ass to the parts store to get a new belt. Yeah, the cheap belt has the warranty, but for an extra $10, you could have gotten the Gates belt that will not break. That's something I can stand behind.


Jerry, I know O'Reilly sells Gates, but as for your local area, I have no idea. If you're cool with the guys that work there at the parts store, you can get them to stock certain things for you. For instance, they didn't normally stock WIX oil filters for my Rx7, Audi, or the Cx7 that I have. They keep just those in stock for me now, just because I'm in there all the time and don't want to lose my business. Discount parts stores can get quality parts, you just have to know what brands to look for.

Okay, you don't like the design of the teeth. I was just curious, as I'd seen your endorsement of only Gates belts before. With such an adamant endorsement, I'll look around for Gates when my car gets back on the road.

Never seen these gates belts anywhere, but I'll ask at Oriely's next time I'm there.

Back on topic I went by the yard yesterday and verified that the alt bracket came from a 94' Camry.

I still gotta pick up one of these to test with the taurus alt. hopefully its not shitty all day tomorrow so i can take a drive over to pa and hit the junk yard.

Did you happen to see any more while you were there?

...youre kidding right? That is quite possibly the MOST common car on earth, well at least in junk yards. There are at least 5 in every yard in america at any given time.

I don't have any junk yards within half an hour of me, just figured I'd ask before going, since we're probably going to the same yard anyways :lol:

The one back home would keep all kinds of random cars I've never heard of, but wouldn't stock much common stuff. They had at least 5 or 6 fc's and probably more fb's, that place was great!

I'm installing a Taurus alternator per chwkrx7's write-up, and adding this Camry bracket at the same time.

This far, I have encountered a substantial problem in that the bracket will have to come out at least a centimeter for it to work properly. As the modified factory bracket that chwkrx7 ended-up using technically sat a few mm's further out, and that the adjusting block on the Camry bracket is inboard of the base of the bracket, this isn't surprising.

The only solution I have come-up with is washers to space it and a 100mm bolt. I might end-up using a 110mm stud if there isn't enough thread engagement into the end housing. We'll see...

That, and the adjustment block and travel slot on the Camry bracket need to be drilled out to properly mount the Taurus alternator. The 'upper' bolt fits a M10 really well, but drilling the adjuster block out to accept a M10 shank might intrude on the adjuster bolt. And I can't find a M8-M10 sleeve, unless tension on the bolt head and nut will be enough to secure the upper side of the alternator.

This is added to my worry about the mounting solidity. chwkrx7 simply mounted the alternator to the water pump housing on the single narrow ear. I don't doubt that this work well enough when using the modded-stock bracket as that creates a rigid mount. But using the Camry adjuster bracket introduces a good deal of looseness in the upper mount, relying on belt tension to keep it secure. Again, this is something that will have to be mounted and checked.

Good info! Thanks for providing that. I hope you are able to come up with a solid solution and come back and document it (hint: pics) when you do.

This does however add to my list of reasons why I dont like the taurus alt, (somewhere between 'its hideous' and 'its uneccessary'). If you don't mind me asking what setup are you running that you need 20 extra amps?

It's not so much that I need the extra amperage, it's more that the Taurus alternator is much cheaper than the FD unit. The FD piece would well cover the engine, lights, and e-fan, but I want to add auxiliary lights later (be they in the bumper or...elsewhere)

As I said, I'll have to see how it works out.

And why is the Taurus alt ugly? I think it looks pretty good in there.

Good news and maybe not so good news.

The adjustment block can be drilled out to M10 diameter without interfering with the adjustment bolt. However, the steel the bracket itself is made from must be an alloy of unobtanium. I ruined a drill bit and destroyed three grinding bits, but the slot finally did widen enough that the bolt passes through.

And yes, it seems that I will need a 110mm or longer stud to mount the bracket. this might put the bracket out far enough that it blocks the path of one or more belts. If it's the AC belt...the AC doesn't work anyway. It might be the alternator belt itself though. Again, I'll have to go back out and check. I'm just in the house letting the PB' soak into the fuel tank bolts.

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/...cketdetail.jpg

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/...ormounting.jpg

Methinks I will need to take material off the adjustment block and the large ear on the alternator.

I am officially calling the Camry bracket + Taurus alt a no-go.

The modifications necessary to make the Camry bracket work with the Taurus alternator are simply too great, a much better alternative would be finding a suitable adjuster bracket from a different car. But it is doable. I report that the mount is fairly solid where I have it now.


Here it is bolted in. Well, I need to adjust some washers but this is 'final position'. As it stands, the lowest 2cm of travel on the adjuster are unusable as the alternator contacts the water pump housing underneath. The slot for the adjuster's travel needs to be widened. A M8 bolt is loose in the Taurus alt and a M10 is too big for the adjuster. The adjuster block can be drilled out to M10 without interfering with the adjuster screw. Be prepared to ruin bits and grinding bits on the bracket though, the steel is very tough.
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/...cketheadon.jpg

The bracket must be straightened in order to fit properly. Putting the bracket more than a few mm's out from the pump risks interference with the alternator belt. My attempt at cutting off a portion of the Taurus alt's larger mounting 'ear' does work to a point. However, the inside of the adjuster bracket interferes with the structure on the front of the alternator. You can see where I cut away the alternator's large ear. It ended-up being far too much, about 5mm should give the bracket enough room.
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/...etstraight.jpg

Lastly, the bracket will interfere with the crank angle sensor and must be suitably notched. I ended-up using a 90mm bolt on the bracket's lower mount, but only because the threads on the old bolt looked a little soft after cleanup It needed a few washer to not bottom out, 85mm would be best if you can find it. This is a 'stainless mandatory' fastener IMO, like the rest of the WP bolts.
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/...otchdetail.jpg

As I said, not the 'best' solution, but it can be made to work. You must simply resign yourself that you will never use this alternator as a core ever again. Make sure you have a good alternator shop within driving distance.

I apologize for the photo size, I could have sworn I reduced them. Photobucket is about as graceful as a basset hound working a stripper pole.

The photo size is fine.
So, this bracket is an easy fit on a "closer to stock" alt (FD/626, etc.) but looks kind of cranky for the Taurus unit...all in all, not bad.