i have a 90 rx7 non turbo and my alternator keeps getting really hot and breaking belts. i have already replaced the alternator because i thought the bearings inside the alternator were overheating and causing the alternator to get hot and break the belts. i was just curiouse if anyone had any suggestions on what else might be causing this to happen because i'm starting to run out of ideas and i need to make a three hour trip in two days because im moving to college.

 

if its an autozone lifetime warranty remanufactured unit you might as well get used to changing about four of them before you find one that will last more than a thousand miles. autozone and advance auto reman alternators and starters are made sooooooo cheap nobody would buy one unless it came with a lifetime warranty. if the thing is eating alternators you might be putting too much *** on the belt when you put it on. i know there should be roughly a half inch deflection from one extreme to the other. if you have the thing banjo tight you might wanna make sure you aren't cooking the bearings due to tension.

 

would it really be the alternator again? cause i just literally put it on about 5 hours ago and this happened to me two hours ago. i mean i thought they would last longer than three hours.

 

I dunno what you call "hot", but it goes get hot enough that you can burn your hands.
I doubt the alternator is getting hot enough to burn the belts.
It's most likely the pulley is warped or not center properly, or the tension is not in spec.


-Ted

 

i had a problem with that on my 91, not sure what the actual cause is/was, but to get enough tension to keep the belt from slipping it needed to be super tight.

the fix was a factory belt, the gates belts are like rubber bands, they stretch and flip over and do all kinds of weird crap

 

A factory belt is always a good idea the aftermarket stuff just doesnt seem to fit right.