I'm looking for advice from anybody with experience installing a Mechman HO alternator or anyone who has had accessory belt pulley alignment issues.
Background story is my original alternator failed, forcing me to charge my battery overnight just so I could drive to work in the morning. I wanted a plug and play replacement, but I couldn't find a remanufactured Toyota unit in stock anywhere and I didn't want to mess around with some random aftermarket brand. Mechman has a good reputation, and I figured a higher output wouldn't hurt since I will eventually add a second battery and more accessories.
So all that said, I replaced the alternator, did the "big 3" wiring upgrade, and installed a smaller serp belt to accommodate the smaller alternator pulley. Since wrapping everything up, I have this terrible belt chirp coming from the new belt on the passenger side of the vehicle. The belt tension is appropriate, everything is torqued to factory specs, and all components up front are relatively new OEM except my power steering pump (which is original @ 256k miles). I thought maybe it was the PS pulley, but that has never given me issues before, and when I remove the belt and check the pulley, it turns smoothly and quietly. I used a straight edge along the pulleys and found that they alternator pulley sits slightly deeper than the crank pulley or the PS pulley, and appears to be tilted ever so slightly upward. In my research, I've seen that you can use shims for alignment, but it just seems wrong to rig up something when I paid nearly $500 for the alternator.
Has anybody who used the Mechman alternator had a similar issue? If so, how did you resolve it? I'm looking for any suggestions, as I want to avoid unnecessary wear on the belt and other accessories, and the noise is obnoxious and embarrassing.
Thanks!
Background story is my original alternator failed, forcing me to charge my battery overnight just so I could drive to work in the morning. I wanted a plug and play replacement, but I couldn't find a remanufactured Toyota unit in stock anywhere and I didn't want to mess around with some random aftermarket brand. Mechman has a good reputation, and I figured a higher output wouldn't hurt since I will eventually add a second battery and more accessories.
So all that said, I replaced the alternator, did the "big 3" wiring upgrade, and installed a smaller serp belt to accommodate the smaller alternator pulley. Since wrapping everything up, I have this terrible belt chirp coming from the new belt on the passenger side of the vehicle. The belt tension is appropriate, everything is torqued to factory specs, and all components up front are relatively new OEM except my power steering pump (which is original @ 256k miles). I thought maybe it was the PS pulley, but that has never given me issues before, and when I remove the belt and check the pulley, it turns smoothly and quietly. I used a straight edge along the pulleys and found that they alternator pulley sits slightly deeper than the crank pulley or the PS pulley, and appears to be tilted ever so slightly upward. In my research, I've seen that you can use shims for alignment, but it just seems wrong to rig up something when I paid nearly $500 for the alternator.
Has anybody who used the Mechman alternator had a similar issue? If so, how did you resolve it? I'm looking for any suggestions, as I want to avoid unnecessary wear on the belt and other accessories, and the noise is obnoxious and embarrassing.
Thanks!
