I have a mitsubishi express 2005 sj fitted out to a campervan.
the mounting bracket of the alternator, which unfortunatly is a part of the engine block, has broken down.
becuase its a part of the engine, and its kind of a material the cannot be welded, the mechanics say i need to replace the all engine, which is really expensive and frustrating solution, and all this mess for a little mounting bracket.
can someone think of another creative solution that will help the car go for 6 more month at least without spending thousands of dollars?
Broken Alternator Bracket - Need to Change Whole Engine (?!)
Comments
Don’t know why you got negged, my old boss pieced together a motorcycle block with JB after someone nudged him and dropped the bike. Held up til he got rid of it.
Did they say what the bracket is made from?
Most materials can be welded by someone who knows what they are doing and with the right equipment.
Go to a mechanical workshop or workshop specialising in welding and ask them about welding up the bracket.
Cast iron as far as i know
It should be simple job for someone experienced in brazing or even MIG welding if it is made of cast.
A lot cheaper than a new motor.
thanks :)
i have some photos but i dont [sic] understand how to upload them here
It looks like you also don't understand how to use capital letters. Regarding your file uploads, go here.
sorry mr. almighty native english speaker
English writer.
If you only need 6 months then put in the highest capacity battery that will fit and buy a solar panel / battery charger and charge it every now and again.
Not sure how your comments apply?
They're suggesting to run the car without an alternator.
AHH now I see. Cheers
That’s what I was thinking. Will depend on how much night driving is done. A solar panel would be OK, but only if parked in the sun mostly.
Unfortunately some cars just have really stupid design flaws like this.
The mechanic needs to get a bit more creative and not take the easy way out. Sounds like he doesnt want the job - kinda like a tradie over quoting. Anyways, they could fashion up another bracket to support the broken one in place to sit the alt in there. Once seated correctly and aligned, weld it for extra support.
This.
It might also be possible to pull the A/C comp and then install an alternator. That will likely require fabbing of brackets and/or needing to use a different alternator though.
Get it welded back on.
I can’t see a weld being terribly effective if the engine isn’t removed, too hard to get decent access. If it’s going to be removed, might as well replace the block.
I would de-grease the whole area, then hose it all down
I hope it is cast and not die-cast
If you can get a picture of it, you can get a new rod of arc in there
But a good clean is the first thing I would do first, the welder would do that anyway,
that would save him/her having to do it
Ok, it is a cast iron block. The most common cause of this failure, is loose mounting bolt/s, and with acceleration the flex creation by the belt is quite severe. Loose bits equal broken bits.
It can be welded, but the correct process with heat treatment to avoid further cracking and failure means either the block is out and completely stripped which is about on par with a cheap 2nd hand motor, or it will fail due to a poor job with instu poor access. Block out, welded, machined, all as new. But expensive.The AC bracket may be an option, modify and build some creative bracketing, wiring and belting to suit, assuming it has a compressor that can be removed, ie you accept the trade off, no AC to gain charging. If nil AC now, then this is a good mounting point but again, a creative option.
Oh, it MUST have an alternator, S/panels help charge the battery, not replace a charging system.If creative yourself or have a metal guy mate that enjoys a challenge, using the oil filter housing and other engine block points of contact, make a new style bracket, extend bolts, change belt length and or alignment etc, as required, but it needs to be very strong. The belt tension especially under heavy loads will kill a poor design or weak materials/welds.
I retro fitted various pulley driven bits to some custom cars over the decades, and it can be done. If you are paying someone, that may be the crunch though, because as it may sound simple in principle, engineering wise it is quite complex to get it right. Time = money.
My advise, 1st, try the AC block mounting, or buy a wrecked cheap vehicle with came engine, and swap the long motor. Or, 6 months is not that long, bail out now.
could try some metal putty?
https://jbweld.com.au/
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