Siezed Alternator

BonceChops · Unread post by **BonceChops** » 21 Jun 2006, 18:05

Has anyone ever had a siezed alternator?

My car ( 2.1TD Xantia ) cut out at the roundabout at the end of a motorway slip road last Friday afternoon. It would not re start and was turning over very slowly. I towed it home and noticed the aux drive belt had jumped a couple of teeth on the crankshaft pully. When I slackened off the belt I found the alternator was siezed solid. I replaced it and the car is fine again. I have never heard of one siezing before.

jeremy · Unread post by **jeremy** » 21 Jun 2006, 18:12

I'd have expected the bearing to rumble for some time before siezing solid! Didn't it make any noise at all?

PowerLee · Unread post by **PowerLee** » 21 Jun 2006, 18:43

Seen one sieze before, Bearing was well gone & the shaft was floating about inside the housing once it was off the engine.

bxbodger · Unread post by **bxbodger** » 21 Jun 2006, 22:16

My old Maestro had one seize- it got noisier and noisier with a strange whirring noise and I hoped it'd make it home-it didn't, the noise turned to a screech, and the fan-belt went due to the bearing suddenly seizing solid.

AndersDK · Unread post by **AndersDK** » 21 Jun 2006, 22:30

Tried it on my '86 CX22TRS.
I'd noticed the alternator was noisy with engine idle - hood open for service. No noise while driving.
Only a couple of days later it rather suddenly began to knock. Limbed home and had a stall right before turning into my driveway

Starter could NOT crank engine

Generator was seized solid - and hot

Released the belt tensioner and removed belt - engine cranked happily.
With generator out - scenario like PowerLee's.

Unread post by **Peter.N.** » 21 Jun 2006, 23:38

I had one sieze on a Perkins 4.108 diesel engine and burnt my hand on the pulley!

BonceChops · Unread post by **BonceChops** » 21 Jun 2006, 23:38

I had a slight rattle and was looking into prices for the tension rollers thinking it was them. It is now nice and quiet so it was obviously the alternator.

Unread post by **RichardW** » 22 Jun 2006, 07:42

I had one seize on a BX TD - it too stalled the engine and it wouldn't restart. It had been noisy for about 20,000 miles before that though, and REALLY noisy the week before. Still, got an exchange even though it was solid

Clogzz · Unread post by **Clogzz** » 22 Jun 2006, 12:46

And on a Renault 4.

The charge light stayed on after starting, and had to switch off to release the bearing by turning the pulley in the other direction.

Happened several times, then got a new bearing from a machine shop, and that fixed it for good.
The workshop manuals of the era were warning against tight fan belts because they were causing the bearing to wear, but no talk ever of seizing.