Car Keeps Munching Alternator Bracket Bolts

[ashley peddle 3]

My car has gone through 3 bolts in the last 2 weeks... (the bolt that you adjust to change the tension of the belt)

 

was just on my way into work and the light has come on again so its a suspected 4th bolt (only put it on sunday night!)

 

can anyone suggest a reason to this? or how to stop it from happening?

 

im considering buying a pack of long/thin nuts and bolts and doing it that way - i can get it to the right tension and then put another nut on it to make sure the bolt dont come undone (although the 3rd bolt didnt come lose - it snapped in half!!!)

 

help

[Anthony 1,003]

Is the bracket bent, hence putting excessive side-loading on the bolt?

 

Only other time I've seen this is when the engine bracket that the larger bolt goes through had worn oval, allowing the alternator to twist and work the adjustment/tensioning bolt loose.

[ashley peddle 3]

i did notice that there is a small crack in the alternator mount that holds the alternator onto the block...

 

idealy i need to replace the mount and the bracket?

[elrikos 0]

you are tightening the nut and bolt that locks off the adjuster plate arent you? that'd put a lot of strain on the long adjuster bolt and probably would knacker it in short order.

[littlemike 0]

Yeah make sure that you're tightening all the alternator bolts up once you have set the tension of the belt.

 

There's one that goes sideways on the little bracket right where the bolt that keeps breaking off is, another at the other end of the long bracket that goes from your broken bolt down to the block, and then make sure the large mounting bolt on the top of the alternator is tight too. There shouldn't be any load on the adjuster bolt once it's set and all clamped up.