348GTS with Nippondenso Alternator: The 348 started screeching a few days back - slipping fanbelt syndrome. Jacked it up and, armed with a new fanbelt, went to replace the slipping one. It turned out to be the alternator drive belt. During the examination, I found that the LOWER alternator bracket was broken and the alternator was just held in place by gravity and drivebelt tension. Thought I'd read something about this on the forum (angelis & co.). Searched and, to my surprise, found the common problem to be UPPER bracket cracks! Ordered up a lower bracket from Ricambi America (again, fantastic fast service from Daniel!) and also an upper bracket just in case (Eurospares - also excellent service!). Then the saga unfolds......... After unbolting everything, I decided to replace the top bracket as a preventive measure - photos show that this was a good measure as it was about to fail. Fitted new lower bracket and then offered up the alternator and went to insert the lower long bolt. However, there is a bracket on the engine block which just prevents correct alignment of this bolt. I could have eased it in with a plastic hammer but it would have stressed the EXACT part which had failed! So I guess someone in the car's past had been confronted with the same situation and "gently tapped" the bolt through the bracket eye. I ended up removing the lower bracket completely and fitting it with the bolt in place (you can withdraw the bolt enough to fit the alternator, but you can't remove it completely. Then went to fit the top alternator bolt and found a large washer which meant that the alternator was effectively in metal-to-metal contact without the load path being routed via the rubber bush. The correct washer must have a diameter less than the bracket "eye" so it butts up on to the sleeve in the rubber bush and doesn't touch the eye. Mine's all fixed now, but you might like to check your setups at the next convenience knowing that the brackets are made of Fragilium-Unobtanium alloy. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Nice fix. Man that looks like Ferrari used cheap metal for the brackets. Would they be embarrassed if I took some broken Ferrari parts to my next factory tour in Italy?
Cast aluminium? Dunno mate. How cheap can that get? Must be an issue with the way its mounted/vibration perhaps if there is an issue with the top mount cracking/breaking? I dont know, never really thought about it. Untill it happens to me...............*touch wood*. Thats when they will say.................*noooooooo speaka de englisia!!*
