# Endless troubles with alternator belt & battery charging **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** belts, batteries, alternators\ **Created:** [March 14, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788 "2008-03-14T13:33:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cappy208](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cappy208/32/31_2.png) [@cappy208](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cappy208)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/21 "2008-03-18T13:17:16Z")
or course there are Capri enthusiasts! i have always wanted to go there to vacation… on the Isle of Capri. what were YOU talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Strasnuts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Strasnuts](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Strasnuts)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/22 "2008-03-18T13:43:42Z")
OOHHH I thought you were talking about the car of Capri ---
**Author:** ![Strasnuts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Strasnuts](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Strasnuts)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/23 "2008-03-18T13:50:30Z")
I would rule out the connections. Your biggest amp draw from the alternator is right after you start the car. ---
**Author:** ![Strasnuts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Strasnuts](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Strasnuts)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/24 "2008-03-18T13:56:39Z")
I would have to agree with Vogelfish. I would replace the battery. It has already suffered enough from dying and recharging. If your battery has discharged all of the way and left in the cold, it will never be the same. If you have bad cells it might be not charge to full capacity, in turn, the good cells are telling the alt. to stop charging. ---
**Author:** ![willey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@willey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/willey)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/25 "2008-03-18T15:47:42Z")
There is a recall pertaining to this problem. The recall number is 92B09. This is the information… October, 1992 TO: All Lincoln-Mercury Dealers SUBJECT: Owner Notification Program 92B09 Capri Alternator Drive Pulley and Belt Replacement OASIS - YES OWNER LIST - YES PARTS RETURN - NO PROGRAM TIMING - NO LIMITATION AFFECTED VEHICLES Certain 1991 and 1992 model Capris built from February 1, 1991 through January 28, 1992. REASON FOR THIS PROGRAM An incorrect alternator drive pulley and belt may have been installed during assembly. This could lead to belt slippage, belt failure, and a discharged battery. To correct this condition, dealers are to replace the alternator drive pulley and belt on affected units. REFUNDS Only for owner-paid repairs made before date of Owner Letter. ---
**Author:** ![UYRPartner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/5f9b8f/32.png) [@UYRPartner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UYRPartner)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/26 "2008-03-18T18:20:25Z")
Steve, I had the same type of problem with a 2002 KIA. The belts would squeak, put new belts on and the same thing would happen. Try this. Put a voltmeter on the battery. It should be around 14 volts with the engine running. Turn on the lights, ac etc reading should be still 14 volts; if not your alt is bad. In my case loading down the alt caused the belts to squeak, the alt had a bad regulator UYRPartner ---
**Author:** ![sbjohnston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@sbjohnston](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sbjohnston)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/27 "2008-04-23T19:36:15Z")
In desperation I developed a theory that the real trouble might be the water pump, which is driven by the same belt as the alternator. I removed the pulled from the water pump and measured for a new belt that just drives the alternator. This set-up seems to work fine for charging the battery - of course I cannot run long as the water is not circulating. Replacement of the water pump on this vehicle requires removal of the right-wheel, the right engine mount, covers, and timing belt removal (!), and this seems beyond my backyard repair capability. So I’m going to try a remote inline electric water pump on a radiator hose to restore cooling and abandon the old water pump in-place. Steve ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/28 "2008-04-23T22:10:08Z")
There is a Mercury Capri technical service bulletin called Article No. 92-6-10, dated 03/11/1992. You should get it. It has instructions to replace the alternator pulley and belt. The alternator pulley was too wide and had the wrong profile on Capri built from 2/11/91 to 1/28/92. The alternator pulley, on your Capri, could be the wrong type. A vendor could still be installing the wrong pulley on new. or re-manufactured, alternators. This could be so even if your Capri build time is outside the stated period. The correct alternator pulley # is F2JY-10344-A. You may have to go the dealer to be sure to get the right pulley (and belt). The correct belt must be a cogged belt. The recall on the pulley (and, belt) might still apply. Call the Mercury dealer, or the Mercury office. Have your VIN # handy. Willey gave you the recall number 92B09. I suspect that the wrong alternator pully and belt are on your alternator (Yes, the replaced one, also)\> ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a87d85/32.png) [@wizard](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/29 "2008-04-23T22:53:41Z")
I have read most of what has been said here to try and solve your problem, and they are all good soloutions. I will tell you one more thing to try. Get an old metal coat hanger, cut it and straighten it out; then try to feed it inbetween the pulley and the belt (in the “V”} at the alternator. If you can’t get it all the way through to the other side, then the belt is bottoming out in the “V” pulley and it will slip, causing problems such as you have mentioned. As it get hotter, the more it will slip. You can also look at the belt in the pulley and see if the belt sets above the edge of the pulley, if it is below, the belt is no good for your application. You may have to buy another belt that is slightly wider and slightly longer to make it fit correctly. The above is a very old trick that I learned from my father as a teenager and as long as there were “V” belts around I used it to fix the porblem you are having and problems with A/C. (It is an old one because I remember the Big Bang) Let me know. ---
**Author:** ![cappy208](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cappy208/32/31_2.png) [@cappy208](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cappy208)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/30 "2008-04-23T23:01:01Z")
have you contacted the dealership about the recall mentioned by HK? before you start doing unnecessary repairs, call the dealership and mention the recall. look up Hellokits posts. who knows, you may get it fixed for FREE!! you don’t respond with info pertaining to the recalls. why? ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/31 "2008-04-23T23:53:05Z")
This sounded good, at first; but, then , the belt wouldn’t fit the other pulleys (crankshaft pulley and water pump pulley). ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a87d85/32.png) [@wizard](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/32 "2008-04-24T00:06:12Z")
The belt might have to stick up farther on the other pulleys but will not slip. Had to do this to several K-cars in the company so that they would not burn out the A/C compressor coil after 50mph. But does the alternator have the correct pulley on it. It could be the wrong one. ---
**Author:** ![sbjohnston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@sbjohnston](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sbjohnston)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/33 "2008-04-26T16:57:03Z")
> you don’t respond with info pertaining to the recalls. why? Because when I called the dealer the response was laughter. “A recall on a 1991? you’re kidding, right?” was the treatment I received. Besides, I’ve confirmed the belt already sits correctly in the pulleys, having spent hours trying different belt designs and widths. So far the only time the alternator runs reliably is when I drive it with a shorter belt and leave the water pump undriven. Noise levels from the belt are increasing as I experiment - but only when the water pump is part of the system. The thing is completely silent when driving only the alternator with the short belt. Thus my conclusion about the water pump trouble. I might be wrong, of course, as I have been often in this project, but hopefully today I can try the remote water pump and drive it a bit and see the results. Steve ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788/34 "2008-04-26T17:11:17Z")
And are you using the cogged belt as specified in the bulletin Article No. 92-6-10? Call Mercury/Ford regional office, with vin # , and Article No. (92-6-10) in hand. They won’t laugh at you. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/endless-troubles-with-alternator-belt-battery-charging/11788.md?page=1)