Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) belt tensioner

[BoeingDiesel]

Just noticed this morning that I'm getting [almost] a burnt smell kind of like plastic when it gets hot from the left side of the engine. It's really noticeable when I get my nose right above the alternator side. No squealing and alternator seems to be free so i'm wondering if the tensioner pulley is failing. It's original and has never been replaced.
Any ideas are greatly appreciated.
thanks
gregg

 

[BK]

I've been through 3 of them.
The OEM lasted the longest, the other two from Genos. The 3rd seems to be going strong.
But I never had a burnt smell from any of them.
Just noise or premature wearing of the belt.

The only time I had a strange burning smell under the hood was when the VP pump was getting a beating from a failing lift pump when I was working the truck hard.
I could never pin point the smell, but after the LP died and I replaced it, I never got that smell again. But a few years later the VP died.

 

[NIsaacs]

I know this is in the 2nd. gen section but which truck? If the '06, it might have something to do with the power steering pump/pulley. Plastic burnt smell could be wiring. I don't think the tensioner pulley would get hot enough to smell, maybe in the bearing area tho. After you smell it, check it with your hand, be careful, if it is hot enough to smell it might burn. Shut your truck off first:-laf

Nick

 

[BoeingDiesel]

Thanks guys, just got back from another test drive and noticed while at a stop light my volts were dropping...not by much but nonethless dropping about 2-v and then came back up to normal when driving.
I'm thinking the 3 year old alternator is dying. It's the '99 I'm referring to.
gregg

 

[BK]

I went through 1 rebuilt from Autozone, about the same time 2-3 years it died softly on me, some diodes when leaky, and also hurt the batteries.

Finally got one of the custom heavy duty rebuilts for my 99, so far soo good.
Maniac electric Motors, 185amp custom alternator.
Did it in 2013

If your gonna upgrade, add a 2nd cable (4awg) from the alternator + to the passenger side battery +, to take advantage of the extra current by putting some more copper in there.
I found a lug that was close to fitting into the insulator on the back of the alternator, a little work on the lug with a dremel and it fit great.
The stud is plenty long enough.
I also put a large fuse in line.

Got one of those hydraulic crimpers from HF, went thru them all on the shelf till I found one that wasn't leaking oil already.
It worked great, made a few other cables since.
the darn die in those HF kits are marked against some other system other than a standard AWG measure... but they do 4awg just fine, that's about the biggest the kit will do.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

I went with a standard 136A new alt but that's an interesting concept BK in adding another charge wire to the system. Do you run that many electrical systems that requires that step?

 

[BK]

Not really, I have a CB, dual band radio, and very minor stereo upgrade.

Here's what my thinking was...

With the added current available from the aftermarket alternator, it's recommended to up the AWG of that singular OEM wire to the driver side battery anyway.
Others have not and been ok (I had spent a lot of time reading reviews and comments regarding the aftermarket hot rodded alternators)
There is a 140amp fuse in the fuse block for the alternator, than the path continues on to the driver's side battery, than to the wire across the radiator to the passenger side battery.
They sell a kit to replace the initial path from the alternator to the drivers side battery (fuse and wire and lugs), but the lug was huge and wouldn't fit well on the 99 alternator with the insulator in place.. no way I was loosing or reducing that insulator.
My OEM harnesses are in great shape, and I hate butchering such items, but I have to be secure in the fact I won't blow the 140amp fuse (my engineering OCD).
So after looking at the wiring, I came to the conclusion:
The + path to the two batteries is not symmetrical, not even close, and the passenger side battery has a very long lead between the drivers side and it - never mind the long path from the Alternator thru the fuse and finally to the driver side battery.

By adding that one "wire and fuse" from the alternator to the passenger side battery I can get more copper in there, with less intrusive work, and make the system 'more' symmetrical
It was easy, only special tools were the hydraulic lug crimper and dremel. I had the dremel, and wanted a bigger lug crimper anyway.


http://www.harborfreight.com/hydraulic-wire-crimping-tool-66150.html
Just pick thru what's on the shelf and makes sure it's not leaking from the get go (got that hint from reading reviews on line about the crimper... others have returned a few, and realized many were leaking on the shelf from the start and were the bad ones (not just messy from the factory), and the ones not leaking on the shelf seemed to be G2G.)


I crimped ferrels (barrels) on the wire ends, where the wire ends go into the fuse holder and the fuse holder had a couple of set screws to secure the "wire ends".
I never liked putting extreme multistrand wire under one or two set screws.
If I had a solder pot I would have dipped after crimp, but don't , so settled on the a good tight ferrel and than crimped.
Found a nice fuse holder on Amazon, seems to be sealed well, there are many to choose from on there.
I secured the fuse holder to the battery bracket hold down rod.

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

If you're going to invest in a hydraulic crimper, I DO NOT recommend the Harbor Freight one because it will not do our battery cables. Having discovered that the hard way, I took mine back and got an altogether better one from Amazon for less money.