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If you could design a passenger vehicle, where in the engine compartment would you put the alternator?
I have a 2000 Mazda MPV that requires 2 hours labour just to replace the alternator. It's so low in the engine compartment that it gets water and dirt from the road in it and prematurely dies, strangled by dirt and rust. I was told at the dealer that "everyone" is putting the alternators low in the engine compartment these days... someone got a big raise at Mazda for figuring out that one... because I imagine they are selling a pile of them! Your opinions wether you own a MPV or not are welcome.
2 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
You can blame Ford for this one. You actually have a Ford engine in your Japanese minivan.
Alternator placement is decided by the engine and transmission. 4 cylinder engines leave more room in the engine bay.Having a DOHC engine results in a larger cylinder head, forcing more hardware to be mounted lower. V6 & V8 engines have much tighter requirement on space. Drive train configuration also plays a role. FWD vehicles have their engines aligned transversely, leaving accessories to be mounted either on the front or back (the back usually being very cramped). RWD vehicles have the engine aligned longitudinally, and have plenty of space on either side of the motor for accessories. None the less, on other Japanese vehicles I've usually seen intelligent alternator placement, with alternators being mounted high in the engine bay.
On a similar topic, I believe Saab is trying out direct drive alternators to eliminate the inefficiencies and other problems with drive belts.
- 1 decade ago
I would put it where it could be changed in about 10-15 minutes. I'm a mechanic and hate the way some cars are designed. Whoever thought things like that were a good idea should have to work on them for a year then go back to the design table because then they would realize what a pain in the *ss their design is.
