AQ125 burning through belts

2stroke1971

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Nov 8, 2009
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I have an AQ125A that keeps burning up the alternator belt. As soon as you get to about 3200 rpms, you can smell the rubber burning. I read a thread elsewhere that an alternator can seize intermittently and cause this...does this sound reasonable? Could the engine water pump do this as well? (most water pumps Ive had go bad just detonate)
I have checked and rechecked the alignment of the pulleys and they are not rusted or coarse.

Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks!
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
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Aug 31, 2004
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62,321
Re: AQ125 burning through belts

Anything is possible with the alternator. Do you have the belt tight? Any black dust or soot near anything to show where the belt is sliding?
 

2stroke1971

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Messages
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Re: AQ125 burning through belts

There is plenty of black dust on the timing cover....

The more I think about it, and I tend to over think things....

I was looking at the alternator--it is NOT the correct unit. I remember the previous owner told me that. It puts out 16 volts at anything more than my 3000 rmps or so... I know that the mechanical effort needed to spin an alternator increases with load...I am starting to wonder if this alternator is not sufficent...has not enough amperage to run my boat, and at lets say, 3000 rpms at night (when I am always out) with lights and everything on maybe it gets so hard to turn that the belt starts slipping?.....Maybe I am overloading it.

The alternators high output makes me think there is no regulator....I know some have it built in, but this unit has two leads on the back that the previous owner has jumped together...if you remove the jumper, no charging occurs. I would reckon those leads were supposed to head to an external regulator.

I think I have to get the proper alternator in any case and go from there!
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
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Messages
62,321
Re: AQ125 burning through belts

With 16 volts, you will be having even more problems soon. Get the right alternator and see how things work.
 

2stroke1971

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Nov 8, 2009
Messages
209
Re: AQ125 burning through belts

Thought I would update this one for the sake of posterity anyway....
I found out what my belt shredding problem was. I was down to replace the timing belt and I got a good look at the engine water pump and the main engine pulley with the timing cover off. It was mis aligned. Long story short, I had rebuilt the water pump myself last year, and I botched the placement of the disc that the pulley mounts to. I got a look at a new one and measured what it should be, and I put the my water pump in a press and nudged the disc...moved it about 4 mm. It lines up well now, that should be it!
Makes sense given the clockwise rotation and where the belt dust was landing, on the timing cover....
 
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