[xj-s] alternator/crank damper, kirby?

XJ-S
1

as per your advice, I attempted to check damper. could not see any
way to check without removing all belts, couldnt evan see where it
would fail. several questions before I tear apart again. if damper
is bad, will it damage motor, internal or external balance? does
this part cost more than the gm alternator?
my though is to remove air pump and install new alt. in its place.
if leaving damper alone is o.k. like what you said about brighter
lights and wouldnt really miss the air pump. last dumb question,
would the alternator from my 89 vdp be as good or better than gm?
did install new starter, removed exhaust, removed starter, got new
bolts/nuts for smaller high torque starter, went back and got spade
end for wire, back again for super glue to temporarally hold nuts
to starter, ran extra start wire for starting from under hood,
turned key and same click as before. new wire worked fine under
hood. reinstalled exhaust and lowered car, cleaned up tools, leaned
over engine and saw wire pulled from connecter. plugged it in and
its fine. 200.00 bucks, 5 hours, and 1 trashed shirt just to find a
loose wire: 30 seconds, no money and no grease. they say an
education is expensive. I just learned a 200.00 lesson!–
jrinam
zelienople,pa., United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–

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2

jrinam wrote:

as per your advice, I attempted to check damper. could not see any
way to check without removing all belts

Nuthin’ to it. Just reach under there, grab the pulley on the
alternator and try to turn it by hand. If it turns, and you notice
that you’re turning the belt and the OD of the damper with it, it’s
toast.

Another way is to mark the ID and the OD, run the engine, and see if
the marks still line up.

couldnt evan see where it
would fail.

The rubber shears. Sometimes it squeals, but sometimes it’s totally
silent.

if damper
is bad, will it damage motor, internal or external balance?

Certainly not immediately. The only symptom most people notice is
the alternator doesn’t charge properly. Replace the damper and all
is well.

does
this part cost more than the gm alternator?

Actually, I believe so – but if sheared, it should be replaced. If
you switch to a GM alt, that will ensure it will never shear again,
since there will be no stress on it.

last dumb question,
would the alternator from my 89 vdp be as good or better than gm?

I have no idea what alternator is in an 89 vdp. However, if you want
to replace the alt, the alt of choice is the Marelli alt from a mid-
90’s Land Rover. Bolts right in, charges at 14+V, lotsa amps to
spare.

did install new starter, removed exhaust, removed starter, got new
bolts/nuts for smaller high torque starter, went back and got spade
end for wire, back again for super glue to temporarally hold nuts
to starter, ran extra start wire for starting from under hood,
turned key and same click as before. new wire worked fine under
hood. reinstalled exhaust and lowered car, cleaned up tools, leaned
over engine and saw wire pulled from connecter. plugged it in and
its fine. 200.00 bucks, 5 hours, and 1 trashed shirt just to find a
loose wire: 30 seconds, no money and no grease. they say an
education is expensive. I just learned a 200.00 lesson!

I hate to say this, but I went through almost exactly the same
scenario once shortly after I got my '83 – in a parking lot in the
dark. Only difference was I took the starter out, tested it, it
worked fine so I put it back in. Turns out that I had been having a
show-off session with the hood up and everyone gawking, and evidently
someone had leaned over the fender and bumped a wire off the starter
relay.

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