Alternator Belt Alignment Issue

A little over a year or so ago, Van's had Lycoming change the flywheel to a LW-12227 to accomodate a dual belt system to support both the alternator and air conditioning. This part has the alternator belt on the rear and a V shaped groove in front for the A/C.

Myself and several others that purchased a YIO-540-D4A5 and the Firewall Forward kit from Van's have noticed an alignment issue. The Plane Power 60a alternator supplied in the FWF kit from Van's has the alternator about 3/16" forward and prevents proper alignment of the belt.

Plane Power has stated that none of their alternators will work with a dual belted flywheel.

Van's, Plane Power, and Lycoming are currently looking into the issue, so I'm not looking for alternative or creative solutions to this situation. I'm going to let the three companies work through the engineering and come back with a resolution.

What I am looking for is to identify anyone that purchased a YIO-540-D4A5 from Van's in the last two years and the answers to the following questions.

1. Do you have a LW-12227 flywheel or another part (i.e. single belted)?
2. Do you have a Plane Power alternator?
3. If you have a Plane Power alternator and a LW-12227 did you have an alignment issue?
4. If you have a LW-12227 and another brand alternator, did you have an alignment issue?

The reason I'm collecting this data is all three companies apparently were caught off guard on this issue and claimed to have just heard about it. I'm skeptical that if this Van's specified configuration has been sold for over year, there have to have been others experiencing similiar issues. If not, I want to attempt to understand why?

If you don't want your comments to be made public, please PM or email me.

thanks,
bob

Sent you an email.

I just got a call from Lycoming. They now agree that there is an alignment issue with the LW-12227 and Plane Power's 60a alternator.

They are currently working with Plane Power on how to best resolve the issue. They are also reaching out to the mutual customer in Brazil to understand what alternator they are using. They asked to give them a few days to coordinate with everyone. I'll provide updates as I get them.

I just wish that Van's would step up and take leadership here instead of passing the buck to Lycoming and Plane Power.

bob

Score one for the good guys

Set them straight Bob. Thanks for taking the time to document it and keep the community abreast.

rleffler said:

I just got a call from Lycoming. They now agree that there is an alignment issue with the LW-12227 and Plane Power's 60a alternator.

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Not news. Alignment is poor with a stock single-groove flywheel and a Plane Power...or was when I mounted one on the 390. A few minutes on the lathe to rework a bushing cured the problem.

Thank you Bob for getting the ball rolling.

I am in the "Mis-Aligned" group but being very close to first flight will fix myself.

Mine PP alt pulley is slightly out of plane with flywheel as well as being approx .120" forward of flywheel groove.

had same deal on my engine

Bob,

I have a IO-375 single groove flywheel and a 40A B&C alt. the alt pulley groove sat proud to the flywheel groove by about 1/4". A quick trip to the mill with the Alt. to mill down the bolt sleeve bracket solved the problem.

Granted it is a curveball surprise when you are bolting things up, but easily remedied.

To summarize what I believe happened that has not been confirmed by any of the three companies involved. Van's attempted to respond to a large customer and many other RV-10 builders that are installing air conditioning in their aircraft, requested Lycoming to switch the ring gear on the YIO-540-D4A5 that Van's resells to a dual pulley gear. Lycoming compiled with the request and supplied a LW-12227 ring gear. Lycoming failed to mention to Van's that the alternative belt grooved moved aft a little. Nobody told Plane Power that even the engine configuration was changed.

With that stated, both Plane Power and Lycoming have responded to my inquiry and have been very actively working on a solution. The list price on a new ring gear is about $1,700. Van's has not responded other than to pass the buck to their suppliers.

The following was the first email that I received today from Plane Power.

Lycoming reports that the alignment difference is .130? with the alternator pulley forward of the flywheel pulley. This fits what you have reported as well. If the alternator is adjusted to move aft (toward the firewall) to align with the flywheel pulley the Tension Arm (99-1004) will also be off alignment.

We intend to produce a kit solution for future applications. We understand your need is now so we offer the following suggestion to you.

1. Verify that you need your alternator to be moved .130? (or whatever your requirement is) and make that your new target point.
2. Leave the 99-1001 spacer attached to the alternator as it presently is. We don?t think you can remove it with satisfactory results. Machine grind the 99-1001 spacer by .130?. Leave a flat surface. This will move the entire alternator aft. In doing so it will create a void at the 99-1002 front spacer.
3. Add a spacer or washers between the 99-1002 spacer and the mount bracket.
4. Add a spacer or washers between the tension arm (99-1004) and alternator where the tension arm connects to the alternator.
5. The starter strap will be attached on the outside of the mount as usual and no modification should be needed.

The above instructions have not gone through our engineering process. It represents our effort to give you suggestions to assist you in your EXPERIMENTAL effort to fabricate a solution for your application. It is up to you to verify that the above suggestions are appropriate for your application.

To be honest, my immediate reaction was pretty negative with this response. I purchased an engine and a fire wall forward kit from Van's with the expectation that the alternator, alternator belt, and the engine ring gear alignment would be plug and play, just like it has been for years. I don't have the tools to perform these tasks nor the willingness to hire a firm to make them for me. Van's should have stepped up and admitted to the oversight, then work with the vendors to make all the builders that purchased this variation of the engine and the FWF suppled alternator a solution. The more I think about it, Van's should publish a service bulletin on this situation. If folks don't notice the 1/8" offset, they will eventually lose a belt due to coming off or premature wear.

Fortunately, Plane Power understanding that I probably didn't have the tools to be sucessful with their original instructions, sent me the following email a little later today.

We have a new solution for you. We are going to ship you some new spacers which we will cut down the size. So call me ASAP so we can get address, etc. and discus.

We thought removing the existing spacers from the alternator would be very difficult. So we tried and experiment and liked the results. To get your current two spacers out of the alternator do this. Get a container that will allow you to fill to a certain point with lacquer thinner. Arrange your project so you can soak the ear and spacer of the alternator in the lacquer thinner. DO NOT GET THE ALTERNATOR CASING IN THE THINNER - JUST THE EAR AND SPACER.

Leave submerged for one hour. Remove from the thinner and using a vice, pliers, etc twist the spacer out of the alternator ear. Perform the same task on the other ear & spacer. Then you can replace the old spacers with the new ones we will send you.

I suspect it will be a week or so before I can attempt to make this modification. I'll post an update with the results.

Bob

and what happens--

if you have to replace the alternator away from home? The best solution is to make things as interchangeable as possible, given the experimental nature of our business. Having one-off parts looks cool, but can be a real pain when something goes wrong. WE learn that years ago in car racing--trick of the week generally costs more that godd, old-fashioned planning.
Looks to me that his oversight can be corrected pretty easily. I dont know who provides the alternator brackets to Vans for their FWF kits, and we know that not all parts in FWF forward kits are going to fit every application.
Maybe they felt the builder could fab his own. Some guys have the tools and equipment to do this---others dont. Perhaps some one out there can tool up and make the proper brackets.
Tom

Tom brings up a very good point, and one that I have experienced (not on the road, but with alternator replacements at home. I have brought this up before, but even if you buy the exact same ND alternator for the exact same year/model Suzuki Samurai, you might find that the pulley is further forward or aft from the mounting lugs. I have seen three different types. The only real solution to this is slotted holes on the bracket that bolts to the engine, and this has it's own issues if it gets loose....

So far, I have always been able to make a combination work - but it is really nice not to be constrained to a modified part!

Paul

TS Flightlines said:

if you have to replace the alternator away from home? The best solution is to make things as interchangeable as possible, given the experimental nature of our business. Having one-off parts looks cool, but can be a real pain when something goes wrong. WE learn that years ago in car racing--trick of the week generally costs more that godd, old-fashioned planning.
Looks to me that his oversight can be corrected pretty easily. I dont know who provides the alternator brackets to Vans for their FWF kits, and we know that not all parts in FWF forward kits are going to fit every application.
Maybe they felt the builder could fab his own. Some guys have the tools and equipment to do this---others dont. Perhaps some one out there can tool up and make the proper brackets.
Tom

Click to expand...

I agree with your statements. The alternators need to be plug and play between the various Lycoming models and alternator vendors.

Plane Power supplies their own brackets. They are the issue. The brackets they supply line up with every single belted ring gear that Lycoming has sold on all engines used on RVs. A pretty significant engineering task.

The issue is that at Van's request, Lycoming changed the ring gear to a dual belted solution that the pulley is about 1/8" aft of the standard location.

While I respect Plane Power for coming up with a solution, they weren't the cause of the issue.

They are still attempting to understand why B&C aren't having similiar issues. Perhaps their Boss mount is slotted or allows some sort of adjustment.

The bottom line is that a standard Boss mount alternator won't with the LW-12227 ring gear on a YIO-540-D4A5 Lycoming engine.

I don't think it will be a problem if I need a new alternator in say 6 months because PP will do the research and engineering to provide the proper bracket, tension arm and spacers now that we builders informed them. It won't cost them anymore to make the proper parts and I can tell they are much more customer oriented than Van's. We would need to let them know we have LW-12227 ring gear. Pick up the Gates 7328 belt at any descent auto parts store.

No different than military or certified aircraft or automotive parts that I have dealt with. Things get superceded all the time. All it takes is one person not thinking through the effects of a change on everything else. Thank goodness for the experimental category or my first flight would be postponed for awhile.

Thanks Bob. I will call tomorrow to see if they can ship me a spacer set too.

Wayne Gillispie said:

Thanks Bob. I will call tomorrow to see if they can ship me a spacer set too.

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I would hold off calling them until we see if it works first. I should have the spacers by the end of the week. If all goes well, I'll know the answer on Sunday.

Jason is the person you'll want to talk with when you do call. He's also a fellow RV'er.

bob

Plane Power using data from Lycoming have machined a new set of spacers. My previous post details the removal process for the spacers. I received them in the mail today and am planning on testing their fit on Sunday. I will post the result afterwards.

It appears that Plane Power will sell these spacers for a nominal fee. If you are impacted by this issue, I would call Gus at Van's and let him know that you expect Van's to supply these at their expense. They made the decision to change the ring gear on the engines they sell and they caused the issue.

While I don't have exact numbers, I've been led to believe that there are 30-50 RV-10s impacted in the US. There are more than 100 impacted in Brazil, but I was told that they machined their alternators to make them fit.

I don't think Plane Power is prepared to start producing spacers until I report back my results. Jason at Plane Power is the person leading this effort if you want more details.

It seems that all involved were surprized that Lycoming ring gears don't all align with the standard Plane Power boss mount (including Lycoming). The good news is that they are all very aware of the situation at the moment. We just need to get Van's to step up and let everyone that ordered a YIO-540-D4A5 from them the situation.

bob

Van's already has our $95000 and they have never heard of this issue before.

There is no excuse for Lycoming or Van's engineers not knowing the pulley grooves would not be in the same place fore-aft as the single groove ring gears. There is 0.054" between the rear of the ring gear and crankcase. You have 1.250" of space. Subtract the .054" case clearance and that leaves 1.196" for two pulley grooves. The two grooves are all you can fit in the given space. It's not rocket science. All you have to do is pull the top cowl on the demo -10 and think about it for a minute.

I still don't understand how the front groove can be used for a belt, as the angles on the sides are too steep unless there is some special belt available.

I am not purchasing my alt bits twice from Vans or PP. I'll fix it myself as the Brazilians did.

Wayne Gillispie said:

Van's already has our $95000 and they have never heard of this issue before.

There is no excuse for Lycoming or Van's engineers not knowing the pulley grooves would not be in the same place fore-aft as the single groove ring gears. There is 0.054" between the rear of the ring gear and crankcase. You have 1.250" of space. Subtract the .054" case clearance and that leaves 1.196" for two pulley grooves. The two grooves are all you can fit in the given space. It's not rocket science. All you have to do is pull the top cowl on the demo -10 and think about it for a minute.

I still don't understand how the front groove can be used for a belt, as the angles on the sides are too steep unless there is some special belt available.

I am not purchasing my alt bits twice from Vans or PP. I'll fix it myself as the Brazilians did.

Click to expand...

I agree. Call Van's, ask for Gus, and demand they provide the spacers for free. If we don't get enough folks to call in, they'll continue to have their head stuck in the sand!

Plane Power is almost as much of a victim as we are at the moment.

Unfortunately, not all of us have the same tools available to us as you do. You may want to soak the spacers in acetone for an hour to release the adhesive holding them in place. I suspect they'll be easier to modify off the alternator.

bob

Here's the post that everyone has been waiting to see.

I installed the new spacers from Plane Power this afternoon. They are a perfect fit for those that purchased a YIO-540-D4A5 from Vans and have a LW-12227 ring gear.

If you fall into this category, I would highly recommend that you call Vans and demand that they supply you the appropriate Plane Power spacers for free.

They made the decision to switch ring gears and they packaged the Plane Power 60a alternator in the firewall forward package, with out performing the necessary engineering to ensure power integration.

I will say that the folks at Plane Power have been great to work with to find the appropriate solution. Lycoming was also cooperative in supplying Plane Power the appropriate data to allow Plane Power to fabricate new spacers.

Also note that if you have a 70a alternator, you'll need a different set of spacers.

I worked with Jason and Dick at Plane Power, Marlous at Lycoming (Van's sales rep), and Gus at Vans. Jason and Dick provided outstanding customer support.

My last email to Gus recommended that Vans supply all customers that purchased this combination with the spacers at no charge and issue a service bulletin to ensure nobody attempts to fly in this configuration since it isn't safe.

bob

Bringing up a thread that's about a month old.

I got my engine last week and noticed a similar misalignment on mine today. I have the LW-16471 with a B&C 60 Amp and I'm in the opposite scenario.

The ALT sits ~1/8" aft of the flywheel. I'm not sure how I'm going to bring it back in alignment yet. I'll probably grind down one spacer and add washers to shim the second one.

Just FYI that the issue could exist with other packages as well, so don't take it for granted.

Off to the drawing table.....

Phil

Phil said:

Bringing up a thread that's about a month old.

I got my engine last week and noticed a similar misalignment on mine today. I have the LW-16471 with a B&C 60 Amp and I'm in the opposite scenario.

The ALT sits ~1/8" aft of the flywheel. I'm not sure how I'm going to bring it back in alignment yet. I'll probably grind down one spacer and add washers to shim the second one.

Just FYI that the issue could exist with other packages as well, so don't take it for granted.

Off to the drawing table.....

Phil

Click to expand...

The only feedback I had was one individual that had a B&C and his aligned with the same ring gear that I had. Since that's a different ring gear that you have, the data point isn't applicable. I would give B&C and Bart a call before you do anything. It's in their best interest to provide a solution to you. If you have an issue, then it's likely that somebody else has the same issue too.

I'm still disappointed that Van's hasn't pubically acknowledged the issue that I had, even with Plane Power and Lycoming validating the problem. I just hope that everyone pays attention to their alternator belt alignment and don't attempt to fly if it's not perfectly aligned. Best case will be premature belt wear. Worse case is the belt coming off while in flight.b

bob

I machined one spacer, added two washers and modified the easily bent tension arm. All is aligned perfectly and did fine during ground run. I will fly it Thursday 12/1/11.

My alternator installation was also different from the per plans set-up. It didn't take a whole lot of time to fabricate my own mounting bracket and get perfect alignment. Looking at it from a business standpoint, I think its a little unfair for the very few people who deviate from Van's FWF plans method to expect Van's to R&D, then manufacture a special alternator bracket for a very few set of customers. Same goes for B&C. Since my IO-540 V4A5 is a bit different from the Van's IO-540 D4A5, I have my own issues to deal with but when I look for blame and then solutions, I look in the mirror.

9GT said:

Looking at it from a business standpoint, I think its a little unfair for the very few people who deviate from Van's FWF plans method to expect Van's to R&D, then manufacture a special alternator bracket for a very few set of customers.

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I would concur, except the folks with this issue, including myself, bought both the engine and the alternator (in the FWF kit) from Van's. Lycoming estimated about fifty people are impacted in the US.

Those with engines and alternators purchased need to work through those details with the vendors that they purchased the parts from or fabricate a solution for themselves.

With that said, I firmly believe that it is still prudent to provide vendor feedback. It's best for them to understand any issues, regardless of what the solution may end to be.

If one would read entire thread, one would see the issue we dealt with.

I spent a bunch of $ for all new aircraft parts that were supposed to mate up properly. I stuck to the plans 99% of the time as my build time shows. I don't mind making modifications, but manufacturers and builders need to be aware of these issues as our hands are not held as much during the second most important part of the build after flight controls.

Yes, it was only two hours. Just think how long and frustrating it would be if you had one of these mis-communications crop up every week.

I agree with Wayne and Bob. The entire thread is full of proof points where people bought a kit and they didn't get what they purchased. What they got was a kit that was destructive and dangerous.

I didn't buy Van's kit and I'm not pointing fingers at anyone for the alignment problem. Not Bart, not B&C. It's was my decision to use a B&C product and I own responsibility for it. I'd choose B&C again if I had it to do over because I like their products and reputation.

My point to others is to pay attention to the alignment even if you don't have the previously mentioned ring gear and alternator. I have the same issue in the opposite direction.

The first thing I'll do is check the documentation to make sure it's installed correctly. The second is to see if if B&C might have a different set of spacers to make adjustments. If I have to buy them, then okay.

Ultimately machining new spacers won't be difficult at all, it'll just take a little extra time.

Phil

I have the plane power 70A alternator and dual groove starter wheel. The installation kit is different from the 60A unit. The bracket only uses one spacer in the front (none in the back) so the option of grinding down a rear spacer to relocate the alt is not an option.

I've spoken with Plane Power and they suggest grinding down the back side of the lobe ear by 0.125 is the only solution to shift the alternator backwards. I asked about getting a blank bracket that could be redrilled but Plane Power advised that they get these brackets pre drilled by the hundreds/thousands and don't have any blanks.

I want to keep my alternator as field changeable as possible. Grinding down the ear would make it a one-off.

It seems like the best solution is to modify the bracket where it mounts to the engine. I don't know anything about machine shop capabilities but shouldn't the welding shut of the two existing holes on the mounting bracket and redrilling of two new holes 0.125 inch forward of existing location be a fairly simple operation?

Tom Hanaway

Just reserecting this thread. I just started prepping my engine and noticed I have the dual slotted gear ring and the stock FWF kit with 60A kit. Has anyone been successful in getting Vans to provide this proper spacer?

If not, what part # and cost is the new spacer that is required?

CharlieWaffles said:

Just reserecting this thread. I just started prepping my engine and noticed I have the dual slotted gear ring and the stock FWF kit with 60A kit. Has anyone been successful in getting Vans to provide this proper spacer?

If not, what part # and cost is the new spacer that is required?

Click to expand...

Did you call van's? What was their response?

The respective vendors have provided the data and solution to them. The question is what is van's doing for their customer's? It appears that they are still shipping these products that won't work as in the fwf kit.

Just discovered I was affected by this today. My FWF kit shipped in June of last year so I don't know if things have been updated since then. I am going to call Vans tomorrow but wanted to know if anyone else has gotten them to address this issue. I'm fully prepared for "first we've heard of this problem" when I call.

While this thread has bubbled up again, I might as well correct my comments earlier for the archives.

To correct my earlier post, I didn't have an alignment problem after all was said and done. By stock setup with a B&C alt was perfectly inline. I had to mount the prop to bring everything into alignment. It's all good now.

I have the plane power alt. and dual groove flywheel. I also have the issue. I did not call vans, I just went to the lathe and machined .125" off the aft end of the spacer, and added 2 washers to the front of the spacer. This corrected the alignment issue. I guess I felt that calling vans was a waste of time and ultimately would end up costing more, even if it was just for shipping costs. BTW, the belt provided with the FF kit is also the wrong length. A quick trip to Napa for an XL 7328, cured that issue.
I would be interested to know what Vans current position is....

See my previous post. I modified as Bill above along with rebending my tension arm. 65 hrs and still learning and loving it. No problems with mod so far. Call Plane Power as they do have the correct length spacers available or modify as we did.

Vans has (had?) it

I picked up my FWF kit about 4 weeks ago at Vans. Gus happened to be there and I brought up the issue. He didn't think the misalignment was a problem and somewhat dismissed the issue (politely). Since most things that begin with "mis-" don't typically lead to good things (misfire, misfit, mischief, etc), I must have gave him a look that said "really?" because moments later, he reappeared with a bag that contained the spacer and three washers. He threw them in the box and I felt warm and fuzzy again. YMMV.

You are lucky to be so close to Vans!

dhmoose said:

I picked up my FWF kit about 4 weeks ago at Vans. Gus happened to be there and I brought up the issue. He didn't think the misalignment was a problem and somewhat dismissed the issue (politely). Since most things that begin with "mis-" don't typically lead to good things (misfire, misfit, mischief, etc), I must have gave him a look that said "really?" because moments later, he reappeared with a bag that contained the spacer and three washers. He threw them in the box and I felt warm and fuzzy again. YMMV.

Click to expand...

Van's just need to be a little more public about this so somebody doesn't attempt to fly with a mis-aligned belt.

It's an easy fix as Bill found out, but if you don't use the new bushings, you may have a AOG problem in getting a replacement alternator. It's easy to swap a bushing at a remote airport, but get a part milled, may be a different matter.

bob

Looks like Vans has given at least one builder the required spacer (once they asked for it). The part is listed as ES Alternator Spacers. The stock price is listed at $30. I asked them if they would provide this for free to builders with the issue and a FWF kit and they said "it's optional and not required". So guess they are unwilling to address the issue without selling another part. But it does sound like some people have gotten them to give the spacer for free (well, at least one person).

CharlieWaffles said:

Looks like Vans has given at least one builder the required spacer (once they asked for it). The part is listed as ES Alternator Spacers. The stock price is listed at $30. I asked them if they would provide this for free to builders with the issue and a FWF kit and they said "it's optional and not required". So guess they are unwilling to address the issue without selling another part. But it does sound like some people have gotten them to give the spacer for free (well, at least one person).

Click to expand...

How can they claim it's optional if the engine and alternator they sell as a turn key kit are off by 3/32"? Not to mention the belt supplied isn't the correct length either?

I suspect that Van is unaware. This would be a good question to ask him at OSH.

The response I got was "you can operate just fine with the misalignment, so the spacer is optional". They seem to think it's not a necessity for safe operation.

CharlieWaffles said:

The response I got was "you can operate just fine with the misalignment, so the spacer is optional". They seem to think it's not a necessity for safe operation.

Click to expand...

According to my conversations with Plane Power and Lycoming last year:

• The belt will wear faster and could break/come off in flight and/or need to be replaced more frequently
• The mis-alignment could cause the belt to slip off the pulleys in flight

In either case, I think most people would agree that the chance for these to occur wouldn't be considered safe operation.

In my opinion this really is a different "Van's" that the safety image that Van himself has been pushing.

So this is odd. MY FWF kit is from June of 2011. I have a stock YIO-540 and mounted the PlanePower 60A alternator. I have the same dual belt flywheel (LW-12227) and appear to have the stock spacers 99-1001 and 99-1002.




But my alignment appears to be good. I am waiting for the replacement Napa belt of the correct size (part #25-7328). So not sure if that will make a difference, but even temporarily using the stock belt and holding it tight, the belt appears to be in alignment.



So why does mine appear to be correctly aligned and others aren't?

CharlieWaffles said:

So why does mine appear to be correctly aligned and others aren't?

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Good question. I don't recall my alternator having bushings with part numbers on them. I'll have to check on the next trip to the hangar.

I would run a straight edge along the flywheel and check again. Mine looked ok, but when I ran the staight edge it was clear that they were out of alignment.
I did not have part numbers on my spacers, my spacers were glued into the alternator, and my front spacer was not tapered as yours appears.

I noticed the numbers on the bushings are the same numbers Plane Power mentioned in your earlier posts.

I wonder if Plane Power has modified their spacer bushings? Like Bill mentioned, mine weren't tapered either, but did have the same part numbers.

The following was the solution provided to me by Plane Power. They re-used the shorter bushing, added some washers, and fabricated a new bushing. This appears to be identical to the sku than Van's wants to charge $30.

I just wish Van's would be transparent about all of this. Explain the situation and who is actually impacted so that we don't spend all our time reverse engineering everything.

Ok, so I installed the smaller alternator belt that actually fits and ensured my flywheel was as far back as possible since my prop backplate isnt on yet. There appears to be a small mis-alignment. The third picture is as "square on" as I could take and the extent of the misalignment. It's possible it will get worse once the flywheel is bolted on as well.

Yep, you have the problem. I find it amazing that Vans won't step up to the plate on this. To add Insult to injury, it sounds like they want to charge for the correct part!

As an update, I went to Van's and tried to get them to provide the spacer for free, but they wouldn't. Ken Gruger said he only recently heard of the fix from Gus and as far as he knew, they were indeed charging for the spacer. He did indicate that if they decide to do it for free in the future that he would refund the price. I'm not going to hold my breath on that.

I used the acetone trick to get the spacers off, but it still took some twisting with pliers. Once off, the replacement spacer and washers went on. I used a few extra washers on the tension bolt in the alternator too as the spacing was different now. Otherwise the configuration seems to line up nicely now.

Just paid my $30...

Just yesterday, regardless of protest, they're still insisting on charging $30 for the right parts. Very bad form...

Paddy said:

Just yesterday, regardless of protest, they're still insisting on charging $30 for the right parts. Very bad form...

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Did you buy the engine and alternator from Van's? If so, I would agree.

It's their design change that caused the problem. Poeple expect if they purchase an engine and FWF kit that they should work out of the box. They shouldn't be forced to buy an additional set of parts to make things work.

I guess the other option is for folks to insist on the original ring gear when ordering the engine.

It amazes me that Van's is still doing this. In my talks with Van's a year + ago they said that lots of -10's were going to Brazil and they wanted Air Conditioning, hence the dual groove belt. Then in talking to John Strain I hear that the first groove is actually not a belt groove, but a lightening groove (notice no flat on the bottom, just a V groove). I cannot understand for the life of me why they would send a non-standard ring gear, especially if it doesn't fit their stock alternator. One of the few Van's mysteries.

No mystery.... The drill has been to design, sell, make money, and forget the rest!

Let's talk about landing gear shimmy while we are at it!

They have mastered how to make cool planes, now they have to master the customer/product support aspect!