redzuki1

Ladies and Gents,

I'm just refurbing the alternator and power steering drive pulleys on a 1990 Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4 and have noticed that there is a keyway in the alternator shaft, but I cannot find any key steel that used to (maybe) live in there?

My question is:

Why is the keyway there if it is not used and is the keyway steel fitted to your car/from the factory? It's more of a keyway divet than a groove on my alternator.

Thanks,

Alex

tabetha

Most have the keyways cut to take a woodruff key, but some designs of pulley don't need keying as they don't slip like some do, if there's no groove in the pulley wheel it will be ok.
tabetha

redzuki1

You can always count of "tabetha" to reply! Many thanks indeed.

My thinking exactly, but my pulley does have a keyway? However, I saw no key upon dis-assembly?

Could just pop to my local engineering supplier and try to fit a woodruff key?

Can anybody else comment?

Thanks in advance,

Alex

Mark Barber

all the ribbed type pullys never had a woodruff key but allways had the groove just save dpn tooling when they were made ive rebuilt numerous engines and never come across one

hope this helps

cabriolet

fella has it been re conditioned before most of the people who do it dont bother to put them back in even bosch go to a local reconditioner they will have woodruff keys as long as u do the nut up tight it wont cause u no trouble any way fella i been doin it like that for many years

redzuki1

Thanks for the replies chaps, most helpful - I thought your reasons may well be the case. As far as I am aware it has not been re-built.

The vehicle is an early car and so does not have the single serpentine belt, but the 2x toothed belts that drive the alternator.

Right, I'll pop into town tomorrow after work and see if I can source a woodruff key in order to attempt a real nice pukka job, if not then I'll just bolt her back together. If anything, the hole on one side of the rotating mass resulting from the lack of a woodruff key will provide an imbalance in the assembly and since I'm re-building the pulley system as it keeps eating its belts it can only help if I do get one in there.

Thanks guys, really appreciate your views.

Alex

redzuki1

Chaps,

I can confirm after speaking with a specialist today that they never have the woodruff key.

Regards,

Alex