RB Quest Alternator Swap Write-up

[HxC_Nismo]

well your going to need the following
I used a 99-03 nissan quest 125 amp alternator (I got mine on ebay for $90)
13/32 drill bit
24mm socket (alternator nut)
grinder
drill
impact gun
dremel with a stone bit to enlarge one of the heim joints hole a little bit to get the waterpump bolt for the bracket
14mm socket
12mm socket
ratchet
extention
12mm wrench
14mm wrench
etc other tools that might be needed.

for the upper turnbuckle bracket i used the following parts from http://www.mcmaster.com
and you need one of each (this information was given to me by Gawdzilla)
94450A260 18-8 Stainless Steel Left-Hand Threaded Thin Hex Nut, 3/8"-24 Thread Size, 9/16" Width, 7/32" Height, Packs of 5
94805A217 Type 316 Stainless Steel Thin Hex Nut, 3/8"-24 Thread Size, 9/16" Width, 7/32" Height, Packs of 25
60645K141 High-Strength Ball Joint Rod End, 3/8"-24 Right-Hand Male Shank, 6323 lb Load Cap
60645K142 High-Strength Ball Joint Rod End, 3/8"-24 Left-Hand Male Shank, 6323 lb Load Cap
8419K13 Easy-Adjust Threaded Connecting Rod, 2" Overall Length, 3/8"-24 Threaded Female Ends
these items cost $36.92 + shipping

here are the comparison pictures between the rb alternator and the quest alternator





here is a pic comparison between the stock alternator bracket and the turnbuckle (assembled)



First you will need to change the pulley on the quest alternator and put the rb pulley on it since the quest pulley is uses a wider serpentine belt then the rb alternator.

here is a pic of the quest alternator with the rb alternator pulley installed


here is a pic of the comparison between the quest pulley (in my hand) and the rb pulley(installed already on the alternator)


Second you will need to drill the hole on the botom bracket with your 13/32 drill bit and drill



next you will have to use a socket or something equivalent and tap out the slide on your rb alternator and install it onto the quest alternator unless you can drill the quest one perfectly in the center.



next you will need your grinder and you will have to grind down the webings on your block so the quest alternator can mount up to the rb.





next you will have to grind the backside of the upper mounting point on the quest alternator so the turnbuckle bracket can mount up properly, you can reuse your stock upper bracket bolt just put a washer on each side of the heim joint on the turnbuckle.




next you will have to modify the stock rb alternator spacer on the lower bracket so it will clear the quest alternator



i paid my polisher to enlarge the hole on the water pump side of the heim joint on the turnbuckle because the bolt is just a tad big, but you will have to use a dremel with a stone bit on it to enlarge the hole just enough so the mounting bolt can slide thru. A drill bit will NOT work.

Now your ready to mount the quest alternator onto the RB but you will need to go to the hardware store for a longer lower bolt(i had to use a standard size bolt on the bottom since i could not find any metric ones that were long enough, and you will need to get the upper bracket bolt on the water pump longer about 1/4-1/2" longer, i just added the thickness of the heim joint to the length of the bolt.)








and everything is plug and play on the alternator harness.

[bmxarmy]

Nice work my friend! Attention to small details is key! I cant wait to here your babe purrr......

nolan

[robbie2883]

that's a fantastic writeup man. i do have a few concerns though with the mounting location on the water pump. let us know how it lasts in the long run.

[HxC_Nismo]

that's a fantastic writeup man. i do have a few concerns though with the mounting location on the water pump. let us know how it lasts in the long run.

thats where the factory upper alternator bracket bolts up to

[RustspecS13]

You'll have to drill out the positive wire that bolts on the alt, the quest uses a bigger stud. But yeah other then that awesome writeup! I'll have to do the turnbuckle thing next time I need to do something like this.

~Alex

[robbie2883]

that's a fantastic writeup man. i do have a few concerns though with the mounting location on the water pump. let us know how it lasts in the long run.

thats where the factory upper alternator bracket bolts up to

yes, but it's distributed across a bracket and 2 mount locations instead of one. there's alot of cross tension on just one bolt. it'll probably be fine. just adding my concerns. i almost wish i had gone this route for the swap instead of the way i did. again, great writeup man!

[gawdzilla]

appreciate the shoutout on the parts list. Glad it worked out for you, and kudos for adding the pics as well as the details on the alternator mods. I think this is the first response I've read with someone who actually put my part list to use What's interesting is it looks like you used the lower bolt on the water pump where I used the higher one. here's my text only, turnbuckle portion only writeup for reference.

quest-alternator-with-turnbuckle-tensio ... 98561.html

I've driven on the setup for over a year now without issue. there isn't much cross tension because the alternator can only pivot in a sweeping motion due to the way it is mounted.

[skyline084]

I like that fat turbo haha good job on the alternator though. I did the same install months ago and has held up so far.

[HxC_Nismo]

appreciate the shoutout on the parts list. Glad it worked out for you, and kudos for adding the pics as well as the details on the alternator mods. I think this is the first response I've read with someone who actually put my part list to use What's interesting is it looks like you used the lower bolt on the water pump where I used the higher one. here's my text only, turnbuckle portion only writeup for reference.

quest-alternator-with-turnbuckle-tensio ... 98561.html

I've driven on the setup for over a year now without issue. there isn't much cross tension because the alternator can only pivot in a sweeping motion due to the way it is mounted.

yea i can switch it but it seems to work fine where it is now, when i get my crank pulley on ill see how it adjusts and go from there.

[Booztd 3]

Did this swap about a year ago........happy I did it. Figured out my RB alternator was def dying!

[BoredEE]

I just did this.

I had to shim the alternator back so the pulleys lined up. I used M10 fender washers available from McMaster Carr instead of the stock spacer. I placed 1 washer one the rear of the block mount.

I didn't have to grind the block this must be either alternator or block dependent. YMMV

What did you use as a nut for the back of the alternator?

I used the original "lever" nut so I can adjust the alternator without putting a wrench on the rear.

To do this I had to get a M10 1.25pitch 130mm bolt.
This bolt seems to be rare I could only find it at Fastenal.
Fastenal has them on their website but I couldn't get one through their local store.
But they were able to get me a 140mm bolt that I just cut to length.

Also I had to cut down one of the endlinks to get the stock belt onto the alternator.
What belt are you running?

I attached the Heim joint to the waterpump bolt above the one pictured.
Maybe a handle nut from McMaster would work for the rear nut.

[placham]

Sorry from bringing this back from dead,

But my alt is cooking my batteries, voltage regulator is probably gone.
Whats the easiest way of doing this, with least amount of work to be done to the block.......RB20 by the way.
And which alternator should I get, seen people use several ones and what year specifically Quest or Merc Villager? and whats up with different AMP rating alt. Any issues with belts?

Dont need the car till about April/Spring, but want to gather parts now........got MIG welder and all the tools at home to whip some shait.

I just dont want to mess with the block, as Im running RIPS manifold and lower water neck is moded, it would be PITA to mess with it in car, I would preferre to mod adjustment bracket with ability to go back to stock. Just need low down on this. I lost track of other posts.

[skyline084]

I used a quest alternator from the late 90's I think.. Went into my rb25. Just needed to shave the one side where the bolt goes in that attaches to the block. Belts were the same size. Very easy install.
I didn't use the same tensioner though, I picked up a cheap one from sears.. the guy who made the thread has pics of one.

[placham]

Well in that case it seems really easy, now what alt exactly do I need before I drop the coin.
And what do you mean by: "I picked up a cheap one from sears" sears=as in the store "sears"?
If its only the tensioner, I can mod it my self with ease.

Thinking about ordering alt in about a week, this should give me plenty of time to figure out which one.

Thanks for the input

[skyline084]

Yeah , I got the tensioner from sears hardware. I got the alternator from a junk yard for cheap.. I'll go in the garage when I go out and let you know exactly which one it is later

[placham]

Just swapped alternator last night.....took me all day tho. Hope this might help someone, didnt take pics my hands were dirty and $hit. But it just got warm enough to do some work on car here in Midwest.

Okay first off,
Checked voltage with Rb alternator saw 17.1v at idle with no load at battery posts.
After swap with Quest alternator ~14v.....cool.

Anyway heres what I experienced that I havent read on forum.
Picked up alternator from '99 Merc Villager its a 125amp alternator I compared it to '93 Niss Quest. Both looked identical except for Amperage rating. Got it from scrap yard for 50 bucks including core, think it was like 35 with no core.

Up on mock up it seemed like pulley was off by 1/2", I took couple measurements from Rb alternator pulley down against floor, measured mounting ears, so when I swapped Rb pulley onto Quest alt I knew where I was at, and where to adjust.

First off Rb pulley wouldnt fit onto Quest alt I had, there was a "lip" that protruded forward from alt body over pulley shaft.... Solution used hack saw to cut off lip flush with alt body, I would cut into it enough before slicing shaft... spin 90 degree or so and continue cutting till you get all the way around. Now pulley wouldnt bottom out on lip, but bearing or whatever when nut is tightened. Other thing was shaft threads would run out before nut actually contacted the pulley.....solution, had axles from '87 celica laying around used axle nut spacer/washer, was right size for shaft and thickness so pulley would be nice and tight.

Lower mounting bolt hole, drilled (13/32" I think) hole in one ear (used drill bit that best fitted Rb alternator hole) , as for the rear spacer/insert I had to drill that too. Rb wouldnt fit it was to small too fit into Quest ear hole it wouldnt stay in hole. As for bolt I went to Home Depot bought 3/8" by 6" long bolt and appropriate nut/washers/spring washers. Mocked bolt/nut/washers onto alternator on bench, and cut off excess section of bolt. I cut flush inside of front lower ear, that would give me same length to front of pulley as on Rb, think I took off about 3mm and Im off by 2mm or 1.5mm to Rb's. Big round spacer from Rb I didnt have to do anything to it it fitted Quest alt with no problems and mounted onto block with no issues with 3/8" bolt or Nissan ~10mm bolt. Im getting bolt from '90 300zx but had to order it, so Im waiting for that, it fits the best.

Upper bracket, I thought about it and decided to fab one. I had bracket from Quest, chopped it up into 4 pieces, only used 3 (that bent part in it I didnt use). Really simple adjustment part on alt and bolt mounting part on water pump (hole has to be drilled bigger same drill as lower alt mounting I think I used). Joined both with left over piece from bracket at a slight angle "alternator length wise", adjust bolt/block/mount bolt, reused from RB, Quest was rusted but its same as RB.

Had to get new belt old belt was just too short, Quest alt dont rotate towards block too much, used k040345 Gates belt, Dayco is I think 05040345 or so, my old one was k040338 which is RB20 standard I think. ( I went though few belts from too short to too long).

Wires all work as stated just battery eye-let terminal has to drilled out to fit Quest alternator.

Took her for a test run, 5min out ran into MKIV Supra running 650hp. 2hours later my rear tire blew out, didnt have a spare, had to wait. Swapped tires 10min driving got pulled over...... COPS (insert that part from ROBOCOP here "Cops, I hate cops" here)........................end of rant.

Matt.

[Carl H]

yeaaaah, this writeup doesnt work for the rb20.
block and alternator are different.

[placham]

Carl thanks again for the tune bro, she runs mint on the rich side tho lol. Just got Aem wideband O2, and Dakota Digital SGI8, last night I berried my Tacho way past 9k and I know thats not accurate, it feels great boosting again. I'll be playing around with it soon, dyno is up next got to get some numbers and see where its at and what can be done.

Do you know what can I use to data log my wb 02 readings, gauge has wire output to do that, know people run that into USB firewire cable.

And yeah once I did this, car runs great 14v at idle with no load, belts arent coming off, no issues to report, time consuming but doable upgrade/swap.

Matt.

[radianation]

Thanks for this writeup. I did the same on my car this week after my RB alternator failed me. Heim joint dremel work was a pita, didn't need to grind down my block webbings, re-used alternator bolt and water pump bolts. 1999 Quest on R33 RB25. Those heim joints and other parts are available at your local Ace Hardware. Re-used same belt.

[HxC_Nismo]

Hey no problem guys, I am still building my car cause I had other priorities that needed my attention. but if you want to see my build here is the link... hxc-nismo-rb26-build-thread-t483679.html

[AxiOn419]

Just wanted to add that this worked perfectly on my RB20. The parts from McMaster arrived at my doorstep in 1 day using standard shipping and they are high quality.

Using the stone dremel bit to widen the heim joint on the water pump side takes minimal effort. I would also recommend using the stone dremel bit to widen the spacer on the rear of the alternator to accept the 3/8 bolt that mounts the alternator to the block.

[gawdzilla]

after nearly 5 years, the aluminum part failed (snapped). my belt actually never became untensioned, it was still held there for some reason. I just noticed the aluminum female rod was in two pieces . likely because it is steel threaded into aluminum and the repeated fatigue finally killed it.

i simply ordered another one of these and re-installed it... back in business in no time :8419K13 Easy-Adjust Threaded Connecting Rod, 2" Overall Length, 3/8"-24 Threaded Female Ends

overall still happy with the longevity. ideally, the connecting rod could be found in steel.

[HxC_Nismo]

That's really awesome awesome gawdzilla, I'm about to fire up my build up finally but it's good to hear that it's pretty solid setup.

[AxiOn419]

My car has been sitting for the past 5 years, so I am trying to overhaul a lot of the engine bay. Needed a new alternator and didn't want to mess with welding a bracket, so this is going to work perfectly.

gawdzilla, sucks that your tensioner failed after 5 years but I'd say that's still pretty good longevity. Not sure if your car is a daily driver, but mine will not be so hopefully that extends the life.

Thank you both, gawdzilla and HxC_Nismo for taking the time to contribute this solution to the community (many years ago, but doesn't matter!). It is exactly what I needed and gets me a step closer to getting my car on the road after a long, long hibernation.

[HxC_Nismo]

No Problems buddy, this forum is here to help each other out as much as we can, cause I need help sometimes as well.

[HxC_Nismo]

Just an FYI this alternator swap works via this write up, ever since I've got my RB26 running, I am running about 13.9-14.0 volts with engine at Idle, checked the voltage at my battery with my volt meter. Also I can pick up a replacement alternator at any typical part store. And to clarify I am running a 2002 nissan quest alternator that I picked up at autozone with a lifetime warranty for $179 + tax.

[xracerx972]

I used m10x1.50 x 60mm for waterpump bolt and a 120mm bolt on the lower mount. I used a 99 quest alternator from autozone, I didnt have to grind the fat spacer, nor the block. I was able to use the same belt by mounting to the upper waterpump bolt instead of the lower one on the side.

[ericherm1]

Friggen Photobucket... you suck!

[s13rb30det]

Awesome write up! Ordering all the bits now. Any chance on reposting the pics to help out?

[Yellow4g63]

Awesome write up! Ordering all the bits now. Any chance on reposting the pics to help out?

The pics still work, I see them. I have a extension for chrome called photbutcket embeded fix.