Your description of your problem and concern for the two bushings on (what I call) the "hinge" of the alternator seemed to skirt the issue of the third bushing, so I wanted to just be sure that you had a "heads up" about it.

The bracket that has the long slit in which the adjusting bolt/nut slides, to adjust the tension on the belt, mounts to the engine just below the waterpump. That is where you will find the third bushing. It's exactly the same as the other two (that provide the "hinge" for the alternator), but it's easily overlooked if you don't know it's really there. You see, the lower end of that adjustment bracket doesn't really bolt to the engine -- rather, it bolts into the bushing, and the bushing in turn fits into a corresponding hole in the engine block. It's not something one would normally expect, and frankly I don't know why Volvo did that with these red block engines, but that's the way it is.

If your old bushings were shot, so is probably this one, and it's critical for keeping the alternator in position (and keeping the belt tension correct), so don't overlook it.

Good luck (and hope this helped).

Alternator. The Bushings should be mounted from inside the Bracket,outward. That is to say the Larger part of the Bushing should be touching the alternator as you slide the alternator between them.

Yes, Large Bolt slides in from the radiator side through, with the Nut back by the Oil filter.


Look at the Aluminum housing of the alternator. Is the Holes that the Large bolt passes through all Oblong?
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