MikeND

Attached are two photos of my third alternator stay bracket on my '99 TL (259K miles). Yesterday I drove the car to several places and on my third stop I restarted the car to have the dashboard battery light and brake light come on. I knew the emergency brake was not on and got out to check the brake switch located up the brake pedal and the fluid level - both were fine. Battery was an Acura battery and only two years old. Then I noticed the a/c was not working. Took another look under the hood and saw that the serpentine belt that drives the alternator and a/c was perfectly lined up on the pulleys but was not moving with the car at idle. For the third time in 5 years, the pictured alternator stay bracket had broken. Last time it broke I bought two of them and put one in the trunk along with a long 14 mm wrench to attach to the tensioner pulley (push the top of the wrench towards the firewall and it relaxes the tension on the belt so you can pull the alternator back into position after the new bracket is installed and you can then place the last ~2.5" bolt through the alternator stay bracket and into the threaded engine mount). You will also need a 10 mm socket and a 12 mm socket to remove and reinstall the other two bolts that connect to the stay bracket. The Acura part is clearly under-designed for its use, by either being too thin or using the wrong type of metal for the application. If you have a car of my vintage and mileage, you may want to invest the small amount to buy the part (Acura part number 31113-P8E-A00 (at least for the '99 TL)) and throw it in your trunk with the above-listed tools to prevent you from getting stranded. I was able to drive the ~ 5 miles home and make the repairs in the driveway, but once the battery stops running the electrical system you will be stranded be the side of the road because the alternator is not charging the battery.

frankjnjr

Thanks for the great write-up, Mike. I have a few acquaintances, with high, and very high mileage, 2G TL models, this is the first, I have heard, of this problem. Were all the failures experienced, while running the same alternator? Did you notice any flaws, in the bracket casting, itself?

Iggy

I think I've read about one other member having the same issue. Wonder if we are all doomed for the same fate.

frankjnjr

Hey Mike, Odd, that 99 through 03, lists the same part number, for the alternator stay. My first thought, was that maybe the 99 part was, under-engineered, and modified, for later production. Do you recall, In the 259K miles, at which point, the first two failed?

MikeND

The first alternator stay bracket failed at 197K miles. Interestingly, I took it to the dealer and they replaced it for no charge even though the car was 12 years old at the time. My guess is that they knew this was a problem and had a TSB regarding the bracket. Second failure occurred at 215K miles. The alternator was replaced at 251K miles because the radiator plastic top connection with the metal radiator failed and sprayed radiator fluid all over the engine bay - shorting out the alternator. The third failure of the alternator stay bracket occurred last week with 259K miles when I posted this original thread. I have included photos of the new bracket I installed that I had sitting in my trunk for such an occurrence. To be noted, Acura has made some modifications to this part, as the new part has the 12 mm bolt nut now welded to the bracket instead of it being just a nut you place over the bolt and tighten. I also checked my TL file and can tell you that when I purchased this alternator stay bracket it cost $22 online from Delray Acura with $10.95 shipping in January 2013. The best price I have been able to find online now is about $26 plus S/H.

frankjnjr

Thank You, for providing the history. Obviously, when the Dealer fixed it, N/C at 197K, they must have known something. I think it's odd, that Honda would modify the part, and still list it under the original part number, knowing the original design, seems to be problematic! ! Keep your fingers crossed, this one, corrects the problem.

D Pace

I could most definitely use one of those now

whitetiger5

I'm assuming that the dealer won't honor this any longer...

Prob the fourth of fifth time that I've seen a post like this and asked myself "I wonder where they live? I bet a part like that would be easy to find at the LKQ pick your part."

Do you have access to a junkyard? I get a daily notification of new 2G TL's showing up at yards; your part awaits!

mmcdo26

2G CL Type-S driver who is replacing one of these tomorrow. My car had thrown two alternators in two months, I thought that it had just thrown a third when my mechanic told me it was this stay bracket. I see some people looking for them, and while I don't know if this will be of any use to anyone, but the bracket I was able to find to replace my OEM one (The same one pictured above) is a Dorman 926-099. It looks a bit different, but will work perfectly. You can find them on Amazon with same-day shipping for under $35. My battery light and brake light came on, as it usually did with my alternator going out the previous two times. Ever since the second one had been replaced, my car had been squealing - I assumed it was the tensioner. But once the bracket broke, no more squealing. I am at 250K, second engine in the car however, and the ""new"" engine has 20K additional miles on it, putting it at 270K. I hope this helps someone!