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Why are you replacing it? Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Fri, 11 Mar 2005 10:38:03
In Reply to: Replacing Alternator, brian, Fri, 11 Mar 2005 08:38:18 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The typical failure isn't a bad alternator, but a bad voltage regulator. It's a little tight, but you can replace the VR with the alternator in the car.
Reasons to replace the alternator - bad alternator bearing, shorted/open coils (very rare), blown internal diode (does happen), or badly worn commutator.
Replacing the alternator is a 2 hour to 6 hour job. Why the difference? Read on-
To replace the alternator, disconnect the negative lead on the battery, then jack up and support the right front of the car. Remove road wheel and plastic fender inner-liner. With a big breaker bar, relieve pressure on the belt tensioner, and slip the belt off the idler pulley. Move the belt off the alternator. Undo the two (very) long bolts holding the alternator in place, and lever it out (usually in tight). Remove the wires (one big red one, one small one), and then remove alternator. Chances are you'll need to remove the pulley from the old one to put onto the new; I usually drop a screwdriver or allen wrench into a hole in the face of the alternator and let it lock the fan, then whang on the bolt.
Installation is the reverse of removal. Getting the bottom 'ear' into the bracket can be tricky; patience is key.
OK, that's about 2 hours to finish. Why 6 hours?
Well, when was the last time you changed the serpentine belt? If it's off, it's time to do it. Add a bit of time because you need to remove the tensioner pulley. Hey, when was the last time you changed the tensioner pulley? I do mine every 60K miles. Easy to do, if it's out while changing the belt. And if you do the tensioner, you should do the idler.
OK, that was an additional 45 minutes or so, max. But how is the main pulley looking? If it's on it's way out, replace it. If you replace the main pulley, the main seal is right there, too. And how does the water pump look? Lower engine mounts?
With the car jacked up and inner liner out, lots of things can be done. It becomes a good time to do a lot of those things now, and not have to go in again soon.
But the big question - why do you need to replace the alternator?
posted by 192.249....
, Fri, 11 Mar 2005 10:38:03 <-- Viewing This Message
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