Alternator help please

[bruzer88]

Does anybody have service manual pages to change the alternator on a 97 Aurora?

TIA

bruzer88

[Barney123]

looking for same info on 96 Aurora, but have heard that it may be just the rectifier,there supposed to be " a weak spot" or somethinh like that!

[rnelson]

This comes from a previous thread. I have used these instructions myself to change my 1998 (twice).

Section 6D3-6 Charging system of the 1997 Factory service manual says:

1-Remove rear seat cushion
2-Disconnect negative battery cable
3-Remove upper radiator shroud
4-Remove right and left cooling fans
5-Remove accessory belt
6-Remove top alternator bolts,disconnect cable and regulator connector
7-Remove ground strap and P/S line bracket to gain access
8-Remove lower bolts
9-Remove lower radiator hose(drain radiator)
10-Remove air inlet duct
11-Remove alternator through top left side of the engine compartment.

[IT Geek]

I just did this on my 95, following the procedure in the factory service manual, and I've got a couple of suggestions to add that might make the job easier.

1) Since the radiator is already drained, I'd go ahead and remove it completely. You have to disconnect the trans and oil cooler lines, but the extra room is definitely helpful when trying to get the alternator out.

2) I found that getting to the bottom front bolt on the alternator was easier if I removed the passenger tire and wheelhouse cover. There is also a tie bracket that is mounted between the bottom and side frame rails that can be removed. Once that is out of the way, you can get to the bottom alternator bolt from under the car instead of groping around from the top. If you don't remove this bracket, make sure that you put the lower alternator bolt in the alternator before putting the alternator back into place. The bolt is too long to insert if that bracket is present. I found that out after installing the other three bolts.

3) There are two bolts on the front of the alternator, one on top and one on the bottom. Both of these bolts have nuts on the end that hold the power steering line in place. Remove both of the nuts first so that the power steering line can be moved out of the way. Then you can remove the bolts.

4) There are two bolts on the back of the alternator, one towards the front of the car and one further back that you can't really see. It took me a little while to discover the one that I couldn't really see.

5) Although this is not specifically related to replacing the alternator, I would take the time to clean out the radiator cooling fins. I was pretty surprised at the amount of junk that had accumulated in mine. Make sure that you rinse out the fins in the condensor as well. It is much more effective to do this while the radiator is out. There was even more crud in the condensor than the radiator. I wasn't plannig on doing that along with the alternator, but once I saw just how much junk was in there, I decided to clean them both. These engines generate a bit of heat, and cleaning the condensor and radiator fins helps. I'm running at just over 200 degrees now.