just a tip for anyone who wants to remove their alternator

[stinky817]

so yeah... i just spent a mad amount of time removing my alternator, you have to remove the power steering resivoir, the antifreeze tank, and a few other things near that area, and then unbolt then engine mount, and then slide the engine foward, it's the ONLY way to get that damn alternator out...

[canuck]

how much did that cost? how long did it take? would i be better to take it to a garage?

[canuck]

I bought a voltage tester for $30 to make sure it was the alternator. It plugs into the cig lighter. At idle it was 12-12.5v and at 2500 rpm it was 13.8-14.2v. The "new" one cranks out 14.5v. So it was slowly draining the battery at idle. I was able to charge it at night and drive to work for a couple days until I found an alternator.

Cdn Tire wanted $280Cdn plus tax for a new alternator. Murray's wanted $150US, but had to order it. I found a used one at a salvage yard for $125Cdn, plus tax.

I replaced it myself. What a pain. It took all day. Mostly, because of all the junk that has to be removed and half the bolts were seized. The cramped space doesn't help out either. The cam shroud needs to be removed and the bolt bracket needs to be bent. The engine ground wire bracket on the frame/shock tower also needs to be bent. That's the only way it would squeeze out. Also, just loosen the 2 alternator bolts 1/4", then press them back in with a prybar. This will push the "nut" back in place. Otherwise it won't budge and you'll be looking for a 3rd bolt. You'll need to get under the car to turn the automatic pulley tensioner. That's the only way you can get the right leverage. It helps to have someone up top fit the belt back on. If I had to do it again it would take an hour! haha.

power steering pump reservoir-set aside
antifreeze bottle-remove
engine hoist bracket/ground wire-remove, bend ground bracket
cam shroud-remove, bend bracket
black plastic thingy? on cowl-remove 2 bolts and set aside
black plastic fuel line thingy?-remove 2 bolts and set aside, *plug it up or it'll leak

This morning my engine light came on. Great!!

Damian