alternator belt

dirtydx · #1 12-18-2003, 01:38 PM

it snapped...

any one know how to put a new one on? or is it too awkward to be bothered with?

honda might put a new one on for me.... cuz this one only lasted 3 months!?!

just dont know how i'd get my car to the shop 60kms away

marked001 · #2 12-18-2003, 01:59 PM

..just loosen the bolt on the alt bracket...slide the alt towards the engine..slip the belt on.. slide it back towards the firewall til the belts tight.. tighten it back up.. couldnt be simpler..I'm sure you can handle it..

bambam89lx · #3 12-18-2003, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtydx

it snapped...

any one know how to put a new one on? or is it too awkward to be bothered with?

Well, it kinda NEEDS to be bothered with.....lol. Your car won't run very long with out one! J/K

Yah...on a level 1-10 on the "making repairs to a honda" scale, I'd give it about a 2. It shoud be relatively simple even if ur a noob.

Tools Required:
12 mm socket
socket wrench

That's it. Just loosen the 12 mm adjuster bolt that loosens/tightens the alternator pull off the old belt. Slide on the new belt. Now ur gonna need something or someone to push back the alternator as far as it can go while someone else tightens the 12 mm bolt back up. Voila...that's it!
The only problem u may encounter is if you had accessories on the car such as power steering and a/c. But if ur cars a dx, i doubt u have either. If u do, u must do the same thing for those accesorries....loosen the bolts that hold them on, take off the belts, put on the new alternator belt, then put back on the other belts and tighten the loosening bolts back up. Not hard at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtydx

honda might put a new one on for me.... cuz this one only lasted 3 months!?!

just dont know how i'd get my car to the shop 60kms away

I'd be a little more worried why the other one only lasted 3 months. Did it snap? or get really worn out? or does ur battery not get charged?

Also, like i said, i'd just change it myself cuz it would really suck for you to have to pay to get ur car towed there over a stupid alternator belt.

dirtydx · #4 12-18-2003, 02:47 PM

thanx fellas.

the car was sitting in a field for a month... covered in snow.. my dad started it up and took it for a run, when he came back the belt was hangin out under the car. we thought maybe a rodent chewed it, but theres no teeth marks, and it fits back together perfectly.

it baffles me why it snapped. my only guess is the belts faulty.

dirtydx · #5 12-18-2003, 04:54 PM

there was a huge clump of melted rubber on the alternator belt wheel. so the alternator is seized? does that mean its pooched?

havent put the belt on yet... the bolt was rusted, gonna try again after supper!

cot · #6 12-18-2003, 05:02 PM

If you can't spin the alternator pulley by hand, it's shot.

You should be able to get a new one and replace it fairly easily. That is, if you can get it out of there. I havent tried it yet on my 4g but on an old accord once we had a hell of a time just getting the alternator out of the engine compartment (after unbolting it, it was basically trapped in this little cavity)

damn that was annoying, hopefully someone else can tell you if the 4g alternator will be like that or not.

marked001 · #7 12-18-2003, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cot

damn that was annoying, hopefully someone else can tell you if the 4g alternator will be like that or not.

yup it will be...

but it comes out.. how..I forget..but its possible

cot · #8 12-18-2003, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marked001

yup it will be...

but it comes out.. how..I forget..but its possible

well that's too bad, it's depressing to have something that should be an easy job turn into a nightmare. I think we ended up jacking the engine up off one mount to get it out of that car.

I guess that's not that uncommon on newer cars, but it bites. if i had it to do over again, we woulda brought it to a mechanic

darolh · #9 12-18-2003, 05:49 PM

When I swapped out my alternator I was at a loss as to how to get it out of there. It almost fit enough to go out the bottom but no dice. I ended up popping the master cylinder off the brake booster (don't undo the hydraulic plumbing!!!) and swinging it out of the way to get the alternator by it. No big deal.

This was on a 1600.

Dumped91Hatch · #10 12-18-2003, 05:49 PM

You just have to drop the axle out of the way. Not all that hard IMO. If it snaped after 3 months you might have had it too tight also.

cot · #11 12-18-2003, 06:14 PM

I haven't dealt with axles enough that I would feel comfortable pulling the axle for kicks, though maybe that's the easiest way to go. I'd be afraid i'd jack up the cv joints, or cause a leak where the axle goes into the tranny, or something.

but i'm paranoid, don't mind me. i'll take my meds

dirtydx · #12 12-18-2003, 06:49 PM

hmmm...

that sucks for me. do u think if i tried to crank it with some vise-grips that it might break free? cuz the car was sitting in a field for a month, and everything was A1 condition when i left it.

darolh · #13 12-18-2003, 06:54 PM

Personally, I'd try and break it free. You're not going to hurt it any worse. Consider it junk now and if you get it going, you're ahead of the game. If you're really motivated, you can take it out and disassemble it to get it unstuck which is less likely to do damage. You'll get to learn about alternators too. Check the brushes, commutator, etc.

Sitting for a month shouldn't cause a healthy alternator to seize.

Hybrid1990crx · #14 12-19-2003, 08:46 AM

Uh, if it was seized, I think your dad or you would have noticed a horrible squealing and the smell of rubber comming from under the hood before it snapped.

johnb16a2 · #15 12-19-2003, 10:34 PM

Hey slow down all you axle droppers and master cylinder pullers! All you need to do is remove the lower alternator bracket and it falls to the ground. GL

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