replacing alternator-Pay to have it done, or do it ourselves?

[smoon26]

Well, the alternator is going out, I believe. Lights aren't steady, it's starting to not want to start, lights on the dash on that shouldn't be, etc. Yuck, right?

Well, now we are looking to have it replaced. My husband isn't a real car mechanic, doesn't even change the oil himself. BUT, he used to be a mechanic in the army for the apache helicopters. I'm thinking, if he can fix a multimillion dollar helicopter, even in the middle of the desert during the first gulf war, he should be able to figure out how to replace an alternator, especially in the comfort of our garage.

So, before I suggest this to him, how hard is it? Someone told me it was just a couple of screws, but that seems a little too good to be true to me. I hate paying for the work, cause I grew up with just buying the parts, and then my uncles could fix anything. Now, we are too far away for that.

Can anyone shed some light on this? On a scale of 1-10, how hard is it? And is there anywhere to get some direction on how to do it?

Or, should we just cough up the few hundred dollars to do it ourselves, which isn't a very good prospect now that christmas is upon us.

TIA for any info you can give!

[Flatrater]

To change your alt you will need to remove your windshield wiper motor and linkages just to get he alt out from under the hood. If I had to rate this job I would say it was a 6!

[kpn]

I had flickering lights on my 2000 montanna. Dealer found a corroded ground wire on the alternator. Cleaned the connection and problem went away. Might be a TSB for this, not sure. Good luck

Keith