Removing the alternator

[billaird99]

How many people have accomplished this without having to cut the car apart with a torch? I got the alternator unbolted but cannot get it past the crank or the front drive shaft. How the hell do you get it to come out?

I've tried getting the front crank off but the nut is pretty well seized on there. It won't come out through the top without disassembling practically every thing up there and even then I don't think it will come out. Does anybody have any insight on what I can do to get it out?



Thanks Bill

[billaird99]

OK, so I went and got a Haynes manual for it. It said to take off the crank pulley and the bracket and I was able to do that but I can't get them out from underneath there either. Somebody has got to know a way of getting these off. This really stinks that I can't get them off and just swap the darn alternator.



Bill

[billaird99]

Well, I went and paid for a subscription to alldata and it says that I have to drop the right subframe to get the crank pulley or the alternator out. Looks like I will be sizing that up tomorrow but that seems aweful extreme. It's too dark and I'm beat from messing with it for today so tomorrow looks like I will be under there checking it out. If anybody has done this on the DOHC motor then please chime in.


Thanks Bill

[97taurusdude]

I don't know how to change an alternator, but if I did, you hadn't mentioned on the first 2 post what the year, engine size, etc. your Taurus has. I could only guess if somebody's going to help you out to let readers know.

[billaird99]

Sorry, it's a 1999 w/3.0L DOHC, it's been a rough day.



Bill

[billaird99]

Well I am calling it a total defeat. There is no way to drop the subframe as the whole engine sits on the frame they want me to drop. So it looks like the car will have to sit until I get the $$$ together to have a shop do it.



Bill

[billaird99]

Well the car came back from the shop yesterday, total bill was $800. They had to replace the alt and also swapped over the p/s pulley that I took a chunk out of while trying to wiggle out the alt with a long piece of wood.

I bought both the parts they replaced and had them install them for me. While they were under there I had them also replace the water inlet hose ($186 from Ford....OUCH!) as it was badly rusted and actually sprung a leak while they had it. I still have a toasted battery so I will replace that in a few days. I'm probably never gonna try to do anything on this car again since it's really not like the previous Taurus (1993) that I owned a few years back and was more user friendly to work on.

If anyone has an alternator problem on a 3.0L DOHC motor, this is not for the faint of heart and I would suggest that you immediately take it to a reputable place for the removal and reinstall. It will save you alot of headaches and have your car up and running in no time.

Unless of course you have all the equipment to unbolt and lower the engine from the frame of the car. According to everything I have read and every shop I talked to, that's the only way to gain clearance to remove an alternator from this particular engine.



Bill

[giddyup50]

I have a 97 w/DOHC 24V. I hope I never have to do that!! Remember the good old days when you could do almost everything yourself? I sound like I'm 70 but I'm only 31. Pretty soon we won't even be able to change our own oil. Hell we had a 99 Olds Intrigue and it was like pulling teeth just to change the battery. That's just dumb that you have to do all that for the alternator!! On my wife's 03 Taurus it has the base 3.0 Vulcan engine. It has plenty of room to do most things, even change the plugs. The DOHC is nice for power but sucks if you have to do any work on it. Hell I don't even know if I can change the back plugs or not, I don't want to, but if I have to I'll atleast try. Thanks for the warning on the alternator.