Help please! - stuck trying to replace an alternator! How?

[cass]

Hi, I have a new alternator from Albaston that I'm trying to fit.

I have disconnected the battery, Removed the pivot bolt on the bottom and removed the bolt on the tension slide bracket at the top and disconnected all the cables.

Problem is how do I get enough slack to get the belts off the pulley? Then what happens next? Does the alternator lift off the bottom bracket?

Peter.

[Simon Jones]

Some guidance here: http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/member ... rnator.pdf

With a rubber mallet, or hammer and wooden block, gently tap the alternator towards the engine where the tensioner is to slacken it off. Only remove the bottom bolt once you've slackened the tension. You may need to give it a bit of a shove to get it free to lift out.

[expresso bongo]

You need to remove the bolt from the tension slide AND the nut which fastens the alternator to adjuster. The adjuster will come out, too.
With the (bottom) pivot bolt removed, the whole thing should be easy to work loose-you should be able to push (or shove!) it towards the block; this will slacken the belts enough for you to roll them off by hand.
I did this job just this morning. I'm no muscle-man, I'm 63 years old with arthritis in my wrists. I suspect you need to be a bit more determined!

[cass]

It seems to move a bit then stops against a largish hose attached to the engine block. Don't want to force it but....

So should the belts come off before removing the bottom bolt?

Once the belts are off and the bottom bolt is out, should it just then lift out, or does something else have to be removed?

[Northern Bongolow]

it should lift out, dont damage the hose behind the alternator.

the resistance you will be feeling is down to the top hat bush that sits in the rearmost portion of the bottom pivot. once you have removed the alternator you will see what is best described as a top hat bush mounted in the rear part of the mount, take a good look how its fitted as this is essential when you replace the new one. it acts as a pivot bush but also a trapping washer affair when you tighten the nut up later. the friction you are finding when removing the old one is this on the mount.

[cass]

how loose should the belts be before removing them?
do they need levering off or should they just come off easy?
is it OK to let the belts hang or do they need to be held on to?

[Simon Jones]

Belts should slide off the pulley without to much trouble. Best not to let them dangle loose otherwise you may have to re-position them on the water pump and crankshaft pulley. Perhaps you could use a bit of string or a bungee cord to keep some tension on them. Don't worry if they do come loose though. It's probably easier to do than describe the process.

[cass]

Thanks guys for your assistance.

New alternator now fitted and working very nicely.

The charge to both car battery and leisure battery (via split relay) looking very healthy now.