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Alternator Installation Recommendations


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My OEM alternator bit the dust. Luckily, I have a big ol' DieHard Gold, which has allowed me to drive around for the last week.

 

Got a rebuilt from Advance Auto. Any words of wisdom on the process or things to watch out for? I've got the Haynes manual, and this certainly looks easier than replacing the alternator on my Nissan XE.

 

Turtle is a '86 Coupe GL 4WD, auto (*wimper*)

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My OEM alternator bit the dust. Luckily, I have a big ol' DieHard Gold, which has allowed me to drive around for the last week.

 

Got a rebuilt from Advance Auto. Any words of wisdom on the process or things to watch out for? I've got the Haynes manual, and this certainly looks easier than replacing the alternator on my Nissan XE.

 

Turtle is a '86 Coupe GL 4WD, auto (*wimper*)

All I can say is, dont' do what I did last weekend. Install one in a fricken hurricane. :D

 

 

Truly it's a really simple install. Just don't forget to unhook your battery first. :eek:

Saw someone make that mistake once, zzzzap.

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Just don't forget to unhook your battery first. :eek:

Saw someone make that mistake once, zzzzap.

Yep, electricity and I don't mix. Had a bad experience with a cow fence...

 

Needless to say when I woke up I whupped the tar out of the nearest bovine with my trusty whiffle ball bat...

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Hmm... Had to swap pulleys, new alternator had two pulleys, old one had one. Same model number....

 

Installed the new alternator with the correct pulley. Hooked everything back up, adjusted the tension of the belts, went to start... *CLICK*

 

No sputter, no movement, just click.

 

Checked pulleys and belts, everything seemed the same. Reading 10V on the dash meter. Car ran fine last night and Sears supposedly charged the battery when I brought it in to confirm the toasted alternator.

 

Is it possible to have toasted a starter or solenoid in the process of installing an alternator???

 

Please, help the inept, that's how we learn :)

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my friends truck has a bad starter, or so he says. how do they work? i know they turn the engine flywheel, but is there some place i can find this type of info out other than howstuffworks.com? thanks, although this is probably the wrong place to post this.

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Try jumping it with another vehicle - sounds like the battery is just dead. The "click" is the sound of the starter solenoid, and you just don't have enough juice to turn the starter.

Gave jumping a try - no dice. I could hear the click and a soft spinning noise. Went through, checked all the belts and appearance against the photos I have. Checked the connectors. Installed new cap/rotor/plugs, since I had the alternator out. Can't figure out what I did.

 

A tow truck is on the way. The Subaru dealer in town will not even look at it, so I'm having a mom-and-pop look at it. Hopefully I just screwed up tightening/loosening something. Hate to admit defeat, but I need the car to run.

 

Will post follow up.

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turm off car, and place in neutral

set parking brake

open hood

remove the battery

remove the alternator

install another battery, borrowed - known good

connect jumper cables to terminals on starter

connect a small jumper wire to the spade terminal to make the starter run

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Follow-Up:

 

Got the call at 5PM, starter is dead like Elvis. $225 in total to get it replaced. Probably could've done it myself, but the cost of the tow home (and pissing off the shop, making them push it out of the bay) comes close to the offset in labor and parts savings. :-\

 

Hmm... So the question is could I have damaged the starter during or after the install? I ran the car normally for about 100 miles with the dead alternator, starting it maybe a dozen times. The dead alternator seemed to spin free when I removed it. Could I have fried it with a bound/overtightened belt? When I first tried to start it I wondered if I had done this, but even after loosening the belt, I should've seen some movement.

 

I'm going to presume that it was the original starter, hopefully the shop will provide some insight, even if they tell me I killed it. Well, now there's a fresh battery, fresh alternator, and fresh starter, so off we go! :headbang:

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I've had trouble with the GROUND battery cable on both our '83 and '87. Tried jumping them and nothing happened. Moved ground jumper cable back to the starter mount and VRROOM!!! Ended up replacing both battery cables with upgraded units. No trouble since.

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