Alternator

[talon]

More progress...

The last alternator bolt is out - came out a dream with my new extra long 17mm wrench on the back. Now the only problem is that the damn alternator might as well not have been bolted in the first place. I can literally hang from it and it doesn't move. Stuck tight. I hit it with the Big F!@#$ing Hammer a couple times and it move a wee bit, so I sprayed some penatrating fluid on it and will go back out in a minute and get it out. As much as I abhor it, in the worst case, I have the BFH and a large breaker bar that should do the trick.

*edit*

Ok, that's the alternator loose from the engine. Now, before I go and get the damn thing stuck on the way out, who has some pointers on which way it comes out? Does it come out horizontally or vertically? If vertically, is it pulley facing up or down?

As I sit here and eyeball it, I'm wondering if any of the hoses running down the firewall need to be disconnected to make room...

Edited January 21, 2008 by talon

[MGFCrasher]

Hiya,

I didnt disconnect any hoses but I did from memory unclip a couple and persuade them out of the way.

As for getting it out I'm sorry I cant remember but I just fiddled until it was eased out.That probably took the longest.Just remember which way so you can get the new one in !!!

Rich

[talon]

Well.... All that work was for nothing. I got frustrated while trying to pull the alternator out of the car and decided to give the rest of the undercarriage a good visual inspection and then go back to the alternator. Both transmissions seals are leaking badly. Between that fact and that I'm due a C service I decided to pack it in and leave the whole job to the pros. The tow will be here on Wednesday morning to take her away. At least I saved myself a little bit on the labor and parts charges

[Günter]

Russ don't give up! It was such a good start in the end!

PS. to save time an money use a small hook and pull the spring from the radial sealing rings out. cut the end a bit and fit it together. use two hooks and fit the spring back inside the lip. Not perfect and not professional but i run with this type of "repair" more than a year now.. .

[talon]

Alternator is out. The shop ended up pulling transmission linkage cables and moving one of the coolant pipes in order to get it out. They are replacing the transaxle seals now and I expect to get the car back on Friday!!!

Edited January 23, 2008 by talon

[talon]

[kyliesmith.com]

Nice one Russ. Hope she gets all sorted soon. My car has also been familiar with trucks like that of late

Lets us know how you get on.

K

[MGFCrasher]

Safest bet.

[Simon350S]

Is it just me...... or do these cars look fab on the back of a transporter.....????

Hope you get it back all fixed soon matey......

Simon

[talon]

I was thinking the same thing as it was loaded, hence the piccies

[kyliesmith.com]

Is it just me...... or do these cars look fab on the back of a transporter.....????

Simon

B) Yup Certainly a crowd puller !

[talon]

They are washing the car as I type this and I will be picking her up this afternoon!!!!!!!

So... Lotus wanted $750 for an alternator. Jarod charged me $756 for everything, including the tow and a state inspection. He also managed to turn the car around in three days. HIGHLY recommend him to anybody in the Carolinas.

I can't wait to drive the car again. it's been almost 5 weeks.

[talon]

!#$@

4 hours after getting the car back, it was hit on the front drivers side bumper by a hit and run driver. It cleaned up alright, but still pi$$es me off.

[73JPS]

A year and a half after this post first appeared I too am now attempting to remove the alternator. This post has been very helpful, and today I just got to the "try and ease the alternator out through the 6 mm gap between the chassis and engine" stage when prior social commitments forced me to put it aside.

I will tackle it tomorrow, but since I note that nobody remembered the actual method and/or orientation for getting the alternator out through that tiny gap, I will attempt to either describe it or attach a piccy (if I am lucky enough to have a spare hand to take one) of the correct orientation as it slides oh-so-easily free... *cough* *cough*... in case it might be of help for future generations.

I will add for reference to anyone contemplating doing this that my mechanical abilities are in the "capable, but easily discouraged and somewhat timid on the grounds that I may irreparably damage something" category: today it took me roughly 1 hour to perform the task of the removal to this point. I have the car up on ramps, therefore I am working on my back. I do not have the best tool inventory, but it is essential you have some 1/2 drive equipment, hopefully with at least a 12" handle so that you can get enough leverage on things like the tensioner and the mounting bolts. A 17mm open end wrench of at least 12" in length is also essential to reach the nut at the back of the top mounting bolt. My car is very clean underneath, which made the breaking of the bolts and actual freeing of the alternator from its mount quite easy. Count on it being way more of a b**ch if your underneath is mucky. Hopefully this provides some context for anyone contemplating this task: I only write it to encourage those who, like myself, aren't particularly good mechanics, but are willing to try.

[73JPS]

I am hoping that anyone planning to remove and install the alternator will find this summary of my experience helpful:

-the alternator comes out easily if one turns it so that the 'long side' is aligned with the frame side (as opposed to the engine side); the same applies for re-installing it. If the alternator is turned to the proper orientation, it comes out easily with no binding. Another way to say this is that the two alternator mounting holes should be adjacent to the frame side for removal/installation.

-for North Americans: the Cadillac Catera alternator might fit, but I couldn't get it to. Although the mounting bolt holes are all dimensionally correct, and rumour has it that people have installed these alternators successfully (Russ?), it is a full 1/2 inch larger in diameter, and makes its installation next to impossible as far as I could see; I therefore just had mine rebuilt, and was fortunate that my supplier took back the Catera alternator.

-as noted in another post, the correct alternator is a Lucas LRB320, cross reference to an Opel Omega B 2.5L V6, 1994-1999. Apparently this also references as a Bosch BX3925. If you are planning on having yours rebuilt or you want to pick up a new one, this might be helpful.

-for re-installation I suggest (as also noted in another post) tacking the washer to the nut with crazy glue for the top bolt. Then tape that whole assembly to your 17mm open end wrench, and you will find that the top bolt installation is quite easy: it took me less than 3 minutes.

-Lotus quotes 3.5 hours shop time for an alternator swap: I think I might have actually done it in that time, and I am not a very competent mechanic (see above post).

-do yourself a big favour and make sure you have a nice long lever arm for the tensioner: I used a piece of iron pipe (horrors!) to extend the lever arm of my socket wrench, and that was the only way I could get enough purchase on it with my right hand, given the limited angle I had to work with while lying on my back, with my left hand mashed into the tiny space it had to go so I could slip the belt over the pulley.

-I hope I haven't wasted anyones time with this post: I was quite proud of the fact that accomplished this, until the guy at the alternator shop told me that some of the Fords he has worked on have shop times alotted at 6 hours for an alternator change. Apparently the Lotus alternator is not the hardest one to remove and replace!

[Günter]

can agree to Patrick's *Bosch* comment. Every 'handy man' in a Bosch car component replacement shop should be able to rework this alternator. My local shop does this on mine, I'm not totally sure if it is now called to be an *Bosch-Lucas hybrid*

[BlackV8]

I am hoping that anyone planning to remove and install the alternator will find this summary of my experience helpful:

-the alternator comes out easily if one turns it so that the 'long side' is aligned with the frame side (as opposed to the engine side); the same applies for re-installing it. If the alternator is turned to the proper orientation, it comes out easily with no binding. Another way to say this is that the two alternator mounting holes should be adjacent to the frame side for removal/installation.

Thanks for this Patrick. With your advice it took me seconds to pull it out (once I freed it from its mounting points... Pain in the a$$,)

Now off to the shop to have it rebuilt...

[73JPS]

Thanks Matt! All the more so, since as I read what I wrote over 3 years ago, I have no idea what I am saying. Glad it made sense to somebody