Alternator Wedged

chasman · Feb 21, 2013

I'm after a tip here. I've removed the drive belt and undone the two long bolts holding the alternator in place but it's stuck fast.

There seems to be a rusty steel tube through the alternator bracket which is holding it in place... see attached photo.

Tried a small crowbar

but it won't budge... any tips?

Thor1950 · Feb 21, 2013

that is a anti wear bushing, goes all the way through. Stops the softer zinc castings from wearing out(egg shaping the hole) and from breaking the bracket when you tighten it up just knock it out with a slightly larger bolt

jamesmartin · Feb 21, 2013

looks more like a dowel to ensure tight fit of alt ,alt should lever out

wammers · Feb 21, 2013

It's a sliding bush that nips against the alternator to hold it against the other side. Put a suitable piece of wood against the opposite end and tap it back driving the bush back until alternator comes loose.

martynv8 · Feb 21, 2013

Hi Chasman,

I'll be changing my alternator this weekend, did you disconnect the battery before removing or leave it, i just get paranoid about disconnecting batteries on my P38

wammers · Feb 21, 2013

martynv8 said:
Hi Chasman,

I'll be changing my alternator this weekend, did you disconnect the battery before removing or leave it, i just get paranoid about disconnecting batteries on my P38

Disconnect your battery unless you want to fry something. Loosen negative terminal. Switch ignition on and off then disconnect negative lead.

jamesmartin · Feb 21, 2013

i dont remove battery lead ,just insulate battery feed once removed taking care not to shost spanner a socket is handy

martynv8 · Feb 21, 2013

Cheers Wammers,

Will this mean i shouldn't need to re-set anything when i reconnect negative?

chasman · Feb 21, 2013

Can't knock it through because the oil filler is it the way... and the hole at the back of the bracket is small - threaded for the original bolt I guess.

Tried prying at that collar sandwiched between the bracket and the alternator but can't get any purchase... with that collar trapped like that I can't really see how this comes out... or indeed how it got it there! As the split in the collar and the tube are lined up I assume it's all one piece?

There has to be a simple trick to this... Workshop manual no help at all.

chasman · Feb 21, 2013

wammers said:
It's a sliding bush that nips against the alternator to hold it against the other side. Put a suitable piece of wood against the opposite end and tap it back driving the bush back until alternator comes loose.

I'll go and try that right now... cheers.

chasman · Feb 21, 2013

martynv8 said:
Hi Chasman,

I'll be changing my alternator this weekend, did you disconnect the battery before removing or leave it, i just get paranoid about disconnecting batteries on my P38

I disconnected mine ... my radio never seems to ask for a code and a few window/roof resets is no real hassle.

DiscoPol · Feb 21, 2013

you need a bigger hammer, ooops sorry just realised this int the Disco section, get the butler on the job he can sort it.

wammers · Feb 21, 2013

DiscoPol said:
you need a bigger hammer, ooops sorry just realised this int the Disco section, get the butler on the job he can sort it.

The butler tells me that over time from vibration, the sliding bush can wear a groove in the alloy of the alternator mounting foot causing a lip that prevents it being slid out. He seems to know what he's on about to me.

Datatek · Feb 21, 2013

Just had to do the one on the MR2. The sliding bush sticks in the alloy frame as it's a different metal that gives rise to electrolytic corrosion. I found a good dousing in Plus Gas left overnight worked wonders. A sharp tap on the alternator frame and it was free.

chasman · Feb 21, 2013

wammers said:
It's a sliding bush that nips against the alternator to hold it against the other side. Put a suitable piece of wood against the opposite end and tap it back driving the bush back until alternator comes loose.

Cracked it (literally). I used a pry bar and some carpet tile to protect the alternator bracket on the easy side and it grudgingly moved (not bothered about damaging the alternator, I have a brand new one). Shoved the pry bar down underneath to stop the alternator pivoting on the bolt at the bottom then used another pry bar from the opposite side (carpet tile to protect what I assume is a water or oil pump) and out it popped.

This is where it all went horribly wrong. I decided I wanted to free up the seized bushes so I put the bolts back to force them through (I was going to thread some tube on) it worked on the top one but the bottom one was seized so hard it cracked the casting for the alternator bracket without budging.

That has stopped play.

I can imagine you all wearily shaking your heads at this point

Just to take something positive away from this, other than ignore the seized bushes, what should I have done?

I have lots of photos... is this worth a how (not) to?

chasman · Feb 21, 2013

Datatek said:
Just had to do the one on the MR2. The sliding bush sticks in the alloy frame as it's a different metal that gives rise to electrolytic corrosion. I found a good dousing in Plus Gas left overnight worked wonders. A sharp tap on the alternator frame and it was free.

I WD40ed mine last night and I'm sure it help extract the alternator... but cracked the alternator bracket trying to pop out the bottom bush to clean and lube it.

Also had I seem this post (which arrived while I was under the bonnet) I might not have tried... electrolysis is a bummer. I just like thing right, you know?

Datatek · Feb 21, 2013

chasman said:
Cracked it (literally). I used a pry bar and some carpet tile to protect the alternator bracket on the easy side and it grudgingly moved (not bothered about damaging the alternator, I have a brand new one). Shoved the pry bar down underneath to stop the alternator pivoting on the bolt at the bottom then used another pry bar from the opposite side (carpet tile to protect what I assume is a water or oil pump) and out it popped.

This is where it all went horribly wrong. I decided I wanted to free up the seized bushes so I put the bolts back to force them through (I was going to thread some tube on) it worked on the top one but the bottom one was seized so hard it cracked the casting for the alternator bracket without budging.

That has stopped play.

I can imagine you all wearily shaking your heads at this point

Just to take something positive away from this, other than ignore the seized bushes, what should I have done?

I have lots of photos... is this worth a how (not) to?

You didn't need to take the bushes out, just push them back to clear the new alternator. They are there to take up manufacturing tolerances in the alternator mount. You could not push them out with just a bolt.
As I said above, a good dousing with Plus Gas, leave overnight if possible, then a sharp tap on the alternator frame does it.
With the alternator already out, It's a case of getting a suitable piece of hard wood and tapping the bush back until the collar is flat against the mount.

chasman · Feb 21, 2013

Datatek said:
You didn't need to take the bushes out, just push them back to clear the new alternator. They are there to take up manufacturing tolerances in the alternator mount. You could not push them out with just a bolt.
As I said above, a good dousing with Plus Gas, leave overnight if possible, then a sharp tap on the alternator frame does it.
With the alternator already out, It's a case of getting a suitable piece of hard wood and tapping the bush back until the collar is flat against the mount.

Cheers. I've found a bracket for £35 on eBay so this was a relatively cheap lesson. Pretty sure that bottom one was going nowhere... 105,000 miles of electrolysis in play. Also maybe it was cracked already... I heard some ticking quite early in the tightening process but mistook it for the bush moving.

I'll order some Plus Gas now. Cheers.

wammers · Feb 21, 2013

chasman said:
I WD40ed mine last night and I'm sure it help extract the alternator... but cracked the alternator bracket trying to pop out the bottom bush to clean and lube it.

Also had I seem this post (which arrived while I was under the bonnet) I might not have tried... electrolysis is a bummer. I just like thing right, you know?

How many times is this to be said? WD40 IS NOT BLOODY PENETRATING OIL.

chasman · Feb 21, 2013

wammers said:
How many times is this to be said? WD40 IS NOT BLOODY PENETRATING OIL.

I've ordered some PlusGas as recommended for the future... I'm 90% sure that was a rhetorical question but I guess you'll have to keep saying it as long as there are noobs like me who didn't know any better UNTIL SOMEONE TOLD US

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