Holy crap seriously? all that work just to get a flippin alternator out?! What i got from the intructions from Lewi were u take the bottom bolt(s) out and then the top, release the tensioner pulley, and then pull it out and then put the top bolts back in on the new one and then the bottom and put tension on back in the pulley and bam but it doesnt look anywhere close to that description. I mean he does have an eg but i dont think that the alternators would be that different...should i not fck with it and take it somewhere where they'll do it for me?

 

So no ones gonna help me? alright thats kool whatever......just realized today that my valves are tapping BAD so ima have to figure out how to fix that this summer prolly or at least before i leave for skool. I mean i guess it doesnt hurt anything its just got a lot of miles on her is all. And i gave the alternator back to the guy (and got my money back) cause his daughters 4 door lx (or somethin) needs a new one now too so im fcked there, again. Could anyone help at all?

 

well swapping the alt isnt a easy job IMO. with mine i had to pull the drivers lower balljoint loose and then tilt it outwards so i could pull the axle shaft out of the tranny, also i removed the oil filter as well.
im not sure the second time if i pulled the axle shaft or not... i dont remember, so your first time i would say pull off the oil filter and see if you can get the alternator out with the axle inplace.... if you cannt get it out by moving it back and forth twisting it around then id say pull the lower balljoint loose from the LCA that way you can pull the axle shaft, just be carefull when putting it in and out on the oil seals on the tranny! and if you got some grease its best to grease up the ends of the axle shaft, both sides if you pull the whole axle out, it helps ALOT when reinstalling it otherwise the metal splines can try and stick since they are TIGHT FIT ALREADY! and you wanna make sure they are fully seated into the tranny and spindle if you pull the axle nut.
i just pulled it loose from the tranny myself. i didnt mess with the axle nut you only have to pull it out enough so you can drop it down free from the tranny and then the alternator will be easy to drop out! its just quite a bit of work.... you might be able to squize it thru the bottom with the axle shaft still there but if not be prepared to pull it.

 

Yea, the swapping of alternators is not the easiest thing to do.

The noise in the head you are hearing should be corrected with a proper valve lash if I am thinking correctly. Pull the valve cover off and take a look at everything. I had excessive noise in my head and found a few things smashed up... ended up having to rebuilding most of the entire head. Don't let that noise go unattended, check it out and make sure nothing is wrong.

 

Addictiontobass: Yah well i dont have a strut bar so u think i could pull it out from the top if i could get to the bolts? And which bolts do i need to get to to remove the alternator? cause thats what really confused me when i looked at it and tried to do it myself the other day...id figure out a way to get it off im not too worried about that.

CV: u think i should do somethin about that? i mean its my DD so if i pull the vc off and start checkin out stuff i could just see whats wrong with it and then put it back together without any problems right? ive never done that before and i dont want to have something go wrong and it wont start or somethin haha i mean i need to replace the seals on the bolts anyway so it could be a good thing to get some maintenance done but still. My dad and i were just thinking that the valves were tapping cause its got 123,000 miles on the motor.

 

i didnt say anything about a strut bar did i.....
the alternator has 2 bolts on it. the one adjuster bolt ontop and then the nut and bolt on the bottom of the alternator. and the alternator will be tight in the brackets because the lower bolt has a slide pinch insert that will hold that sucker tight! so youll have to have a crowbar to get the alternator out of those brackets. and when you try to get the new one back in youll have to hammer that slide insert back out alittle otherwise youll never get the new alternator back in.... and that slide insert piece can stick hard so dont be scared to wack it with a hammer!

 

Yah u mentioned something before about having the strut bar in the engine bay and it being in the way...or maybe that was lewy who said that haha my bad haha but jesus why is it so hard to get these fcking things off? ill look at it again tonight and maybe go to AutoZone and get a new alternator and try to do the swap...if not im sure yall will hear my venting on here cause ill be super pissed haha

 

If it is your DD, then you better do this type of stuff...maintenance. I DD my car and it has been pulled into about 6-7 pieces each night and put back together so that i can drive to work the next morning. lol

Search around for guide on checking valve lash and a guide on removing/re-installing your VC. You may want to swing by the local Pepboys/Advanced Auto store and pick up some RTV sealant (if you do not have some) and a replacement VC gasket (if you haven;t replaced it yet. Are you referring to the VC grommets when you say "i need to replace the seals on the bolts"? They are a PITA to replace, but definitely essential if you are leaking from there.

Correcting the valve lash should quiet the noise down. Checking/adjusting valve lash is routine maintenance I believe.

I have been meaning to make a DIY on stuff like this... among other things.. Once I get this meth kit 100% installed and tuned in my car, I will start back up on How to: guides... I promise. lol

The alternator? Well, if it is stock (which is what I will assume), then it has been torqued down and seen a lot of heat cycles within the past 10+ years, making it difficult to get those suckers out.

 

o no its really not the heat its that pinch sleeve on the lower bolt. that thing has been sandwiched in there as tight as you tighten the bolt down and its metal on metal where it slides and its just dry no grease or what not.
thats probably the hardest thing. if you cannt get the sleeve to move back out of the bracket to get the new alternator in then its easier to pull the 2 bolts holding that whole lower bracket off and then lay it on the ground and hit that slide sleeve thing to move it back out more.

 

CV: Yah i think those are called grommets yah haha two of them are leaking so i need to get them replaced and why would they be a pita to replace? can i not just take out the bolt and then trash the old one and replace it with a new one? but ima see if i couldnt get some work in on the motor tonight...prolly not pull the vc off but maybe pull the alternator off if i can do that from the info im getting from Addiction2bass.

Addiction2bass: okay so i think i kno what to do now then...might just try to do like u said and yank the bracket out and take to it with a hammer haha idk we'll have to see cause ima have to buy the new alternator first.

I still just dont get why theyd make it so hard to get to and remove...like in the cars from back in the day it was just right in front and u undo two bolts, release the tension on the belt, bada-bing bada-boom its out...my dads 65 chevy c-10 i could do that in like 10 mins no problem but with these f@cking 4 cylinders u cant get to **** :/

Anyway ill check into it tonight like i said earlier and see if i couldnt do it and, again, yall will prolly hear me venting if i cant