Help i need an alternator

[Micah 89LXi]

I need to replace my alternator..my battery light flickers all the time now..its starting to make me worry..where can i get one..downt have to be new..new ones cost $92 at autozone and is it a job i can do myself?..any input would be appreciated

thanks guys

Micah Yahr

[87accordlxi]

you'll have to take the driver's side axle off and its still a bitch to get to. i just paid $233 today to have it done

[anchovies]

You don't have to remove the axle.
Just take off your air filter box and you can access the alternator from above.

[mike_fx_u]

removing the airbox is the way to do it i did it that way there is no way in hell iam removing and axles and all other things to get axle off just for a alt.

[smufguy]

if u have a carb car, which u dont from your handle, ur gonna have to do a big job. Since u have an lxi. al u need is a 14 mm socket ( i guess its 14 mm might be 12mm i am not sure) and a half inch drive ratchet with a big ass extension. Removing the altenator is no big deal. unbolt the top and bottom, til the altenator towards the engine, take the belt off. have a flat head, big ass scredriver and pry out the altenator. all this can be done, without taking ur axle off, and removing just ur front driver side wheel. once the altenator is out of the bracket, u can lift it out thru the top near your intake manifold. Putting back is gonna be a hard thing cause ususllay the bracket on the engine block is pretty tight. so either u gotta find a way to put it in. or file the side of the altenator (any side. just a lil bit to ease the altenator in, dont let it be jiggly loose, cause that would be way too messed up. use a mallate (rubber) tobang the bitch in place. use the bolts as they came out and ur set to go. Be prepared to spend a whole afternoon for that, cause its gonna be realy hard with everything on the engine and dont drop the altenator on ur feet, u might regret that. I have taken altenators out of cars without taking the axle off. i have taken three altenatos out that way. but pulling back in, i had no intake in my car and i took the whole bracket out of the engine block and fit my altenator in and then took the altenator out, put the bracket on the block and then slid the altentor back on it. so u see, i got more space to work around sine i had to intake manifold. good luck and its doable. just dont give up or let ur frustrations get u.

[Micah 89LXi]

thats a relief..kinda....now where do i get one?...id much rather do the work myself considering how much it would cost every repair i have done to my accord always cost me over $200...so i would be very happy if i could do this myself...i want to get it fixed for 2 reasons...one is i might just trade it for a civic..and 2 im really scared its gonna give out and cause me major ass problems..plus that blinking light is just scary...but i just put a new batt in with a 2 year replacement warranty..so if it messes up cause of that..its covered......advance tested my alternator and said it was fine..it was the batt that was bad..so i replaced it..but that light hasnt gone away..im guessing its the alternator..couldnt be a short in the dash?..or a bad ground wire?

[smufguy]

the smiple thing is, you check your altenator. have the car idle for like 5 mts and see how much the battery is putting out. follow electrical probs on the website paul(aerodeck) has on his website. see if the connections are bad too. on ur guage cluster, evrything is on a printed circuit, so there is like 0.001% chance that something is shorted out. usually it has to do with external sources such as faulty relays, blow off fuses, or stupid codes on the ecu. even the funny thing is, the bulbs on the guage cluster dont blow off that often.

[YK86]

If it's flickering, then I think it's the brushes. It'll stay in contact with the shaft one minute and then loose contact (this happens when the brushes get too short after wearning down). And both EFI and carbed people DON'T need to take the axle off.

[Micah 89LXi]

Where do i get new brushes to solder in?...i had it tested at advance today and he said it was bad...cause it couldnt hold a charge anymore..a good alt sposed to push 14volts all the time and mine works its way up to 13.5...so its not dead dead..just low enough for that warning light to go off either way the light stays on now...it flickered for a long time and now it stays on more thna it flickers..but i gotta fix this thing

[YK86]

All the local auto stores around here had them. They are about $2 for the pair.

[Micah 89LXi]

so theres just 2?

[franks89sir]

a good way to test ur alternator is too start the car and when it is running take of ur negative battery cable and if ur egine suts out u do need another alternator

[Micah 89LXi]

welp...the brushes cost 8 something and everyone says to replace it i would be much better off..so i went and bought a new one at advance for $88..and im putting it in tommroow morning..wish me luck


Micah

[YK86]

$8??? I know for sure mine cost me $3 CAD which is about $2 US.

[2Fast_Fiero]

My Alt was 90 bucks, but I got it for free cause I got a lifetime warenty in the alt's, so only worring is about replacing it.

[RCracer]

a good way to test ur alternator is too start the car and when it is running take of ur negative battery cable and if ur egine suts out u do need another alternator

If you take off the battery lead while the car is running you are taking a big risk as it will blow the regulator in the alternator.

[520STREETKINGZ]

Man what a pain in the azz to replace. It took about 2 hours. I Didn't even have to take of the axle. Thank you 3geez for all info posted on site. Cost for alt 89.99 @ autozone.

[mephi]

a good way to test ur alternator is too start the car and when it is running take of ur negative battery cable and if ur egine suts out u do need another alternator

DO NOT DO THIS!!! In more modern cars this can cause all kinds of problems, one of them being damage to the alternator, others being damage to the computer, etc.

[Dr_Snooz]

Man what a pain in the azz to replace. It took about 2 hours. I Didn't even have to take of the axle. Thank you 3geez for all info posted on site. Cost for alt 89.99 @ autozone.

Autozone, eh? Well, just take comfort knowing that you'll be a lot faster changing it the second, third and fourth times...

[conozo]

Autozone, eh? Well, just take comfort knowing that you'll be a lot faster changing it the second, third and fourth times...

I've had some bad luck with other autozone parts, but my alternator has been working fine for 50,000 miles so far. I even have two amps for speakers and a carputer but i do have a cap.

[turabaka]

I've had some bad luck with other autozone parts, but my alternator has been working fine for 50,000 miles so far. I even have two amps for speakers and a carputer but i do have a cap.

That's odd. I work there, and I'd say out of all the autoparts stores they're the ones I'd buy parts from most often. We have lifetime warranty on almost everything. Just don't buy the valucrap parts, and you're good. Hell we even have lifetime warranty on most of our brake pads (it covers wear and tear too). I don't really understand the reason for that one, but I'm not arguing since I'll be buying a set of ceramic pads for autocrossing, and then swap them out in the fall after the season is done.

[MessyHonda]

our cars electrical is sensitive when you start running big powered stuff...i bought a orbital batt...its like the optima just exide does it and its cheaper