remove and replace alternator on carb a20 motor

[fr_pilot]

alright so my daily driver just took an electrical dump on me. it started about 2 weeks ago while driving on the freeway. while driving the battery/charging light came on. at first i thought the belt had ripped and was no longer turning the alternator. i checked but the belt had good tension. sometimes, when i would floor the car on the freeway, the battery light would turn off and then turn back on when. so made me believe that the alternator is now at its last juice. today the car died on the way to work and i had it jumped by a co-worker. car started right up and i drove to work. i then checked the voltage of the battery with a digital multi-meter and it read under 11v. so i had the battery jumped again and it went back to 12.4. after work i checked voltage and it was at 12.4 so it held the charge fine. i then start up the car and the voltage went from 14.2 (normally it is like 14.5-14.7) back to 13.8. as the car warmed up, the voltage started to drop, when i revved the car to like 2500, the voltage would go back to 14.0 then immediately go back down to 13.5. with that said, i am 100% sure that the alternator is faulty.

now im looking at partsamerica.com and there seems to be two alternators available for my model. theres one with 3 wires and one with 4. i searched and i found this picture regarding alternator wiring :::

http://www.3geez.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=4517

can someone confirm with me that i will be needing the 3 wire one since my engine is carb'd? also, i can see the tensioner bolt, but where is the other one located? it is very cramped in that area and honestly looks like a pain in the ass. so, do any of you have any sort of tips to remove and replace the alternator? any help is greatly appreciated!

NOTE: i do not like driving my track car in the rainy roads of california as i have spun on the freeway previously.

[fr_pilot]

also found this image which may help me and others with an alternator problem

http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/gif/medium/0900823d800cf900.gif

[turabaka]

yes you need the carb'd alternator since you don't have an ecu. I have no idea about the tensioner bolts as I've never had to replace my alternator. Although I'm glad I've got the weber now as I won't have to worry about space issues.

[russiankid]

There is a main bolt on the bottom of the alternator that is accessed from the bottom. The tensioner is up top on the back of the alternator and it is a 12mm nut. There is also a bracket that is near the water pump, the tensioner bolt gets secured there with a 12mm bolt. If you look near the water pump/alternator area you will see there is a bolt with O and a bolt through it, and the rest of it goes to the back of the alt towards the firewall. The bolt goes through the bracket and to the alt.

Also, i have heard some bad things about Advance Auto and Autozone alternators, i have heard that Napa has decent ones.

[fr_pilot]

So i found directions. here it is for future reference for other members :::

REMOVAL:::
1.Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2.Elevate and safely support the vehicle.
3.Remove the splash shield from under the vehicle.
4.Disconnect the left driveshaft from the steering knuckle. Refer to Drive Train for procedure.
5.Unplug the multi-pin connector from the back of the alternator. Remove the clip from the harness bracket.
6.Remove the terminal nut and disconnect the white wire from the B terminal.
7.Remove the alternator pivot or upper bolt and nut, then remove the belt from the alternator pulley.
8.Support the alternator; remove the through-bolt and remove the alternator.
9.The alternator mount or bracket may be removed if desired.

INSTALL:::
10. Fit the alternator into its mount; install the through-bolt finger-tight. Fit the belt onto the pulley.
11.Install the upper alternator bolt. Make certain it goes through the eye of the adjusting bolt.
12.Adjust the belt tension. Tighten the nut on the through-bolt to 33 ft. lbs. (45 Nm) and tighten the upper bolt to 17 ft. lbs. (24 Nm).
13.Install the white wire on the B terminal and tighten the nut.
14.Install the multi-pin harness to the alternator and secure the harness clip(s).
15.Reinstall the left driveshaft to the steering knuckle.
16.Install the splash shield. Lower the car to the ground.
17.Connect the negative battery cable.



yes you need the carb'd alternator since you don't have an ecu. I have no idea about the tensioner bolts as I've never had to replace my alternator. .

AWESOME!


There is a main bolt on the bottom of the alternator that is accessed from the bottom. The tensioner is up top on the back of the alternator and it is a 12mm nut. There is also a bracket that is near the water pump, the tensioner bolt gets secured there with a 12mm bolt. If you look near the water pump/alternator area you will see there is a bolt with O and a bolt through it, and the rest of it goes to the back of the alt towards the firewall. The bolt goes through the bracket and to the alt.

Also, i have heard some bad things about Advance Auto and Autozone alternators, i have heard that Napa has decent ones.

i saw the alternator mounting via this image
http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/gif/medium/0900823d800cf901.gif

thanks for the info about advanced auto and autozone! i will definitely try napa.

there is one last question i have after all of your guy's help (or girl???), the directions i posted above at step #4, it states that i need to remove the axle shaft/driveshaft. is this really required? i dont have a slide hammer at hand and honestly dont want to remove this assembly, as i already replaced the CV-boots on it. so have you guys had success without removing the axle shaft/driveshaft?

once again, thanks a lot for all of your help! i really appreciate it :wave:

[MessyHonda]

never done it on a carb but i heard its a SOB...i dont it twice on my lx-i tho

[fr_pilot]

damn, i really dont want to take off the axle... i'll post some results and possibly pictures as i do the job tomorrow. thanks

[carotman]

Don't take out the axle. I usually shoehorn them through the back of the engine and pull it from the tranny side.

[2oodoor]

Don't take out the axle. I usually shoehorn them through the back of the engine and pull it from the tranny side.

excellant idea !!!

[russiankid]

Don't take out the axle. I usually shoehorn them through the back of the engine and pull it from the tranny side.

Never thought of that. Good idea indeed!

[conozo]

When i replaced my alternator i also replaced my axles at the same time so i had to do that anyways. But i have read on here before that somebody was able to pull it out from the bottom without removing the axle. They had turned the wheel all the way in one direction that apparently gave them enough room to squeeze it out. Im not sure about this tho, but you can put your car up in that position to see if its even possible.

I have a napa alternator and it has worked fine for the 20,000 miles that are on it.

[evil88accordLX]

Don't take out the axle. I usually shoehorn them through the back of the engine and pull it from the tranny side.

you can also take it out through the driver side if you file down the little tab on the side of the block. the tab does nothing, it just gets in the way.

[2oodoor]

you can also take it out through the driver side if you file down the little tab on the side of the block. the tab does nothing, it just gets in the way.

hey evil88, long time no see

yep and you can take the intake off too,
I guess time wise if you are equipped right, taking the axle out may be quicker even though there are more procedures.

[MessyHonda]

hey evil88, long time no see

yep and you can take the intake off too,
I guess time wise if you are equipped right, taking the axle out may be quicker even though there are more procedures.



yeah to take off the axle you need to pop the lower ball joint and then pull...my first time i had to do it...it was stuck....with i just hit the stud of the lower ball joint with a 2 pound sledge hammer and it came out. also remember to fill up...half my fluid came out...should of drained it but i was too lazy

[fr_pilot]

hey, thanks everybody for the good tips! the daily driver is back up and running (charging as it should). here is the break down of what i did.

removed splash guard
removed negative battery cable
removed harness plug from alternator.
loosened up the top mounting bolt
loosened up tensioner bracket
loosened bottom nut
wiggled alternator out.
removed wire that was bolted to alternator

at this time the alternator was freely moving around. so i tried to 'shoehorn' the alternator around to the other side. it is VERY possible to do it this way. but, after about 1.5hrs of trying, and cutting my hands, i decided to detach the axle from the transmission (diff).

i first removed the ball joint cotter pin and nut
detached the inner tie-rod from the outer (now i have toe issues)
seperated spindle from the lower control arm.
removed the inner cv-boot clamp
pulled the spindle towards the outside of the car and disconnected axle (be careful on how the 3 bearings are lined up)

i then went ahead and work the alternator around the axle and it finally dropped on my chest (ouch)

i verified that the harness plug was the same and all is well, thanks to the person who verified the 3 or 4 pin harness plug.

then i did the opposite of what i just listed.

little rant: so i have two cars. my daily driver accord, and my track built 240sx. well the alternator died on the accord on tuesday. so i took the 240 out to buy a new alternator the next day. on thursday, i attempt to go to lunch on my lunch break and my 240 decided to just not start what so ever. so at this time i have both of my cars down (all in the same damn week). an on top of that, i had a vegas tripped planned for two weeks and i am supposed to leave on friday. so friday comes around and i have no cars that run. i decide to cancel the vegas trip and to fix a car so i am able to get to work. this has been by far the worse week of 2008 for me. but you know what.... although i can afford vegas, i can not afford to lose my job.

thanks a lot for everyone's tips,. answers, suggestions! it really helped me a lot! once again, thank you 3geez-ians!

[russiankid]

hey, thanks everybody for the good tips! the daily driver is back up and running (charging as it should). here is the break down of what i did.

removed splash guard
removed negative battery cable
removed harness plug from alternator.
loosened up the top mounting bolt
loosened up tensioner bracket
loosened bottom nut
wiggled alternator out.
removed wire that was bolted to alternator

at this time the alternator was freely moving around. so i tried to 'shoehorn' the alternator around to the other side. it is VERY possible to do it this way. but, after about 1.5hrs of trying, and cutting my hands, i decided to detach the axle from the transmission (diff).

i first removed the ball joint cotter pin and nut
detached the inner tie-rod from the outer (now i have toe issues)
seperated spindle from the lower control arm.
removed the inner cv-boot clamp
pulled the spindle towards the outside of the car and disconnected axle (be careful on how the 3 bearings are lined up)

i then went ahead and work the alternator around the axle and it finally dropped on my chest (ouch)

i verified that the harness plug was the same and all is well, thanks to the person who verified the 3 or 4 pin harness plug.

then i did the opposite of what i just listed.

little rant: so i have two cars. my daily driver accord, and my track built 240sx. well the alternator died on the accord on tuesday. so i took the 240 out to buy a new alternator the next day. on thursday, i attempt to go to lunch on my lunch break and my 240 decided to just not start what so ever. so at this time i have both of my cars down (all in the same damn week). an on top of that, i had a vegas tripped planned for two weeks and i am supposed to leave on friday. so friday comes around and i have no cars that run. i decide to cancel the vegas trip and to fix a car so i am able to get to work. this has been by far the worse week of 2008 for me. but you know what.... although i can afford vegas, i can not afford to lose my job.

thanks a lot for everyone's tips,. answers, suggestions! it really helped me a lot! once again, thank you 3geez-ians!

Sounds good. Would have been easier if you just drained the transmission and pulled the axle out of the differential instead of taking the cv-joint apart.

[Dr_Snooz]

I had a brand new (6 months old) Kragen alternator in my '82 Accord that left me stranded in the middle of nowhere. I paid way too much for a tow to the nearest parts store (Autozone) and bought a new alternator and tools to replace it. Replaced it in the dark with a mini Mag-Lite clenched in my teeth. My saliva ran down the flashlight as I muttered curses at Kragen. Completely disgusting.

The Autozone alternator was the exactly the same as Kragen's. I got the warranty replacement alternator from Kragen (after swearing at them for a half-hour) and returned it to AutoZone in their box. Then I drove to Napa and got one of theirs. I've heard that Kragen's alternators come pre-dominantly from other people's cores. If they pass the initial cursory check, no other work is performed. They get cleaned up, boxed up and sold as rebuilts. My experience would bear that out, though it might just be an urban legend. Napa's stuff is noticably better than Kragen's even looking at in the box. I don't go anywhere else now.

[babelbox]

I had to replace the alternator on mine too. After I tried to wiggle out the thing to no avail, I thought about removing the axle as suggested. I thought it was too much work so I decided to just move the engine. I supported the engins with a jack and I removed the driver and front side engine mount. Then I just jacked the engine up a little bit and had enought space to remove the alternator.

[joshskillz]

I had to replace the alternator on mine too. After I tried to wiggle out the thing to no avail, I thought about removing the axle as suggested. I thought it was too much work so I decided to just move the engine. I supported the engins with a jack and I removed the driver and front side engine mount. Then I just jacked the engine up a little bit and had enought space to remove the alternator.

I did this and it was really effective. Thanks for the info. I really didn't want to go through the whole drain and fill