Alternator Installation Nightmare

[EveryShadeofBlue]

My new alternator that I picked up this morning is in, but there's a slight problem. I was having a problem with the adjustment bolt that controls the tension of the belt. It kept coming out of it's bracket, kind of like it was misthreaded and not coming out straight. Anyway, my friend and I kept hammering it back into place and as I was turning it, the bolt SNAPPED in half.

Not sure what to do now....I have no clue how available that adjustment bolt is. I cut the belt off, installed the new alternator, and now it's sitting in my garage.

Anyone have any ideas? I will have it towed to the dealer Monday, where they will probably have a good laugh at my expense

Jeff

[dromano]

I changed the timing belt a week ago and I ran into trouble at the same spot. When I took the pulley bracket off I found a crack in the metal where that ajustment bolt moves at the thread end of the bracket. I think in my case someone cranked on the bolt head without loosening the pulley bolt causing binding on the adjustment bolt. That bolt was bent, I could not remove it from the slider nut until I put it in the vise and straightened it. I re-aligned the cracked metal on the bracket and very very carefully installed it. The key to removing the alt/ps belt is first loosening the pulley bolt on the bracket with the adjustment bolt. If you could get a new bracket/pulley assembly you could replace what was broken. I'll bet you find cracked metal behind the pulley in the bracket. Good luck.

David

[EveryShadeofBlue]

If anyone was curious, I picked up my car last night. It wasn't the nightmare I thought it was going to be, even though it probably would have been at most Suby dealers. By some miracle my dealer had a USED tensioner and tension bolt and just switched them out. They also replaced the belt I chopped off. Damage was about $95. Now I should be set for the rally cross I'm competing in this Saturday (sponosored by my Subaru dealer).

Glad we can vent here!

Jeff

[nvrmore100]

Originally posted by dromano
I changed the timing belt a week ago and I ran into trouble at the same spot. When I took the pulley bracket off I found a crack in the metal where that ajustment bolt moves at the thread end of the bracket. I think in my case someone cranked on the bolt head without loosening the pulley bolt causing binding on the adjustment bolt.
David

Bingo! Good thing you read my how-to.

Yep unless you loosen the pulley bolt first, the tensioner doesn't move. However it tends to bind and move sideways for some reason. I'm sure this has broken many bolts on a lot of people's cars.

Ryan

[dromano]

Originally posted by nvrmore100


Bingo! Good thing you read my how-to.

Yep unless you loosen the pulley bolt first, the tensioner doesn't move. However it tends to bind and move sideways for some reason. I'm sure this has broken many bolts on a lot of people's cars.

Ryan

Ryan, did you see the part about the bolt being bent? Bent as in on the way to breaking. I was lucky.
David

[EveryShadeofBlue]

Mine broke, so I wasn't so lucky. I just didn't understand part of the directions! The cost to fix my screw up cost about as much as the labor I would have paid to have the alternator installed by the dealer.

Jeff

[nvrmore100]

Yikes are you guys telling me I should update my how-to?

Ryan

[dromano]

Jeff, did the pulley bracket that holds the long bolt get damaged? Thin metal easy to crack. Mine has a crack in the thin part behind the pulley.
David

Ryan,

Did you see where the powers that be set-up a new Locker called How-To's.

On my request. The idea was to take thing slike your site and others how-to's and put them in one place.

Maybe you could just put your URL on a doc and post it there. Then folks could click on it and take them there.

How about it.

Ciao
Wayne

[EveryShadeofBlue]

David,

They said my "tensioner threads" were bad and replaced the tensioner. I guess that is the same as the bracket?

Jeff

[dromano]

Jeff,
I think the tensioner is a combo of the long bolt and nut. The only tensioner I know about is the one that keeps tension on the timing belt.
David