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Reinstalling the alternator

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Old-Duckman
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Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2020 2:27 pm
Location: SW Pennsylvania USA

Reinstalling the alternator

Post by Old-Duckman » Sat Apr 17, 2021 10:59 am

Removed the alternator to replace the oil filter housing gasket.

It comes out fairly easily with just a little wiggling and pulling. However, putting it back in is not so easy.

Perhaps everyone knows this trick but maybe not.

The alternator has two bolts that attach it to the engine block. We are concerned here with the bottom one . There is a steel nut held captive in the aluminum alternator housing. This nut is designed to move out some (toward the front of the car) to allow the alternator to easily slip over its mounting area on the engine block.

Well 18 years of life had rusted the steel nut on my alternator in place in the aluminum housing and the nut would not move out thus making reinstallation of the alternator difficult, I even tried persuading it with a rawhide mallet, no go.

I set the alternator aside but first spraying the steel nut with penetrating fluid and gave it a few taps with a brass hammer. Set it aside for an hour or so to let it “cook”.

There is an aluminum “wall “ in the alternator housing that partially surrounds the steel nut trapping it in place so it doesn’t turn while tightening the bolt. The surface of the nut was about 1mm below the top of the aluminum wall. Once the penetrating fluid has had some time to work, screw the bolt into the alternator (from the correct side) hand tight. Back the bolt off by about a mm or so. Give the head of the bolt a few light taps and then one good hit. Don’t go crazy here, use your head.

This moved the surface of the steel nut to be flush with the aluminum “wall” of the alternator housing. This left plenty of room for it to easily slip over the corresponding area of the engine block. Tightening that lower bolt you will hear a slight “pop” as the steel nut moves back into place.

Hope that helps someone out sometime.

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