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Alternators
An alternator is an old term for electric generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy producing alternating current. Alternators are mainly used for recharging batteries and to power electrical loads of vehicles.
4,629 Questions
Is there an alternator belt adjuster on a 1994 Geo Prism 1.8?
If the alternator is driven by a drive belt, the answer is yes. You adjust the tension by loosing the bolts on the alternator mounting brackets and sliding the alternator until the proper tension, (around 1/4" deflection at mid point of the belt) is achieved. If however it has a Serpentine Belt driving the alternator, then there is no adjustment. Tension is held by the idler pulley. If it is loose then the belt is worn out, the idler tensioner is defective, or both.
Buick lesabre new alternator battery will not charge?
Have you checked the fuses?
AnswerMay be a bad voltage regulator. alternator is no good without a voltage regulator. that's what "turns on" the alternator.How do you install an alternator on a 96 Camry?
I have a 96 Camry, V-6, 1MZ-FE engine. Excellent running cars! I recommend that you do to Auto Zone or PepBoys and purchase a Haynes automotive book for your particular camry. I have for mine and it does cover the 4 cylinder and the V-6. It will give you all the steps with pics and torque specs. Other wise we would have to be live to go step by step. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
How do you change an alternator on a 1992 Toyota Celica?
loosen tensioner bolt for alternator, remove belt, unplug all electrical connections.. remove bolt in rear of alternator should be able to pull it out after that, instalation is the reverse this is assumeing you have a 5sfe engine
How much would it cost to replace an alternator on a 2005 Honda accord lx?
The replacement cost for an alternator in the 2005 Honda Accord LX is about $165 plus labor. It is possible to change an alternator of this type in about 15 minutes, but most repair places might charge an hourly fee for labor. Labor cost will depend on where the work is done.
What are signs of a bad or dead alternator?
any vehicle with a 12 volt system should charge at 14 volts. so when the car is running, with simple volt meter (that you can get at wal-mart) put the black wire on the ground side of the battery and the red wire on the positive side. the meter should be set at 20 volts dc current. with the car off, the battery should read 12.66-12.70. that is the voltage of a fully charged battery. when you start the car the voltage should climb to 13.9-14.5 volts. Chrysler vehicles tend to have a lower voltage set than other domestics, but if the voltage is lower than 13.8, you have a problem. a dead battery will cause the voltage to be lower until the alternator can bring the battery to full capacity. almost all vehicles have a battery light. this light is controlled by only the alternator. and has nothing to do with the battery in most cases. if the light comes on, then your alternator probably quit working. there are a lot of other variables, but this is just a quick check, and many pages could be written about this subject. never take your battery cable off while the vehicle is running. the voltage regulator could sense that your battery is stone dead and cause a voltage spike in excess of 60 volts. this could smoke anything in your electrical system. many people do it, but 1 out of 10 it could happen. is it worth the risk??
Replacing alternator on 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo?
This operation is of moderate difficulty and can be done with hand tools. First the battery cables should be disconnected. Second, the tensioner pulley should be depressed to free the serpentine belt. At this point the alternator can be unbolted from the its engine accessory mount. The new alternator, belt, and cables can then be reinstalled and connected, in that order.
How do you tighten the alternator belt on a 1995 Mazda MX-3?
On a Mazda mx3 4cl there are two belts; both driven from the center pulley. The alternator belt is the inside belt that travels back toward the firewall.
The alternator is held in place with a long bolt on bottom (pivot point), and a long threaded screw on top. The top screw is tightened to move the alternator, thus creating tension on the belt.
Important: as you tighten or loosen the top tensioning screw the angle changes accordingly, you must also loosen the bolt that holds the tensioning screw's receiving block as to not bend the screw. (You will see this block is held in a channel, which will allow the receiving block to rotate as well as move up and down)
The process: loosen all the bolts involved, as you will see every thing connected to the alternator will move. Tension the top bolt, and then tighten all the bolts again.
the screw should add tention easely, if the screw seems real tight, you most likely forgot to losen a screw some place.
It would be simple but it's such a tight fit that you won't be able to see anything and your tools won't fit if your hand is holding it. I ended up ripping off all the plastic splash guards from around the wheels and getting at it from the bottom, it's a reach but at least you can see it.
(BTW: if you live in New England or Canada, you most likely have a ton of splash guards, this was a recall fix that was supposed to keep the road salt out of the alternator.)
What is a battery that is designed to be fully discharged many times called?
It is called a deep cycle battery
How do you replace the alternator on a 1995 Ford Probe?
The alternator is located on the passenger side of the car's motor. You are going to have to jack the car up and remove the passenger side front tire and the wheel well covering to get to it. Have fun.....mine needs replacing and I'm taking it to a mechanic. It's a tight squeeze trying to get in there with a wrench yourself.
Your question said all of your warning lights were coming on, and that you had just replaced the battery and alternator. Instrument panel lights come on when the car's system voltage is very low (around 10 volts or less). Since you have just replaced your alternator and you report these symptoms, I suspect that the alternator is not functioning, even though it is a new one. If your car has a voltmeter built in, start the engine, let it idle, and observe what the gauge says. It should read midscale, and there is usually a "13" or a "14" printed on it. The pointer should be somewhere near there. If your car does not have a voltmeter, you can check the car's volts this way: 1. If you have a volt meter (a "Multimeter" that you can buy in most any hardware store for under $20), set it to "15 VDC" or "20 VDC" or whatever scale is a little larger than "14" because 14 is the voltage you want to measure. 2. Now plug the red test lead into the red connection on the meter, and the black one to black. 3. Next, with the engine off, connect the other end of the red test lead to the + (red) terminal on the battery (or a red wire's connection, nearby) and the black test lead to the car's metal frame or the negative battery terminal or to a metal engine part. You should get a reading of around 12 volts if the battery is charged, and maybe a little lower if it isn't. Remember what this reading is. 4. Now (be careful that the test leads or your necktie, etc. do not get caught in the fan or any moving engine parts) start the engine, let it idle, and make the same reading again (on the voltmeter). It should read 14 volts or at least more than it did in the previous step. 5. If you read the same or lower voltage, then the alternator is not producing electrical power for you. Perhaps the wires were not all connected back up properly. Remember there are several of them on the alternator -- not just the big red one. Also check the belt--is it in place and spinning the alternator as it should? Or, perhaps the alternator is defective.
How do you replace the alternator on a 1996 Nissan 200SX 1.6L?
Howdy - just did an alternator change out yesterday, without the benefit of a maual or instructions; it took four hours ! Hope the following helps you... First thing, disconnect neg. battery wire. There is not enough room to pull the alternator out unless you remove a fan housing first. There are two bolts/screws near the top of the radiator which hold the fan assembly to the radiator housing, nearest to alternator (there is a set of two - don't need to pull out both assemblies ); there are no fasteners on the bottom, just a single pin in the middle of the assembly at the bottom. Disconnect the top radiator hose at the radiator and swing away to allow the fan assembly to be pulled straight up; take care not to bung up the fins on radiator. Unplug the electrical connection to fan, first before pulling... Once the assembly is out of the way the rest of it comes easy. Tip: place a heavy piece of cardboard or masnonite next to the radiator so that you won't bend any fins while working under there. The serpentine belt must be loosened to clear the pulley from the belt. Loosen the bolt in the middle of idler pulley; once loosened it can slide to allow the belt to taken off of the pulley. There are two bolts on the bottom of the alternator and one on top, one plug connection an a ground wire. The plug on the alternator has a clip that must be pulled out before it can be unplugged - I used a small screwdriver to unhook it. Once everthing is back together, there is a hex head at the end of the long shaft which come off of the idler pulley - this how you adjust the tension of the belt; once the belt is adjusted, tighten the bolt in the middle of the idler pulley. Top off your radiator, a little bit of coolant will have been lost. Jim 12-31-05
How do you replace the alternator belt on a 2000 Mazda Protege?
Remove alternator/water pump belt on Mazda Protégé 2000 DX 1.6L engine with A/C. This involves removing the A/C and power steering belt first. You'll need a 10, 12 and 14 mm box end wrenches and/or sockets.
- Jack up car on passenger side front or drive onto ramps. Secure automobile in a safe condition.
- Remove right hand air shield under car, so that you have clear access to underside of engine on right side
- Locate pully tensioner on A/C and loosen three bolts: tensioner bolt, bolt on the slider and the bolt on the pivot point. This last bolt may be hidden behind the A/C pulley.
- If the A/C pump does not drop of it’s own accord, use a piece of wood and a rubber mallet to move it down enough to remove the outer belt.
- Locate the pully tensioner on the alternator and loosen the tensioner bolt and the bolt on the alternator slider. The alternator pivot bolt is under the alternator, on the inside of the alternator. It can be reached from the bottom, above the axle half-shaft
To install, just reverse the process. It took me about 3 hours total.
How do you remove the alternator from a 1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT?
i had Pontiac 1994. Toremove two inner bolts i took radiator vent. To access outer bolt i took out a battery, air filter completed with a part of air intake.And i used mirror
How do test your alternator while in the car and the car will not start?
Car would either have to be running or alternator removed for bench test
dead cell in the battery or something is on that is pulling power from the battery.
How do you replace the alternator on a 1999 Honda Civic?
You have to use a socket or a rachet on the adjuster so u can get the belt off then i think there are 2 or 4 bolts u have to remove and take off the wires and remember where they go. It is a easy job if u have any questions call 484 333 5758 and my name is brad.
What is wrong if the car altenator get to hot to touch?
your alternator may be overcharging due to a failed regulator, may have a bad diode or other internal problem. or you may be overloading it by running to many accessories or your battery may be run down or faulty.
What alternator fits a 2001 Chevy Malibu a 1.5 amp or a 2 amp?
depending on load and accesories,or if it has air!! check at a auto parts store or dealer.
What would cause your alternator to reverse polarity?
This has recently happened to my 1996 Camaro after sitting idle for several years with a brand new battery (installed it to move the car to my new house). Knowing the battery would be dead, I took it in to be charged and the parts store accused me of trying to jump with the wires crossed. My other cars are a Prius and a Volvo. Anyone who knows those cars knows why I would not have attempted to jump a Camaro. Nevermind that the car was/is parked head-in inside my shop.
Anyway, I bought a new battery, hooked it up, turned the key on and the gauges pegged then, when I tried to start it, the battery posts began to smoke. Battery people have said it is possible to take a new battery and drain it to the end of its "useful" life (not a pun, as in the batter is no longer useful) which can reverse the polarity. Of course, a 1996 doesn't have a generator so it doesn't need arching but, clearly something is amiss!
I'll try and repost once I hear back from the mechanic.
Where is the alternator located on a 2001 Ford Escape 3.0L V6?
The alternator is located on the passenger side of engine very near the firewall and at the bottom of the engine. Another way to find it is to look at the larger serpentine belt. Follow it back to the rear of the engine compartment. The belt curves around the pulley of the alternator as it's travel approaches the firewall. You can't get the alternator out unless you remove the axle (half-shaft) and bracket.
After you take the mounting bracket off, THEN, and ONLY THEN, you are fairly easily able to remove the alternator. I was so mad I THREW IT 20-30 feet! Was TIRED of looking at it, holding it, and cussing it. It took around FIVE HOURS to get this blasted thing out...SEE YA! Then, you put your new (or rebuilt like mine was...paid 95 bucks online) alternator in. Go ahead and hook up the two electrical connectors at this point...it's easier then because everything is outta your way....then you push the alternator out of the way and bolt the mounting bracket back in place. Now you can bolt on the alternator. Don't tighten the two main bolts...wait. Just get them close because I did, and the top bolt (that you can only reach from the top of the engine in the "outside world" lol) wasn't aligned. Put that top bolt in and tighten it, then go back and tighten the other two bolts. Then you just put everything back together from there. But before you got to this point, you had to:
1. Take off the tire (good idea to loosen the 32mm axle nut when you loosen the lug nuts), and go ahead and take off the battery connectors too, so you don't forget. Once you're under the truck, go ahead and remove the large plastic guard that protects the underside of the engine on the passenger side. 4-5 bolts. Not hard. Get that thing outta the way asap.
2. There is a mounting bracket/housing where the half axle meets the intermediate axle. Remove those 2 bolts so that the housing hangs loose w the axle (photos attached if available).
3. Remove the 32mm axle nut ($8 socket from Advance Auto). It's not hard.
4. Remove the 2 big bolts that hold the entire brake assembly to the strut thing...lol (photo).
5. If you remove the brake assembly from that strut thing and play with it, turning it down and away from the axle, you eventually will be able to slide the axle forward (it has grooves in it and comes out fairly easily) and it will fall out under it's own weight. Keep holding it and slide the entire axle, half axle and intermediate together, from the transfer casing/transmission. It slides out pretty easily. Just be careful with all of the CV rubber boot housings. It's kinda like delivering a baby. Be careful with it. You don't wanna replace a CV boot too. This project is tough enough already!
6. Get some of the electrical wiring out of the way, like the one held to the alternator with a little black rubber piece. I used pliers.
7. Loosen the belt. Not hard. Uses a 1/2 size wrench. Just put your wrench into the tension pulley (closer to you when looking from underneath...it has a square in it that is 1/2 in size) and turn...the belt loosens, and remove. One of the easier parts of the project.
8. Then, you start on the alternator bolts and bracket bolts after that. Oh, and the alternator plastic splash guard...i just used a flat head screwdriver to pry the 2 little plastic tension pieces up and out...they go back in fine. Just take your time to not break them...and you can then move the splash guard thing out of the way to help create more space for the alternator to come out. And you will HAVE to buy a set of wrenches. I bought Fractional/Standard versus Metric. Wish I had bought both...8 bucks for a set of like 7 or so at Walmart. You will use the 1/2" wrench and 1/2" ratchet/socket a LOT!
someone out there that will go through the same ordeal I went through! My arms are tired. My neck is tired. I am COVERED in oil and grit that still remains after a shower...BUT, the battery light doesn't come on anymore and my headlights don't dim at night like they did when my alternator was going dead. What a PAIN!
Possible simpler method
There may be an easier way to remove/replace the alternator on an (01 V6 4x4) Escape -- remove the intake plenum. After completing the process of replacing catalytic converters, ignition coils, and spark plugs, I discovered the bearings on my alternator were going out. Since I had just finished putting the whole top-end of my engine back on, I was well versed in removal. The alternator does require unbolting from underneath the vehicle, but by re-removing the intake plenum, I was able to wiggle the old alternator out and new one in from above/between engine and firewall. I did have some assistance to hold a wiring loom back, but I would say it was way easier going out the top. One caveat to this method though....the new catalytic converter might be less intrusive into the space. But I don't think it made a difference. Total time, once disassembly was started, was about an hour, probably because I was already very familiar where all the bolts were. The hardest part was/is getting an exhaust valve, behind intake, by throttle body, loose and out of the way. Sorry you had to go through so much turmoil.
By the way, the mounting bracket STAYS on the engine. I ONLY removed alternator. 3 mounting bolts + removing wires.
How do you remove alternator in a 2000 Ford Expedition?
What causes the generator to burn out after replacing the alternator
