how hard it is it to replace your alternator?

[anj109]

does anybody have a diy on this? i've checked and cant find one anywhere. I'm not an expert at engines but i have replaced my throttle body and distributor and they were pretty easy. please let me know cause i want to save money and do it myself if its easy but my car is sitting and i need to drive it.

[alb_accord]

not hard. i have changed it twice. it's preaty easy. just got to remove some stuff. the hardest thing that i had to do is to place the lower bolt on the altenator. that took me a while because i didn't have that reach that has the 60 degree turn in it.

[91accord4door]

i take it you do ont have a service manual? and how do you know your alternators junk?

[anj109]

ok my battery is under a yr old. And for the past week my cars electronics have been shuttin off and dimming down. First my radio was just shutting off. Then at night my lights would start flickering. And finally the last 2 times i drove my car all the electronics would just shut off and then right back on like every minute or so. Finally it just wouldnt even start and my battery and check engine light came on. So im pretty sure its the alternator. wouldnt you guys think so?

[alb_accord]

well does it crank. it might be a lot of things from what u told us. ok just go to ur car and try to start it. if it doesn't check for sparks. pull the wire off then put a screw driver in there and put it on a metal. then get someone to start the car. when he cranks the car u should see sparks coming out of the plug where the screw driver is. if u don't then u got problem with ur distributor.
while driving did u battery sensor come up. did u lights and all go out like diminishing. if it was the altenator u should hear the engine couf. don't just run and do the altenator if u are not sure. if u want me to tell u how to do it just ask. i got pic of what u should do first etc. the thing is i just got pic of the mounted altenator and oil pomp. lol

[Kdub]

I took off my power steering pump and moved the cruise control actuator without unhooking the cable(easy), made it easier to get to the bottom alternator bolt. tried doing it without moving all that stuff but I did'nt have the right tools. I needed to clean up in there anyway. When you put the PS pump back on bleed the system(easy) and USE HONDA POWER STEERING FLUID.

[anj109]

thanks guys, well i just thought it would be the alternator cause it was dying before and now it has just plain died. Like there is no power. The check engine and battery lights come on when i turn the key. I cant check anything cause I cant get my hood open. I'm gonna try tomorrow when I got back to my parents house where my car is at. I'm gonna pry that bitch open if i have to. I couldnt really understand what you meant by checking for sparks and such with the alternator or distributor. I think i need a new dist. cap or wires or something cause for a while before this i was having stuttering problems in low rpms up till like about 3000. I changed the dist. rotor and it was working well for about a day and then started doing it again. So i dont know if this has anything to do with it but it seems like its 2 different things.

[alb_accord]

ok if u get ur hood open. pull ur spark plug wires off the spark plugs. then u put a screw driver to the spark plug wire. conect the screw driver to the body of the car. then when someone else starts the car check if there is spark. if yes then u don't have a folty distributor. if u don't get a spark then u have a burned out distributor.
now if u want to check if u got the altenator>>>> just get another car and use japer cables to start up ur car. if u car starts then remove the jumper cables and drive away. if ur car begins to die on u >>>> having demishing dash lights and the batery sensor is on then u have the altenator.
did u get me this time. lol hope it works fine for u body. i have the pic of what u should change in case u need to change ur altenator.

[anj109]

thanks man, i know what you mean now. i stick the head of the screw driver in one of the spark cables and then i touch another part of the screw driver (metal part) to a metal part (ground) on the car and have someone try and start the car right? sounds good. thanks a lot for the info. now i just have to get this hood open so i can try it out. I found out that a mechanic at my work (i work at infinity of west chester in pa detailing cars) said he would put it in for me for free if i got the alternator so i dont have to do it myself. i'll prob give him like 20 bucks though cause he said it would only take like 30 min if the alternator is on the top part of the engine which i think it is and told him it is.

[anj109]

hey alb, i noticed your from philly too. where at? im from west chester. you guys ever have meets or anything. no one around here really has cb7's or atleast that are worked on. let me know if there are any meets or anything and maybe we can meet up or something some time if your in the area.

[alb_accord]

yo man i am in northeast philly. there are two guys in here from philly. one is EMPERA the other one is SOUTHPHILLYMAN. Empera is trying to do the next meeting on Kelly drive. just go to regional and then to northeast. then check the empera's posting. as for the car man lol i have a stock honda accord ex. and that car has given me a lot of problems. so that how iknow how to fix things. lol check the diy's for my post man. anyways if u need to replece the altenator just tell me and i will post some pic of what u have to remove in order to replace the altenator.

[tommi]

Originally posted by alb_accord
well does it crank. it might be a lot of things from what u told us. ok just go to ur car and try to start it. if it doesn't check for sparks. pull the wire off then put a screw driver in there and put it on a metal. then get someone to start the car. when he cranks the car u should see sparks coming out of the plug where the screw driver is. if u don't then u got problem with ur distributor.
while driving did u battery sensor come up. did u lights and all go out like diminishing. if it was the altenator u should hear the engine couf. don't just run and do the altenator if u are not sure. if u want me to tell u how to do it just ask. i got pic of what u should do first etc. the thing is i just got pic of the mounted altenator and oil pomp. lol

yea i would b very helpful if u showed sum off ur pix
thanks

[HenRoc]

Originally posted by anj109
ok my battery is under a yr old. And for the past week my cars electronics have been shuttin off and dimming down. First my radio was just shutting off. Then at night my lights would start flickering. And finally the last 2 times i drove my car all the electronics would just shut off and then right back on like every minute or so. Finally it just wouldnt even start and my battery and check engine light came on. So im pretty sure its the alternator. wouldnt you guys think so?

Dude simple...its your voltage regulator. Its located within the the alternator itself.
I can't remember how much the voltage is supposed to read but get it checked out pronto.

If your battery is under a year old and the alternator can't hold a charge., Check the voltage regulator before you go all out on replcaing the alternator.

[tommi]

yea i don't see any pictures on how to do this diy yet so i'm still stuck on how to get the powersteering off and after that.
by the way how tdid y'all retension your belts after that?

COLBALT CB7 2NER