Another Alternator Question

[GTownCougar]

I took the two bolts out of the bottom of my alternator, but it seems to be firmly planted and going nowhere. Did a google search and found someone had the same prob with a focus, but no real answer. Anyone here with advice?

[luvmy99cougar]

this is a dumb question but did u take the belt off? lol, there is a bolt on the top too, i dont see a reason for it not coming out, u may have to use like a ruber mallet to tap on it to get it to come out.

[GTownCougar]

Yeah I did lol. And I dont believe the zetec has a top bolt. Maybe I missed one?

[GTownCougar]

Anyone else have input on this?

[Turbo Zetec 'tour]

there are indeed 3 bolts, 2 at the bottom and 1 at the top.

[GTownCougar]

Weird, I thought it was odd that it only had two, so I looked more. And apparently missed it. Now I feel like a tard :facepalm:

[michcougar]

Compare it with the new alternator to see how many bolts are holding it in

[GTownCougar]

Getting mine rebuilt....So dont have another to compare it with. By getting my own rebuilt I'm saving about $100.

[crazyoldcougar]

i had to use a pry bar to get mine off once the bolts were undone...

[GTownCougar]

Well it finally came out with a little persuading. Gonna drop it off thursday to have it rebuilt. I can't imagine they're going to do much with the shell, so was wondering if anybody had painted theirs? Think it would make for a nice touch to the engine bay versus the regular corroded aluminum.

[Turbo Zetec 'tour]

Well it finally came out with a little persuading. Gonna drop it off thursday to have it rebuilt. I can't imagine they're going to do much with the shell, so was wondering if anybody had painted theirs? Think it would make for a nice touch to the engine bay versus the regular corroded aluminum.
it gets pretty hot back there by the alternator so i dont know how well paint would really hold up. also if your going to try painting it you really should do it before its reassembled so as to not get any paint on the contact points (brushes, stator, etc)

[GTownCougar]

Yeah I was thinking engine enamel, because of the heat. And I might ask the guy who's rebuilding it if he could paint it for me or I could just stop in and spray it while he has it disassembled. Was just wondering if painting might lead to problems, but didnt think it would.

[GTownCougar]

Got the alt back yesterday...$120 for new bearing, regulator, and rotor, plus refinished the normal silver/black. So I saved a decent amount of money and helped a local business. Put it back in started her up and ran great and no battery light :biggrin:. Drove it a little and put it back in the garage to check everything, but I see my idler and tensioner pulleys are wobbling a bit, now I have to replace those. But it was amazing driving the cougar while it lasted...felt like a brand new car after driving a jeep for 3 weeks.

[Qdog002]

How long did it take you to replace alternator? I will be replacing alternator, belt, and idler pully. How long should I plan on this taking me to do?

And all you did was just jack up passenger side, remove wheel, brakes to the side, and wheel well, and went to work correct?

[Turbo Zetec 'tour]

this is the writeup i did for the pre98 contours just last week. since you have a different motor mount you wont have to support the engine and remove the mount. everything else should be the same or very similar.

the alternator can be removed without removing that mount but it is much easier with it off. jack up the car and place on jack stands. take the jack and a block of wood and support the engine under the oil pan. remove the 6 18mm nuts and remove the mount. you may have to remove the bracket for the power steering line before removing the mount but it has to be done anyways, an 8mm and 10mm wrench for that. use the same 8mm wrench to disconnect the ground strap bolted to the bracket. using a 10mm 1/4" drive socket and ratchet, reach down the behind the alternator to undo the nut holding the power wire on. also disconnect the large plug by pressing the metal tab and pulling. leave the small single wire plug until you have unbolted the alternator and can see what your doing. go below and remove the 2 10mm bolts holding the splash shield on. using a 13mm wrench, release the tension on the belt and remove the belt from the alternator. then remove the bolts holding the alternator to the bracket. there are 2 from under the car, one facing the passenger side and one facing the drivers side (this one can be extremely difficult to break loose). the third bolt is up above. once all the 3 bolts are out, slide the alternator from the bracket and rotate it so you can see the small plug. using a small flat head screwdriver CAREFULLY pop the plug off, it will break if you are not careful. turn the alternator so you are holding the pulling upwards and the double ears are between the head and the intake manifold. from there you can wiggle it out.

HTH

i can do it in under 20 minutes if im hauling ass but i would plan on at least an hour incase you have problems getting bolts undone.

[Qdog002]

Thanks. Why do the dealership/mechanics charge a ridiculous amount for this job if it only takes an hour or two?? Glad to have these forums. (:->)

[CincyZetec]

mine took like a half hour.