AEROHIT - thanks for integrating my writeup with the diagram! 
Makes it much, much better.
oh man…the 2 screws on the brush assembly were tight and i almost stripped the screws…
one must get a nice sharp short screwdriver and flashlight will also help
Yes – I used a tight bit (one that fit as tight as possible – checked various sizes of bits) on the end of a ratchet. I made sure I was pushing hard onto the screw and ratcheted V E R Y slowly to keep it from stripping. Doing this with the alternator in place is not easy, but cheap and potentially saves tonnes of time.
oh man that hidden screw was so hard to get out. I had to remove the alternator and turn it while still behind the drive shaft, but it worked. Getting it back in will be a pain, but that will happen when i get my new brushes. Thanks for the tip!
another way to get the alt out is just pull of the intake manifold me and my friend did it this way and got it off in about 30min total and put it in and reinstalled it in about 30min. Ive changed axles so many times i can pull mine and put it back in in about 30 min to 45min. but i needed to switch intake manifolds neway.
matt
Does anyone know where I can find these brush assemblies in store? I have to get my car up and running by the end of the weekend and I’d like to give this method a shot. I was driving home tonight and the car died just as soon as I got into the driveway…the lights were getting so dim I could barely see my gauges…
Anyways, if anyone could please let me know what kind of store they got their brush assemblies from, that’d be great. I’m trying to avoid ordering online since I won’t even see the parts until Tues/Weds due to the upcoming long weekend… I’d love to be able to just pick the parts up and fix it tomorrow…
I got mine at a local “Napa Auto Parts” store. The part # is (from their web site → www.napaonline.com):
Item#: MPEE601SB
Price: $ 2.99
The above are JUST the brushes. You’ll need a good soldering iron and maybe some drilling! (Read original post for details…)
It looks like there’s a few Napa stores in Boston area…
HTH –
but if you get the whole brush assembly and not just brushes, then you wont need solders -
thye come in a set of 2
short length screw driver and may need flash light. Jack up the car as high as you can.
Its been few months now and alternator is running fine just by replacing the brushes.
with some patience its the Best money saving trick!
Alright, I just got mine in and theres only one brush assy. Do I need 2? The exploded view in this thread shows one assy, but it sounds like there might be two. Or else you all just mean two brushes in the assy, which i can def see. Thanks. Oh and does this mean that if I get my old assy out and take the wornout brushes out I can replace them for 2.99 and use that next time or give it to someone else?
one it is
You only need 1 of those - the pic shows front/back side as a display
it has -ive/+ive built in one piece
(if you look at the pic above you will see 2 brushes in one assembly, the 2 holes for screws and also -ive and +ive)
Thanks for the advice. I replaced my brush assembly and the problem is fixed! It was a lot easier than I thought, and took only a half hour.
sry to bring up an old thread but this helped and saved me a lot of cash. i spent less than $6 for the brush assembly. the hardest part was getting the alternator out. here’s what i did:
-took the oil filter off
-took off the 3 14mm bolts that was holding the int shaft bracket in place
-pulled it towards the driver side to make some room for the alternator to come out
-position the alternator so the backside of it will come out first
-it takes some time but wiggle it and it will come out
saved me from taking apart the driver side suspension just to take out the axle. hope this helps
btw, replacing the brush should be the first thing to do before replacing the alternator. mine was worn beyond specs!
Bump for a thread with some good info. Just thought I’d add my $0.02 on the alternator brush replacement.
I was experiencing a battery light and fluctuating idle so it was obvious it was alternator troubles. I initially tried to remove the brush assembly while the alternator was still attached but ended up stripping the visible screw. At this point I decided to go ahead and follow the procedure for removing the alternator from below without removing the axel. With a little manuevering, twisting and turning the alternator dropped out easilly. With the alternator on my bench I attempted to remove the brush assembly screw that wasn’t stripped. Even with all the pressure and my precision craftsman screw driver the screw stripped. I think that after 180k the heat just takes it’s toll on the screws and will inevitably make it impossible not to strip the head. So go in to this project with the mind set that you may have to remove the alternator completely (which was actually quiet easy). And if you do strip the head, all it took for me to get the screws out was some needle nose pliers with a 45 degree tip, there are of course other alternatives.
The brush assembly screws are M4 x 8. I normally replace phillips head screws with hex head, or allen key screws, but there were none short enough at my local ace. They did, however, have phillips head screws in this size. It may be helpful to have these and a couple locking washers on hand in the event you strip the head.
All in all this was not too difficult a job and just replacing the brushes versus the entire alternator saves a good amount of money.
Thanks to the G2IC members who post all they’re experiences/tips/write-ups.
brushes and screws
brush assembly:
i live in a bigger city (denver) where there are many auto parts rebuilders- I called one up & they had the whole assembly for $3.50. I just had to re-use the orange rubber part- which i think is worth $16.50.
screws:
as for the screws- i was starting to strip one of the holder screws- then remembered some motorcycle mechanic stuff- impact screwdriver- the kind you use with a rubber mallet- not pneumatic. it was too cumbersome to do inside the car- so i just gave the screw a few taps with the screwdriver & rubber mallet. & it came out quite nicely. not how great it is for the electronics but it worked ok for me.
91 gs all stock
Great teg tip
My 92 Integra has 285,000kms & I figured I’d be needing a new alternator soon. Tried this procedure and also stripped the visible screw.
I was able to get it out using a Sears stripped screw extractor bit in my screwdriver.
I couldn’t get a brush assy at Acura. (not available)
I was able to find a similar brush assy at Honda here in Ontario Canada.
However, when I finally got the brushes off, they had loads of life left - so I reinserted the original brushes - mainly because my replacements weren’t as good a fit as the originals.
Still it was comforting to know the state of the alternator brushes was OK.
Alternator removal
Instead of pulling the alternator from the hub area, I found it easy just to take the brake booster off, and pull it upwards to bend the lines a bit, and let it sit out of the way… Believe it or not, the lines are pretty pliable, and will not break, just don’t go twisting the brake booster when you pull it upwards. They bend easily back into their former position. With a couple of twists on the alternator to negotiate around a few things, it’ll come right out. It was simple, and a hell of a lot less work than the dreaded hub disassembly! I had my alternator rebuilt for a total of $60. It works like a champ!
I replaced my brushes a couple weeks ago and my old one was very worn. I took a side by side comparison picture. I’ll try and get it up on here to let everyone know what it -should- look like 
I bought the brush assembly from Acura for $31. Fyi,
Part Number 31105-PR7-A01
-T
very useful tip. Thank you.
im back up and running with 14 bucks for the carbon brushes.
did all this while the alternator in car… best fix i ever did.
If your battery warning light comes on try to tap on the alternator. If it is the brushes then it should vibrate some dust off the shaft and let them make better contact. If this fixes it it will only be temporary, but should give you time to get some brushes and get it home. Probably common knowledge, but hey, could save someone some trouble. Same thing if your starter is going out, tap it, but Honda starters usually last a long time.