I tried to swap out alternators for a friend today in a 92 ls, and ran into a huge problem. The top bolt came off cake, but the lower bolt is seized right into the alternator. Ive loaded it up with penetrant tons of times, tried to tap it out, then I tookm the tire off, used an extension, andhammered it with a sledge and it didnt budge, I think its so rusted into the sleeve on the alt and is basically ‘welded’ in there. The end is beat to hell now, but luckily I have another one of the bolts sitting around.
I was wondering if anyone had this problem or knows how to fix it?
Please help, this is very important, the car is to be sold soon (as of right now Im selling as it, but it would be much easier if it ran).
If you’re changing the alternator the easiest way I can think of is to either grind cut or break the head off the bolt and just use your extra bolt for the new alternator.
This may not be the best way to do it but this is what i’d probably end up doing.
Thanks for the replies guys! But the problem is not getting the nut off, that came off really easy, its the actual bolt on the bottom, the one with the square end on the opposite side, its actually seized in the hole where it goes through the alternator, and I was wondering aside from cutting if theres any way to get it out, any special tools or tricks I could use.
heat it up and beat the ever living &*^$ out of it
make sure you heat were the bolt goes thru the alt and try to move it back and forth and when you have it hot spray some penetrating oil on it remove the heat source before spraying the oil.
The exact same thing happened to me…I had to use a quarter inch socket and take the whole alternator mount off the block of the engine. It takes along time but once you get the bottom two bolts off i think there is only one on the top left. Once the top one is loosened, you can turn the alternator around to see it better. Then heat up the mount to take the bolt out once you have it off…hope this helps…
Thanks for the help…but what do you mean quarter inch socket, the drive or actual socket? Just wondering because obviously its metric, lol. I tried to take the bracket off the engine as you did, but I cant for the life of me get the top bolt loosened, with a socket on it I cant turn it because its recessed, and for that reason obivously a wrench wont work either. What a PITA, lol…how exactly did you get the top?
the problem isnt getting the nut off, its off what needs to come out is the bolt, it wont slide. dude id say heat it and hit it i know its frustrating but im doing a clucth on my car and every bolt is seized. hopefully i can get it all back together
Yeah I know what youre saying but its actually sticking out not in on the side the nut came off, so I cant stick anything in there to pound on. There is no way to pry on the other end either. It must be so rusted its basically welded in. I will try heat (I only have mapgas) but I doubt that will help much.
take the top adjusting bolt out and remove the belt then heat and try moving the alt back and forth heat it for a bit then cool it with oil then re heat it eventually with the heating and cooling the oil will work its way an any it should loosen up. when you get it out coat it in brake caliper grease or never seize. make sure you clean the bolt real good with a wire wheel or sand paper first. map gas should be great i have only ever used propane to heat anything i needed
I meant a 1/4 inch ratchet and socket…12mm or 14mm what ever they are. you should be able to move the alternator down a bit, just enough to get the small socket behind it…once the top one is loose then you should be able to swing the alternator and bracket around a bit to get a better view of the bolt…it was really frustrating especially in a mall parking garage…have patience…good luck!
Ran into the same problem when swapping the timing belt. After the top bolt was off the long bottom bolt was seized. Couldn’t drop the alt belt. Finally I placed a pipe on the alt from above and beat the crap out of it to slacken the belt. I guess you could remove the whole bracket from the block then.
okay now i know this is a really old one,but i really need help with this guys.I have almost the same problem except the lower bolt will not budge i’ve tried lubing it.I’ve tried hammering it.I’ve broken 2 ockets on it so far,and i stripped the bolt.If i cut the bolt off,will i be able to get the alternator off?
The hinge bolt has a large square head thats opposite the nut that is soooo easy to come off. The far side of the brkt has this landing that the one flat side rests against to keep the bolt from turning. You can take a crescent wrench or box end and turn this bolt a little to break it loose. You should also try and relieve the tension of the flat against the brkt so that its free to slide out. If you can’t turn the square head end, at least take your worst flat blade screwdriver and wedge it in the top of the abutting flat to check that there is not obstruction from having it slide out. I’ve also seen where the flat fits into a stupid groove in the brkt making it more difficult to slide out. Remember: this bolt does not spin at all, only wiggles between the end of the square end flats. Heaven help you if someone replaced it with a different bolt that they wedged in, but then again at least you should be able to drive it staight back.
Perhaps I over dramatized that it is flat and square, to keep it from rotating. The corner of the square, flat end is wedged against the brkt or stuck in a notch. It’s supposed to slide straight back out of the holes in the brkt. You can wiggle/rotate this end with the wrench to make sure it’s clear of the brkt, prior to driving the bolt out.:dozing:
okay so if i rotate this square head back and forth it will…break off?
or just slide out?or do you just wanrt me to cut the head off and hammer it out? sorry i’m really slow…
did i mention i’m taking tha alt out from the top? so the drive axel is still verymuch in the way:read:
