Uninstalling alternator help

[CabrioArtie]

Went to uninstall the alternator yesterday, I've read the service manual and numerous posting about unscrewing the right side bolt about 3 turns and tapping it to free the bushing and alternator. It would seem on my car a few taps (and even more pounding) does not move the bushing and/or free the alternator not matter how I tried.

I put it all back together, but plan on trying again next weekend. Any suggestions to free the alternator would be appreciated. Are there any unwritten things I can try to free it? I also tried lubricating the bushing, but to no avail.

[Ahsai]

Try some PB blaster? How did you hammer the bolt? I use a 7/8" x 1' solid aluminum round rod. A few good whack using a 2.5lb dead blow hammer. I sprayed the bushing with PB blaster the day before.

Edited September 9, 2013 by Ahsai

[CabrioArtie]

Try some PB blaster? How did you hammer the bolt? I use a 7/8" x 1' solid aluminum round rod. A few good whack using a 2.5lb dead blow hammer. I sprayed the bushing with PB blaster the day before.

Even though I thought I hit it pretty hard, It doesn't sound like I hit as hard as you. And, I didn't soak it for more than 45 minutes. Have to try harder this coming weekend.

Thanks

[Silver_TT]

Definitely need to free up that bushing and then you can pry it out with something like a piece of wood (the mounts are aluminum so no crowbars, etc).

You might have success threading a scrap bolt in so that the head of the bolt is small a bit away from the alternator housing and then giving it a couple of taps with a dead blow hammer which forces the bushing back a small amount.

I had the same issue you are having when I did mine and the above information helped a lot. It took persistence. Conceptually it was so simple but that little bushing getting stuck (from me not properly reading the directions the first time and taking that bolt all the way out) ending up being about 90% of the work in my case. Hopefully if you can loosen up that bushing you should be able to get the alternator out with a little coaxing. You will need to give that bolt a pretty good whack -- if you don't have a dead blow hammer, you can buffer your blow with something like a piece of wood. The key here is you want to apply some good force....but not go wild on it.

Edited September 9, 2013 by Silver_TT

[CabrioArtie]

Definitely need to free up that bushing and then you can pry it out with something like a piece of wood (the mounts are aluminum so no crowbars, etc).

You might have success threading a scrap bolt in so that the head of the bolt is small a bit away from the alternator housing and then giving it a couple of taps with a dead blow hammer which forces the bushing back a small amount.

I had the same issue you are having when I did mine and the above information helped a lot. It took persistence. Conceptually it was so simple but that little bushing getting stuck (from me not properly reading the directions the first time and taking that bolt all the way out) ending up being about 90% of the work in my case. Hopefully if you can loosen up that bushing you should be able to get the alternator out with a little coaxing. You will need to give that bolt a pretty good whack -- if you don't have a dead blow hammer, you can buffer your blow with something like a piece of wood. The key here is you want to apply some good force....but not go wild on it.

Not saying I can remember from Saturday, but it there isn't a lot of space to give it a really "good whack", at least from what I remember. Is there a specific angle or something? Or did you remove more than just the air box?

[Silver_TT]

Nah, with the air filter housing off and the serpantine belt removed, there should be plenty of space to hit that bolt. At that point it's pretty much wide out in the open.

[Ahsai]

Definitely need to free up that bushing and then you can pry it out with something like a piece of wood (the mounts are aluminum so no crowbars, etc).

You might have success threading a scrap bolt in so that the head of the bolt is small a bit away from the alternator housing and then giving it a couple of taps with a dead blow hammer which forces the bushing back a small amount.

I had the same issue you are having when I did mine and the above information helped a lot. It took persistence. Conceptually it was so simple but that little bushing getting stuck (from me not properly reading the directions the first time and taking that bolt all the way out) ending up being about 90% of the work in my case. Hopefully if you can loosen up that bushing you should be able to get the alternator out with a little coaxing. You will need to give that bolt a pretty good whack -- if you don't have a dead blow hammer, you can buffer your blow with something like a piece of wood. The key here is you want to apply some good force....but not go wild on it.

Not saying I can remember from Saturday, but it there isn't a lot of space to give it a really "good whack", at least from what I remember. Is there a specific angle or something? Or did you remove more than just the air box?

Yea, I found the same and felt much more comfortable using a 1' aluminum rod to bring the hammering point outside the rear bumper.

[Ahsai]

Nah, with the air filter housing off and the serpantine belt removed, there should be plenty of space to hit that bolt. At that point it's pretty much wide out in the open.

I never figured out how to whack that bolt good without the risks of hitting the bumper. I guess I need to practice my hammering skills more :)

[valfam]

The first time I had to remove my friends alternator I used a pry bar to get it out I did not know about wacking the bolt in a little. I did have to hit it pretty hard for it to go back in at all, I was scared that I was going to mess something up. but id did make it come out easier than the first time but it was not easy it's was still a little of a pain. What I did was I undid the screw a few turns out then hit the head of it with the hammer I would say give it a few hits and try if it does not move hit it a few more times and try again.

[Silver_TT]

Been a couple years since I did the alternator and I don't have a NA 996 anymore, but I don't recall the bolt being terribly difficult to get at. Remember, you're giving it a good tap to knock that bushing back and loose -- but you don't need to go postal on it or anything to the point where you would lose control or accuracy of the hammer. You don't want to hit it so hard that you break the aluminum mounts or you are going to have a whole different set of problems :) You should be able to feel it as the bolt becomes flush with the mount again (ie. goes in the distance of those 3-4 twists). Hope that helps. Let us know how it goes!

[CabrioArtie]

Thanks to everyone who provided me with the above help, I did whack it pretty hard (at least I thought I did) so I will soak it a little more and whack it a little harder. Hopefully it moves. Otherwise, I will have to admit defeat and bring it in and I hate not succeeding at something I planned on doing.

I'm planning on working on it on Sunday, so I'll let everyone know that evening.

I was wondering, instead of hitting the bolt, if this is a good idea? Remove the bolt completely and use a punch directly on the bushing directly?? Just a thought.

[Silver_TT]

You won't be able to hit the bushing directly. It's on the back side of the mount so I'm not sure how you would be able to do that with the alternator in the car.

Edited September 10, 2013 by Silver_TT

[RFM]

Take a good look, after disconnecting the alternator, the rear mount (with the bushing) it happens that when tapping too hard to get back the bushing the mount hairline cracks will show, which after a few hundred miles or more, under the influence of vibrations, will break down with a loose alternator and broken belt as a minimal result.

[CabrioArtie]

I would like to thank everyone who replied above, with all of your suggestions I was able to get the bushing pushed and alternator removed.

After soaking it with PB Blaster for several hours and hitting it for a little while and a slight process change it creaked and moved. The process change was, using the bolt screwed in as far as it will go without the pulley wheel mounted, I was able to hit it so that it moved. This gives you the most amount of room in order to work and use the hammer.

Again, thanks to everyone. I now have a properly working alternator.

[Ahsai]

I would like to thank everyone who replied above, with all of your suggestions I was able to get the bushing pushed and alternator removed.

After soaking it with PB Blaster for several hours and hitting it for a little while and a slight process change it creaked and moved. The process change was, using the bolt screwed in as far as it will go without the pulley wheel mounted, I was able to hit it so that it moved. This gives you the most amount of room in order to work and use the hammer.

Again, thanks to everyone. I now have a properly working alternator.

Well done!