This is not a tough job except for the one little bolt holding the heat shield to the alternator is a bear to get off. I could never get the alt positioned so that I could reach it with any of my tools.
NOTE**it's a 10mm bolt head but has Phillips slots...I might have been able to get to it with a 1/4" Phillips socket, wiggle socket and plenty of extentions. Good luck to anyone working on this...
However...for the sake of sanity I taped a hacksaw blade to a thin file and cut through the metal that attaches the alt to the plastic bracket. After that, this job was a piece of cake. When I replaced it I drilled holes in each side of the piece I had cut and bolted a small brace. If I ever have to pull out my factory remanned alt I will only have to unbolt the brace bolt. Makes this a 1 1/2 hour job instead of spending 2 hours just trying to reach that heat shield bolt.
94 Q Alternator Removal
How long did it take you to replace it start to finish? The alternator on my '91 Q45 crapped out on me yesterday, and I can't afford to have a mechanic put it in (primarily due to the ever rising college tuition costs here in California) so I'd like to be able to do it myself. It's my first car, has 138k miles (7k are mine), and I got it tuned at a Shell 3 months ago.
It took this fellow (http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/...42276) 10 hours to put his in. I am not a car aficionado by any measure, but I'm eager to become one. Can't be that much harder than computers, right? :pface
Also, where can I buy a good alternator for a good price? AutoZone wants $230, Kragen wants $160-280 (http://www.partsamerica.com/Se...nator), and theres a rebuilt one on ebay for $100 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...25967).
Thank you for your time.
It took this fellow (http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/...42276) 10 hours to put his in. I am not a car aficionado by any measure, but I'm eager to become one. Can't be that much harder than computers, right? :pface
Also, where can I buy a good alternator for a good price? AutoZone wants $230, Kragen wants $160-280 (http://www.partsamerica.com/Se...nator), and theres a rebuilt one on ebay for $100 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...25967).
Thank you for your time.
For the prices they're asking, it's definitely worth getting a factory reman. The chain store remans are POOR quality in general. Prostarts are the absolute worst brand for electricals I've ever seen. So many stories I hear from friends and coworkers about them failing. Maybe it's not always the case, but I'm pretty sure my factory "reman" from Scottsdale was a brand new unit.
Budget 4-8 hours for the job, but only if you already have all the tools.
If your battery is more than 2-3 years old, consider replacing it too to maximize the life on your new alt.
Budget 4-8 hours for the job, but only if you already have all the tools.
If your battery is more than 2-3 years old, consider replacing it too to maximize the life on your new alt.
I paid a little over $300 to Infiniti of Scottsdale, but I saw later that Pinnacle (advertises on this site) has them for $270. I didn't think this was a tough job except for that one stinkin' little bolt in the back of the alt. You take out the battery, the fan, all the belts, the 2 main bolts from the front of the alt then the 2 small bolts that hold the heat sheild on the back (one of the 2 small ones is pretty easy...the other one is the one I posted about). If I hadn't messed around for 2 hours trying to get this bolt out it would have taken me about 3 hours, tops. The manual says to drain a liter of radiator fluid and take off the top hose...I didn't do that but I could see where it would make getting it in/out a bit easier.
For clarity...I also took the bolts out of the line retainers surrounding the alt, both in front and under to allow some wiggle room...once you get everything off/loose, twist the alt and pull it forward as far as you can...then you can get underneath and see the little bolts in the back of the alt.
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Chally
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 12:17 am
- Car: '94 Infiniti Q45
2002 Nissan Patrol 4.8L
2013 Citroen C4 (economy)
Just did mine! Can't remember finding another car that has a worse placed alternator!
That aside, it took me 2 1/2 hours to R&R mine, & it was a pain.Make sure you remove the 3 bolts from the top mount from the head, & while you in there, make sure the belts are OK.
Next job? repair transmission (OUCH!!!)
That aside, it took me 2 1/2 hours to R&R mine, & it was a pain.Make sure you remove the 3 bolts from the top mount from the head, & while you in there, make sure the belts are OK.
Next job? repair transmission (OUCH!!!)
Ok, the refurb alternator I won on ebay doesn't work so I'm getting my money back on it. I'll just buckle down and buy a new one. AutoZone has 2 brands on their website; DURALAST-IMPORT 110 AMP and BECK/ARNLEY 110 AMP. Which of these would you reccommend and if neither, where can I find a good one at a good price. These 2 go for 230 and 240 respectively.
Pinnacle wants 270 (http://www.trademotion.com/par...gid=1). Deduct the core charge and send the old one in? How does that work?
They add a core charge of $75 to the price, meaning that they will charge your credit card $345 and send you the new one. Then you send your old one (the "core") in to them, and they will then credit your CC the $75 core...$270 net, plus shipping each way. What you will save on tax almost balances the shipping charges, though it is a pretty heavy unit. Core charges are pretty standard, I would guess the prices you got from Autozone include the core charge. Otherwise there isn't even much of a price advantage to going with theirs, let alone any quality issues.
Pinnacle
I can vouch for Pinnacle. I have purchased several items from them and they always provided great service. They have sent me drawings and even recommended a small part that I failed to specify.
The interesting thing is that they are also in Scottsdale.
W. Long96 Q45
The interesting thing is that they are also in Scottsdale.
W. Long96 Q45