Need help replacing alternator on a '91 240sx

[Vegeta]

Please do not reply to this post unless you have actually replaced an alternator on a '91 240sx!!!

I am tired of people responding to my question with their best guesses. I have done an extensive search on these boards and I still cannot find definitive directions for replacing the alternator. There are too many variations and speculations. I have a '91 240sx with the original KA24DE engine.

I took it to Nissan and they won't touch it because it is too old and it would take nearly a week to order an alternator. I went to a parts store and bought a rebuilt Nissan alternator and Nissan will not put it in.

I tried to replace my atlernator myself this past weekend, and I could not get the old one out of the car. From the top, it would not clear the fuse box. From the bottom, it would not clear the oil pan, radiator hose, and sway bar. I have talked to many people who say that it should be easy and nothing needs to be removed. I had to remove the intake and throttle body so I could reach the bolts. Now my question is, what must I do to get the darn thing out of my car?

[s13sr20chris]

i have done that job so i qualify. however, it has been a long time so i dont remember the exact procedure. i guarantee i did not remove the throttle body. its a piece of cake. as i recall its done from the bottom and you must disconnect the sway bar from the frame mounts and just move her out of the way.

[Vegeta]

That's what I started to do, but I chickened out. I talked to the guys at the performance shop that did my brakes and they said that I must jack up the front of the car on BOTH sides in order to remove the sway bar. I hope that's all it takes. Thanks Chris

[NISTECH]

Damit Chris Then why have I been removing the head for this job all these years!!!

J/p

Its easier to remove the sway bar with the load on it. Reassembly is much easier too as the sway bar naturally sits in position with the car at its curb stance. The sway bar does not support the car when it is at rest. It will freely move around when you remove the 2 mounts on the crossmember. It is for controling sway when the body tries to roll.

[Vegeta]

OK, now I'm getting confused again. Are you saying that it is easier to remove the sway bar when the vehicle is flat on the ground? How would I get under it to do the work?

Do we agree that removing the sway bar is the best way to get the alternator out of the car?

[180fan]

you can get the alternator out by moving a few things out of the way. The lower part of the fan shroud gets in the way when you pull the alternator out, but it'll pop out the bottom.

[Vegeta]

Well, I finally replaced my alternator!

I dropped the sway bar and pulled the alternator out passing the splash guard. I got the new one in OK, but I couldn't line up the bottom bolt. I got the belt as tight as I could and drove it to my mechanic's shop where he checked my work and got the bottom bolt in. I'm back in the saddle again. It's amazing how the much power has been restored. Now to replace the emergency WalMart battery with an Optima red top.

Thanks to NICO, I'm getting better at working on my own car.

[s13sr20chris]

good, thats what matters.