Some "fun" in my near future.

Post #390,015 by Another Scott 5/28/14 9:00:17 PM Reply	Some "fun" in my near future. My serpentine belt started jumping up and down this morning and there's a weird noise at idle that goes away just off idle. There's power steering noise that started too, but the fluid is clear and the level is fine and there are no leaks. Turns out these are classic symptoms of the alternator clutch pulley failing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyosuYbPxr4 (4:43) I could just replace the pulley, but I would need to need to spend $30+ for the special tools, and most places want $35+ (as much as $100) for the pulley. Instead, I spent $150 for an alternator that comes with the pulley and a lifetime warranty. :-/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvLr3kRdVac (10:05) Wish me luck! Cheers, Scott. (Who is glad he's not going to be doing it in the cold like the Canadian guy.)
Post #390,016 by static 5/28/14 10:02:46 PM Reply	Well, it's not too big, then. I had an out-of-kilter pulley on my alternator - it was making the whole engine shake at idle, enough to break the exhaust after a few months. That meant I needed a trip to the exhaust place, and the mechanic and it would've needed a trip to the auto-electrician if the latter two didn't already send work to each other. Wade. Just Add Story http://justaddstory.wordpress.com/
Post #390,017 by Another Scott 5/28/14 10:07:26 PM Reply	Zooks. That's bad. I'm glad they figured it out. Was this with your Porsche? Maybe it's something about German cars. ;-) Before I read about the alternator pulley on this thing, I was looking into power steering pumps and assorted other things and envisioning another $2k adventure at the dealer. With luck, this will take care of my issue. With the car anyway. :-) Cheers, Scott.
Post #390,063 by static 5/29/14 5:16:46 PM Reply	Well, I already knew the engine mounts had died. Unfortunately, they are almost impossible to replace without disassembling the engine. Yah, it was my Porsche. Don't know where the faulty pulley came from; it was not long after the alternator had been rebuilt so maybe the auto-electrician put a bung one on there! And getting the exhaust repaired wasn't all that expensive - it just broke a pipe. More recently, it has undergone a head replacement. I'm picking it up in an hour. That was a very long piece of work. And expensive! Wade. Just Add Story http://justaddstory.wordpress.com/
Post #390,028 by Ashton 5/29/14 6:25:09 AM Reply	You're lucky there's some lore.. Couple years back I had a 'miss' in my normally smooth-as-glass 5 cyl. Acura Plutocrat. Cleaned some passages in fuel mixer module, etc. No joy. Factory manual.. TMI. Turned out to be a spark-plug wire termination--the part that goes deep into spark-plug well: obvious on inspection, via melted section (HV discharge.) More fun than an NYT Crossword. Luck on your version.
Post #390,030 by Another Scott 5/29/14 7:15:52 AM Reply	Ignition issues can be lots of fun. Glad it was simple!
Post #390,204 by Another Scott 6/1/14 2:46:14 PM 6/1/14 3:29:57 PM Reply	Done. It was pretty easy. It took less than 90 min working at a leisurely pace. I used a ~ 1/8" diameter x ~ 2.5" long nail to hold the tensioner in its relaxed position. It worked fine. The "5/16" nut that the Canadian fellow mentions that holds the cable clamp is actually an 8 mm. The alternator came yesterday around 6:30 pm. The box was a little beat up - the stud for the cable clamp was bent slightly and the nut was missing. But I was able to straighten it easily. I was a little worried that the belt was going to come off the other pulleys and cause problems, but it stayed in place just fine. The most time-consuming thing was getting the long bottom bolt to catch on the threads. Once the top one was snugged up to align things, it was easy. The alternator uses sliding bushings with internal threads as the "nuts" for the mounting bolts. The bushings are pushed outward so there's ~ 3-4 mm gap when putting the new alternator in place. Tightening the bolts pulls the bushings in as they are tightened. That's another reason to just replace the alternator rather than the pulley - one doesn't have to use a vise or file (as in the Canadian YouTube) to get clearance for reinstallation. I should have noted my trip odometer mileage before disconnecting the negative terminal of the battery - it was reset on reconnecting the cables. It charges at 14.0V at idle (vs ~ 14.1 V for the old one). The new clutch works as it should (slips one way, tight the other). The clutch on the original alternator is locked up tight (and thus has failed). I'll hold on to it and change the clutch pulley sometime when I think I need a spare. Best of all, the funny noise [at idle is gone] and the belt tensioner and serpentine belt are no longer jumping around. And the power steering is quiet and works fine. So, success! [edit:] Installed missing words. :-) Cheers, Scott. Edited by Another Scott June 1, 2014, 03:29:57 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #390,206 by boxley 6/1/14 3:19:26 PM Reply	glad it worked out Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 59 years. meep
Post #390,464 by folkert 6/8/14 9:02:47 PM Reply	Congrats. It is almost like working on my Motorcycles. -- greg@gregfolkert.net "No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible." --Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
Post #390,482 by Ashton 6/9/14 5:50:18 AM Reply	DIY is most satisfying when a few side-effects just disappear, especially the kind that might have meant that something else needs diagnosing, eh :-) (My Plutocrat-5 has, thus far deprived me of Wins, for which I'm grateful; not sure I miss those opportunities for satisfaction) --but there's always tomorrow.

Welcome to IWETHEY!