alternator issues

[savannaz34]

hey guys
i need to know if there is a special wrench for the back bolt on the alternator?
it for the rear bracket that goes from the block to the back of the alt.
ive seen people ask what motor its for before so ill tell you anyway even though im post in the dohc section.lol
its a 92 0lds cutty international.
so if you guys could plz let me know if there is a special wrench,or if there is a special procedure.im just doing what it says in my chilton book,and i cant get the bolt off.

thank you

[robertisaar]

no special wrench, its just a PITA to get to...

[pocket-rocket]

I used a regular combination wrench. It sucked and was hard to get to, but I never replaced that stupid bolt because of how hard it was to get out. If you decide to go this route, I ran without that bolt for 2-3 years I believe and had no problems.


Nice ninja, Robert

[HayesPerformance]

I use a stubby flat wrench with a ratching head or with a flex head.

In the GM service manual they say to break it free by removing the left wheel and use a very long extension.

I did this the first time I did it and made sure to use anti-size when I put it back together, since then, It loosens fairly easy.

[savannaz34]

i tried from the left side with a long extension,but it just slips,like its stripped.
(i hope not).but i was just checking to see if there was a special tool available.im just going to make one.thanx guys.

[jmgtp]

I believe most of the auto trans guys use something like a 4 foot extension to get to that bolt from the drivers side wheel.

Like Pocket, I too didn't bother reinstalling that bolt. It's been like that for probably 8 years. I'm glad I opted not to reinstall, since I've been through about 4 alternators since then... unless that missing bolt is somehow causing my alternators to fail!

[HayesPerformance]

Make sure you place the cooling hose back in place by the way Or it won't have a long life...

[jmgtp]

Make sure you place the cooling hose back in place by the way Or it won't have a long life...

Never really thought about it but that is likely the cause of my alternator issues. The cooling hardware literally fell out of the car one day. Not sure what caused it to become loose or break but it doesn't have the ducting anymore. I haven't had a rear bearing failure though and I thought that was the primary reason for the cooling duct. The last alternator failure I had a few months back something plastic inside broke. I think it was an internal cooling fan it instantly stopped charging. The one before that the voltage regulator went haywire and would have spikes upwards of 18v. I'm sure heat is probably the primary cause of failure - that and cheaply remanufactured alternators.

I'd go in and put new cooling ducts but this engine is coming out shortly.

[savannaz34]

question

why does my 91 z34 have a cooling fan for the alt.right below the fuse/relay panel on the right side,but my 92 z34 and the cutty do not have one.as for the ducting being loose,the ducting on this cutty is just flopping around at the back of the motor.

oh yeah,i almost forgot to tell you all.he took the cutty to a mech shop to get the alt.changed,turns out who ever installed the last alt.tack welded the bracket to the bolt on the back of the alt.and were it mounts to the block,the stud and nut were cross threaded.it cost him $480.00 plus tax just on labour.

[pocket-rocket]

Wow! Not only should some people not be allowed to work on cars, but we should turn Dominic Toretto loose on them with a torque wrench! As to why the 91's have the fan under the fuse box, and 92+ don't, I have no clue. When I did the 5 speed swap on my 91, I removed that fan and opted to install the little rubber duct from the 92 donor car on mine to keep the alt. cool. That alt. never went out after that, but when I changed it a while before the swap, I opted to spend the extra $$$ and got a Delco replacement.