has anyone personally replaced /rebuilt thier alternator I seem to have the dreaded power steering alternator problem I replaced my power steering pump a couple months ago due to the leak and whoa and behold now my charging system /alternator is giving problems I didn't mess with the p/s pump but I've replaced an alternator before on my last car and it really was not very difficult any tips would be greatly appreciated

 

hey, did you ever find out what's wrong with your car? im in a similar situation and it's pissing me off. can't seem to find the problem...

 

I ended up replacing the alternator and it works fine

 

Where did you buy the alternator and how much does it cost?
How long did the P/S pump leaks before you replaced it?

 

how much was it including labor? was your abs light on also? what about power windows, did it work? i can't even put it into park without overriding the system. this sucks. let me know if you have anymore info, thanks!

 

well I replaced the alternator myself ...the rebuilt one cost me 240.00 and it should take about an hour or two ....my abs light came on after the check battery indicator while I was on the road plus I also had the dimming dash lights but as soon as the check battery warning light came on I shut the radio off did not touch the power window switch as I just wanted to get home at that point. I then removed my battery and recharged it ...a quick check to see if your alternator is working is to check the battery voltage with the car off it should be 12- 12.5 volts then start the car when you start the car the voltage at the terminals should be about 14 volts there is another check which involves an ammenter and a voltmeter but more than likely if it fails the voltage check you will probably need a new alternator ... my p/s pump leaked for less than a month and I replaced it back in May ...the alternator is held in place by a 14mm bolt at the bottom and a 14 mm nut at the top and of course the charging and control wires must be disconnected ...really not very hard especially if you are a little mechanically inclined (can hold a wrench let me know if you need any other details

 

I changed my alternator on Monday.

I took it off from the bottom, so you have to remove the bottom cover first. It is only 2 bolts. There is also an electrical connector, and a second connector which has a nut on it underneath the plastic protector.

I also found that I had to loosen some of the hose brackets underneath the car in order to get the alternator out. It did not seem to want to come out the top.

I paid $150 to have it rebuilt by an old time reputable place in my neighborhood. Some of the autoparts stores, like discout auto had them for $189.99.

Unfortunatly, now that the alternator is working correctly, the battery seems to gone away.

 

oh man, i turned my car into my mechanic today and he said it wasn't the alternator, but i told him to check again in the morning anyhow. he said it might be the main computer, but i doubt that. i don't know what else to do, oh and today the battery light came on. sounds similar to everyone else's story.