morcus
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 12:46 PM |
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How do I get to the alternator on an MX5.
I was planning on changing the alternater today on my car but I can't find a way to actually get to it with enough space to work. I can just
about get one spanner on the bottom bolt by going in from underneath but I cant hold the other end and even if I could I can't reach the top
bolt or the plugs.
If I can't get it done in the next few days I'm going to just have to pay some one to do it for me I think.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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ReMan
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 01:04 PM |
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"Replacing the alternator is a simple job that requires hand tools and beginner level mechanical ability. Will take 30-45 mins"
SHU
www.plusnine.co.uk
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morcus
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 01:17 PM |
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I read that already but I can't work out how to get all the pipes off without pictures, especially since some of them have a bizare kind of clip
I've never seen before. I'm gonna have another go tommorrow. Carrying the new battery back from halfords in the sun has completely killed
me for today and I can only push the car half out the garage due to the slope of the drive which really limits what I can see, the reflected light
comes under the car so bright that I can't see anything else.
I'm abit worried about taking some of the bits off because I don't know enough about them to be sure I won't break it. I got the
pipe that goes from the airbox to the bit that feed the throttle body but it's that peice that I can't work out how to remove and
I'm sure it's the only thing in my way.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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D Beddows
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 01:29 PM |
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You have to remove (or at least undo one end) the water hose from the thermostat housing to the radiator to get that out. As I recall a set of long
reach sockets come in very handy when you're fiddling with an MX5 alternator. The 'strange' hose clips you undo by using a pair of
pliers to squeeze the lugs together if they're the type I think you mean.
It's really not that hard, just a bit fiddly - as with any alternator just make sure you tension the belt properly when you put the new one on.
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morcus
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 02:52 PM |
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Thanks, I think I've got it now. I'll give it another go tomorrow.
Nothings going to come out of the hoses on a cold engine is it?
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 03:09 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by morcus
Nothings going to come out of the hoses on a cold engine is it?
Er, cold water??
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D Beddows
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 03:17 PM |
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A bit might but it wont/shouldn't come gushing out - nothing to worry about really just top it up a little if it does. To be honest you
don't really need to remove the plastic tube, if it's disconnected from the throttle body and the AFM at the other side you can move it
far enough out of the way to remove the alternator - admittedly it is a little easier with it out of the engine bay though.
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morcus
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 03:31 PM |
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This isn't my engine but it looks pretty much the same. Am I right in thinking the bits I've marked in Yellow are the bits I need to take
off?
[img] [/img]
If I undo these clips am I right in thinking I can pull off the plastic bits and have decent access to the alternator?
Am I right in thinking that apart from the radiator hose the other bits just supply air?
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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D Beddows
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 05:06 PM |
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Yes to everything, the 2nd from left connection you don't need to undo,completely taking off the small bore hose (4th from left) will help
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morcus
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| posted on 26/5/12 at 05:26 PM |
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I'll have another go tomorrow, thanks for your help and hopefully I can get this all sorted. Not having access to transport is making me insane.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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morcus
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| posted on 27/5/12 at 05:25 PM |
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Still no luck, the radiator hose just doesn't seem to want to come off and I can't put up with my neighbors shouting to stay outside.
Everything the other side of the engine bay seems to come off without any trouble but all the stuff infront of the alternator just doesn't want
to play. The only thing I can think of now is sawing off the radiator hose and putting on a new one when I'm done or removing the entire
radiator set up, both of which seem a bit extreme and a waste of time and money. I'm going to have one more go on tuesday but after that
I'm gonna have to pay someone to do it.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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morcus
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| posted on 27/5/12 at 05:39 PM |
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Would the bits I don't need if I use the car as a doner get me enough for a normal car as I'm just so annoyed with it so far.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 27/5/12 at 06:34 PM |
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To remove a stuck hose I use a hose removing tool which is like a screwdriver ground to a point and bent, you just gently insert the tool between the
hose and the pipe keeping the point towards the pipe rather than the hose work it around the pipe to release the hose . No reason you can't use
a screwdriver with a bit of care
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BigLee
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| posted on 27/5/12 at 06:50 PM |
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Presuming you are trying to remove the rad hose from the engine side, leave it where it is. Undo the 2 bolts either side and take the top of the
thermostat housing with it. That'll give you enough movement to get it off the rad with a squirt of WD and some rotation.
Lee
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morcus
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| posted on 27/5/12 at 06:51 PM |
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Thanks for the tip. I did think about using a screw driver but I couldn't find a suitable one (I just had my ratchet one and can only find a
massive one (About a 12" pole on it) and my tiny model making ones. didn't help that it's got those stupid spring clips as I
effectively lost a hand holding them open, if I do get them off I'm putting some jubilee clips on when it goes back.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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thefreak
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| posted on 28/5/12 at 12:09 PM |
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To remove those clips, just ping them open with some pliers and move them futher down the hose where they're not clamping anything.
To free the hose off, try rotating it, sort of as if you were unscrewing it. It will free off the crud thats holding it in place and come out pretty
easily.
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