So THAT'S why I keep throwing belts, How does a break like this even happen? Options

[iankarr]

Hi guys,

After I threw my second alternator belt I decided to investigate a bit deeper and discovered that the pulley is cracked. See pic.

Is it practical/possible to replace just the pulley with the alt in the car? I guess I'd need a point of leverage to hold the pulley still while breaking the nut. Or...is it better to bite the bullet and remove the alternator and repair on the bench? I suppose the third option would be to replace the entire alternator "while I'm in there".

Thoughts/advice?

Thanks!

Ian

[iankarr]

Ok. Mission accomplished.

Because there isn't enough space between the firewall and the alternator to fit an impact wrench on the nut, I ended up just biting the bullet and removing the alternator. Really not too bad. Here's what I did and few pics if anyone else finds themselves in this situation.

– First I removed the short piece of tin under the alternator (several cheese heads). I also needed to loosen the heater blower motor to get the piece out.

– Next I took the left J-tube and the ducting out to gain access to the bottom alternator pivot bolt nut. Then removed the cheeseheads and 10mm bolt holding the front alternator plate.

– Unplugged the alternator harness from the board, removed the eye terminal from the starter and pulled the grommet out of the tin. Disconnected the cooling boot.

The alternator came out pretty easily. Check out the damaged pulley. Pretty crazy. Once I had it off I noticed that there were two other stress cracks on it. Could these be from age? Or some other stressor?

Anyway...I'm going to try one of the Contitech Belts McMark, recommends and finally get back on the road.

Thanks for the help!