Can't get new alternator in?! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

coolbreeze551 · 06-27-2013, 09:59 AM

I took on the alternator project after reading and watching videos on the subject, looked like a job I could undertake. I kept reading that the bushing can be a real b!tch to get loose when trying to get the old alternator out. Much to my surprise it was a cinch to get out and with not nearly as much wiggling as I thought would be needed from what I had read/watched...

Now I am putting the new one in and have the wires reconnected and placed it back in but it will not line up with the hole or "cradle" that holds the idler pulley bolt. Has anyone else had an issue with this? I have tried searching and I keep coming across people that had a big problem with getting it out but getting it back in was a breeze for them. Quite the opposite for me it seems so I am looking to the forum to help me with this issue. I was thinking about using the long idler pulley bolt to "pry" the alternator in the direction I need but I don't want to bent the bolt. I also noticed the bushing on the new alternator stick out a little and coule be getting caught when trying to slide it into place?...

Any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated. I know that this isn't that hard of a job it just takes some patience and some good soap afterwards. TIA

Steve Tinker · 06-27-2013, 03:32 PM

Breeze...
It can be a bit of a problem, but try these...

1) Are you sure that the two alternators are identical??

2) Make sure you position the electrical wires correctly before tightening, ie the lugs are not stopping the alternator being positioned in its correct position.

3) I removed the small 10mm outer bolt holding the (black) inlet manifold to the cylinder head as it was binding on the alternator.

4) I used a screwdriver through the locating hole (the bolt is a little too thick) to "pry" it into position.

5) If its still difficult to install, try disconnecting the wires completely, tuck them out of the way & THEN try installing the alternator temporarily. Those wires are really short and can impede progress.....

Let us know how it all goes.....

dghii · 06-27-2013, 06:20 PM

You're just not holding your mouth right! You may be having problems but don't over thing this one.

I did this job last month and replaced the voltage regulator. No issue removing the alternator, despite others horror stories. Had a tough time at first getting it back in. I walked away for a bit and then tried it again. Didn't really do anything different but somehow I got it started. The alternator has to be level back to front to get the holes to line up but other than that....just don't give up!

coolbreeze551 · 06-28-2013, 09:11 AM

Well with perserverance and some blood and sweat I finally got it in. Was a complete PITA and very time consuming but I think it's mostly because I was not holding it completely level like another poster mentioned. Everything is now thankfully and the big drop in voltage causing a drop in idle is now gone but the drop in voltage is still there. Hoping that's normal...

Rickinduncan · 06-28-2013, 09:52 AM

What drop in voltage? How low is it going? If at idle, what revs is it sitting at?

coolbreeze551 · 06-28-2013, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickinduncan

What drop in voltage? How low is it going? If at idle, what revs is it sitting at?

I experience a drop in voltage at idle. Usually from ~14V to ~13-12V. It used to cause a fluxuation in idle but hasn't done it yet today. At idle today it sits at about 650-700rpm. Used to drop at idle to ~500rpm then shoot up to ~1000rpm and level out.

Steve Tinker · 06-28-2013, 02:49 PM

I don't think that the drop in idle is caused by the alternator - more like your intake needs cleaning.
With a fully charged battery, you should see 12.6v @ the terminals.
With the engine running, you should see 13.0v - 14.5v @ +/- 1500rpm with all accessories off @ the battery terminals.

Rickinduncan · 06-28-2013, 03:13 PM

I see mine drop at idle a bit when the compressor kicks or the fans turn on. I think the voltages you mentioned were about right. All of my vehicles are about the same. 12.5/12.7 at a low idle, 13.5-14.2 above 1800.

KevinH1990 · 06-29-2013, 06:53 PM

Coolbreeze,

I'm assuming that you disconnected your battery to perform some electrical work. When I installed my 996 cluster which required a battery disconnect, I was experiencing the idle fluctuation you describe. I performed the following procedure:

DME Adaptation:
1. Switch the ignition on for 1 minute without starting the engine. Do not actuate accelerator pedal, be sure pedal is in the rest position (make sure the floor mat is not pushing on the accelerator).
2. Switch off the ignition for at least 10 seconds.

That took care of my idle fluctuation.

Since I can now monitor my voltage and oil pressure, I noticed that the voltage was usually a rock solid 14 when the car was running and a little less than 12 when the car was on, but the engine was off.

Then, about a month ago I noticed that the voltage dropped below 14 when I was idling at a light. Since I had the air conditioning on, I assumed that was the cause.

Another issue to consider is the age of your battery. I was hearing a lot of alternator noise on my 1996 Infiniti G20. I changed the serpentine belt and when that didn't fix the problem I was considering an alternator replacement. It turned out the battery was nearly dead and the alternator was screaming because it was overloaded trying to charge the battery. I had never heard of that before, but a new battery fixed the problem so I believe.

Brockmeister · 06-30-2013, 04:19 AM

Hi Coolbreeze. I feel your pain. I did this project last fall. Got it out no problem. Putting in the new one was a pain in the butt! It took me 2 hours to wrestle that sucker in!

coolbreeze551 · 06-30-2013, 07:57 PM

After much pain installing it was running fine and the voltages were much better and no more dipping at idle.... That being said after examining my belt and determining that it looked to be in good shape was only about 2 years old I should be able to use it still. Put the belt on, closed everything up and it started just fine albeit a little squealy at first but soon went away... A day later, while sitting at a red light on a busy street during rush hour, heard a terrible sounding engine noise, squeaking and shaking of the car so I shut it off immediately.

Long story short and after some investigating I found that the alternator provided appears to have a pulley that is too long (It looked a little longer before my install but auto parts store I purchased it at assured me it was the correct one after asking them several times) and by being too long it causes the belt to slip slightly off the next wheel (other wheel attached to the alternator) which in turn causes the wheel after that to be not aligned properly with the belt making the belt run along the edge of the wheel which eventually worn out about 1/3 of the belt. I will post some pictures to give you guys an idea of what I am talking about.

coolbreeze551 · 06-30-2013, 08:04 PM

I'm sorry I don't have any pics of what the belt looks like after the car is started but about 1/4-1/3 of the belt slips off two wheels because, from what I can see, the alternator pulley is too long. If anyone could tell me or has a picture of what a stock alternator pulley looks like I can compare it to what I have measured.

From the base of the alternator to the far side of the pulley it measures at ~1.5 inches which if I was to guess would say about 1/2 an inch too far.

coolbreeze551 · 07-04-2013, 12:41 PM

Update: Turns out the alternator was the wrong one for whatever reason the part number they had in their system was wrong so I got my core back and got a refund and am now waiting for the core to be rebuilt. Could be a couple days, could be a week. Until then the ol' girl is laid up in the garage which is unfortunate because we're having some record breaking heat here which is great for top down tanning :dance: