My son's car died last night and it sounds like the alternator. Anyway, assuming it is, I need to go down and replace it in the parking lot where it died. Where does this sit and what tools will I need to get it out? It's 24 degrees here so I want to do this as quickly as possible.
-Jim
Why not take the battery out, charge it, and then reinstall it and drive it to a more convenient location.
Ed
Ed,
Thanks, but I don't know how long we can leave the car where it is so I don't think that is an option. Do you know if the alternator is on top of the engine or below?
-Jim
Take your car and battery cables to the Sentra. Switch batteries . . . .put the Sentra battey in your car and then put your cars battery in the sentra. Connect the battery cable between the cars, + to + and - to - Now, start your car 1st. Rev your car to about 2000 rpms and hold it there. This spins the ALT faster to flow more current. Start the Sentra last.
By starting in that order you are having the good battery only start one car, taking less juice out of it. When you start the Sentra with the cables connected and your car running, you are getting an assist from the working alternator in your car.
Disconnect battery cables and drive both cars home.
Chaning an ALT in realy really cold weather is a bad idea. I'm shivering just thinking about it:)
CD
On my SE-R, I think it was the front/middle (accessible from the top) and I had to wrestle it out from between the other devices... (Been a few years).
10-14 mm socket wrenches mostly?
Well, we got it done, not to bad. 3 bolts, top hose on radiator, electrical connections. Brought it down for the core charge, got it back in. Total about 3 hours. Funny, I had forgotten that even in 24 degree weather it's fun to do when you do it with your son. That's what makes it worth it, not the money you save.
Thanks for the input.
-Jim
Codifus wrote in news:478e062c$0$9119$ snipped-for-privacy@cv.net:
yeah,that's really good advice(NOT);take a good battery,put it in a car that has a bad alternator,deplete it and not recharge it;that does wonders for the life of the good battery.
that leaves you with TWO batteries that haven't been charged properly.
Why not wait for a warmer day to work on it,jump-start it and drive to a garage,or just bite the bullet and have it towed to a shop and let them do the work? Or buy/rent/borrow a kerosene portable space heater and use it to keep warm during the repair. Is it in a place where it might get towed for being inoperative? Some store's parking lot?
If you have a second car,you and your son could tow it yourselves,get a nylon tow strap. Hint;the REAR car does the initial braking,to keep the tow strap taut. start off SLOW.Don't jerk the car being towed.
Because batteries never deplete continually and get charged by the alternator, right?
A bad alternator does not make a battery useless. It just cant charge it.
....putting a strain on your tranny. I'd rather strain/deplete the battery than hurt the tranny. The battery is easily replaced and relatively cheap.
CD CD
Correct. In a proper system, the battery does not get depleted. It gets a little use, it gets recharged. No depletion. Running the car from the battery with a known bad alternator will totally deplete the battery in a fast draw. That is not good for battery life.
Well, the "auto or manual" question comes into play. But I'm not keen on the idea of amateurs towing a car with a strap. Bad for them, bad for the car when they collide with each other or something else. Little issues like "no power brakes or steering" are also a problem unless you are experienced. Not to mention, it's illegal in most places, particularly without proper lights on the towed vehicle.
But, I think the bottom line is "do it right". Either fix it where it is, or have it towed home. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. FWIW, if it's not a long distance, you can probably buy a new battery and a small charger to use to get it home for the cost of the tow. Then, (re)charge the new battery and use it in the car after repair. Draining a new battery once will only slightly damage it...it will last a good long time after a that.
Sorry, what I meant to say is, the battery doesn't get depleted, as in fully discharged, but it regularly loses charge which the alternator replenishes. The hardest work a battery does is to start the car. After that, the charge is running down (assuming the dead ALT, of course), but its running down a whole lot slower than if it was still turning over the motor. During that short time, the car could be driven home. Minimal strain would be put on the battery and the car gets home to have its alternator replaced. Instead of the battery lasting its remaining 2 years, its service life may be reduced to 1.5 years.
Yesterdays cars could run a long time on battery alone. I once had a Chevy citation with a busted alternator belt. For a week my car was running on battery alone.
Today's cars use more electricity, so the car may not last as long on the battery charge, but it could run for at least a day. Keep the headlights off, no AC, no rear defogger, and get the car home.
CD
Plus keep in mind that a battery can start a car several times before it gets depleted.
CD
Wow - you just made me envious of replacing an alternator in a sub-freezing parking lot!
-- R Flowers
Makes sense to me.
It's nice that the event got you to bond with your son. You've got big cohones to be working in such a chill. Do not try this at home kids:)
CD
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.