Rep Power: 193

So I was just about done with my timing belt install when I was tightening the bolt terminal on the back of the alternator and the bolt broke. I was only using a 1/4 inch drive and it was just getting snug so I don't know, it must have been weakened when I was getting it off because it was pretty tight for such a small bolt.

Needless to say I'm frustrated.

How hard is the terminal to fix? I'm not sure if the bolt broke in the middle and I have to extract the rest or if it's soldered in or somethin.

If I'm reading this correctly I would need #6 (Terminal Set) on the following link?

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...8MITSUBISHI%29

I'm sure the alternator has some life left in it and they're kinda expensive, especially after dropping $500 on tires/alignment today.

 
Rep Power: 512

I got an alternator at autozone for $140, after trading my old one for a core charge.

I had that same bolt snap off, then my screw extractor snap off inside when I tried to get the rest of it out. Try and extract it if you can, but I think you may be at a loss here..

 
Rep Power: 193

Is it okay to start the car just to test the timing belt install w/out the PS and ALT installed?

 
Rep Power: 812

yes, those are only accessories. many people actually have them removed completely for more hp. just make sure there is nothing loose that can fall onto the timing belt. and dont turn the a/c on if you have it.

 
Rep Power: 0

I swear the positive terminal post on the alternator is poorly designed. I used very little torque when removing it and still managed to snap it clean off the alternator. Luckily I was still able to thread it back in after drilling the what was left of the stud in the alternator.

 
Rep Power: 512

Um.. He kinda needs his alternator.. Thats the one he specifically asked about..

I hardly made it 15 miles with a faulty alternator.. Just sayin...

 
Rep Power: 193

I got a new alternator for $100 from autozone (my cousin works for firestone so we used his discount) so not too bad. The old one probably would've gone out on me soon anyways.

Got the car put back together and drove about 20 miles and everything sounds and feels like it did before so I guess I did a good job minus the alternator thing, still not sure what I did wrong there.

So I guess I still saved myself a chunk of cash even with the alternator issue so I'll take it.

Thanks guys.

 
Rep Power: 0

Same things happened to me when I went to loosen mine. Just had to buy a new one.

PS: Super Glue doesn't work for that. lol.

 
Rep Power: 193

Yeah I saw many people having the same problem. They shouldn't make it so tight at the factory knowing its going to go through many heat cycles before it needs to come off again.

I dumped a bunch of solder down the hole and then stuck the screw in quick. Then used some JB weld around the bolt on the outside. Seemed to hold....until I tried to tighten it.

 
Rep Power: 0

I changed my timing belt yesterday, and the same thing happened, the bolt snapped when i took it out. i was thinking the same thing as you, dumping the solder and put the screw back in. but i was wondering if the terminal ground or positive? if it's ground i think it's safe to do so. but if it's positive, the screw could touch the wall of the hole (that might be grounded) and short circuit could happen.

 
Rep Power: 174

bump on this last post, is it positive or negative? my stud broke too and i drilled it out and used a screw now when i go to plug the battery back in i get a large spark even with ignition off.

 
Rep Power: 518

It is Positive. The big cable is Positive, through the big 80-100 amp fuse in the fusebox.

I never disconnect the wires when I do a timing belt, I just flip the alt up and set it somewhere convenient.

 
Rep Power: 0

I broke that bolt the exact same way while doing the timing belt. I just replaced the alternator. Figured it wouldn't much longer before it went bad any way.

On a side note, I've also managed to strip that one big bolt the alternator pivots on. Does any one know how to remove it? It hits the inner fender when you try to pull it out all the way.

 
Rep Power: 518

I usually have the motor mount out of that fender, and jack the engine up as high as it will go. The bolt will clear.

Or pull it out far enough to get the alt off, then remove the bracket from the engine.

HTH

 
Rep Power: 0

The exact same thing happened to me with the alternator positive terminal post shearing off inside the alternator. raigen18 Could you please explain in detail how you were able to drill what was left of the stud in the small hole of the alternator housing and re-thread the hole of the alternator? I'm just worried that if that stud happens to touch the housing of the alternator I could cause a short circuit due to the stud being positive. Thank you.

 
Rep Power: 0

I was VERY lucky in my case. I first used a small drill bit to start the initial hole but you can use a center punch if you have one. Than I used progressively larger drill bits to drill out the broken stud. Luckily for me, only a small portion of the stud broke off so I was able to reuse the original stud by threading it back into the alternator. In the end the length of the stud protruding from the alternator was now shorter so it was a bit more difficult to connect the (+) to battery wire. As long as you are able to reattach the black plastic insulator onto the stud, than you should not have any problems with short circuiting.

Everything was working fine to the day I traded it in feb of this year.