The alternator on my car went kaput. Nowhere in my area would do the job for less than $800-something, and most places were quoting $900-$1k.
So I looked up how-tos on YouTube and it looked like something I, a woman with zero experience or knowledge of working on cars, could do.
I got a remanufactured alternator for $180 and got to work following the tutorials I’d found.
It certainly did not go smoothly, but I managed it. It took me 6 hours to get the alternator out, mainly because every goddamn bolt holding the parts in place were basically cemented in. I had to use my foot to stomp one loose because I didn’t have the strength in my arms.
Today I spent another 4 hours trying to put in the new one and all the parts back in place. And I did it!!
Except for the power steering belt. That fucker would not go into place, and trying to force the belt tensioner back took every ounce of strength I could muster.
All that work. All that time and effort and THE VERY LAST STEP to get my car up and running defeated me today. I had to get a task rabbit guy. He’s coming tomorrow to get my belt back on.
On one hand I feel proud that I made it this far. On the other I feel like a complete failure because it turns out I couldn’t complete the task myself.
Anyway, how was your weekend?
Idn’t workin’ on cars fun?
Srsly tho, happens to the best of us. You’ll get better as time goes by.
Sounds like you learned a lot. As far as the belt tensioner and not being able to budge it, usually stuff like that is a matter of leverage. You probably just need a breaker bar. Those are basically a longer version of a ratchet and are very useful for tight bolts. Usually they are pretty cheap too.
I’ve been there, I once replaced the alternator on my dad’s truck took like five minutes. Well, I was driving a 2002 ford focus and needed to replace the alternator on that. I did one before, should be easy right? That SOB fought me for 6 hours. They put that damn thing in such an inconvenient spot, to where I had to loosen up the engine mounts move the whole engine enough to squeeze it out. Still loved that little car even if it was a pain in the ass.
I would make sure those bolts you put back in are torqued to spec or that alternator could come loose in the future
If the only thing wrong after your first DIY repair job is a belt, yoy DID do a good job. What you experienced was quite normal, and you have now gained experience for the future.
I’m so glad that that seems to be the consensus, I was getting gown on myself there for a bit. :) thank you!
Dude, I’m super proud of you! Tackling something like that with almost zero experience is fucking awesome, and the fact that you almost completely fnished it by yourself–100% solo, no less–is bad ass as hell.
Congrats on saving $800! Sure you had to bust your ass and in the end pay whatever task rabbit is - what, a 1-hour minimum for under a further $100. Take that $700 you didn’t need to spend on car repairs, and and if you have it, save it. If you don’t have it, think of all that credit interest you don’t have to pay. And go order yourself a pizza.
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This is how it starts. Soon, you’ll start putting together a small collection of tools, and more knowledge about how the car is put together, and you will be driving a perfectly maintained and operational car that has a ton of miles on it, and it won’t give you any trouble - or at least, it won’t give you trouble you can’t solve.
Looks like you could have done it with a little leverage. Im sure the belt tensioner would have been tough to move as well. Spend that money on better tools. A big breaker bar seems to be a good start. Proper tools make everything easier. Welcome to the ill fix this shit myself club!
There’s a belt tensioner tool that can be rented from the auto parts store. This helps greatly to pull back the belt pulley to get a belt on. Had to do it once and having that tool made a big difference.
Just to add to this, you may be able to rent it for free - you pay a deposit that you get back when you return the tool. Advance auto does this, but it may vary by location.
In some cars you really just need an extra set of hands to get a belt back on. One person on the tensioner and another actually moving the belt into place. Don’t feel bad, feel good. You did great.
experience gained is priceless
You got pretty damn far. Those tensioners can be a bitch, I usually call a buddy whenever I have to muck with one because it’s easier to manipulate either the tensioner or the belt. Good job!
You got further than I’ve ever gotten trying to fix anything car-related. Good job! I feel like technology’s in such a complicated place at this point that nobody’s expected to be able to handle every single step of every situation on their own. You did awesome.
