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Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Got a problem, need some advice ?
Get in here and ask the pros. There will always be one to bring you the correct answer, quickly.
Please bare in mind advice offered by some may not be correct. Pay attention to user ratings and status for a better idea on their knowledge.
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Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Wed Apr 15, 2015 2:08 pm

Hi,

Am planning to change my car's alternator tomorrow - mk1 1.6 - task looks fairly simple from the description in the Rob Grainger manual, but I'm guessing the tricky bit is going to be getting the new alternator slotted in - presumably I'll need to carefully lower it into place with the left hand and insert the lower pivot bolt with the right hand?

Does anyone have any tips, or things I should watch out for?

Thanks!
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby Mazda Mender » Wed Apr 15, 2015 3:17 pm

Yes...call me and i'll fill you in and then you can do pics and a write up how to for others to follow. :handgestures-thumbup:
M-m
The Disclaimer:-
This post is a natural product made from recycled electrons. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects, the articles/answers/comments are provided for information purposes and they are not intended to substitute informed professional advice, I or mazdamenders.net cannot personally be hold responsible for any damage occurred from following this procedure or any injuries from it. Proceed at your own risk.


Mk 1 Eunos 93 black V.S II 1.8 ,
Mk 2 .1/4 Roadster 99 black & gold V.S 1.8 .
Mk 1 Eunos 90 1.6 soul red ..f/ build
MK 2.1/4 Blue V.S Roadster 1.8 99 ..
MK1 1.8 ,white import.. (Ashleighs)
MK1 1.6 yellow J ltd import.f/build
MK 1 1.8 black Tokyo Ltd..f/build


http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/ http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/ http://miata.net/ http://www.autolinkuk.co.uk/
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Fri Apr 17, 2015 12:26 am

Got it all done today, took 4 hours but no real problems in the end. Thanks for the offer of telephone-based assistance, I did almost call when I was struggling to get the new alternator slotted into place (have your number from something you helped with a few years back), but in the end it just took a bit of wd40 and shoving and I was able to line it up with the bolt holes and get that lower bolt in place - then was just a matter of putting everything back together.

I did take a few photos, and would be happy to write a short how-to guide - do you have an e-mail address I could send this to, or should I just post it in a certain section?

Car all works fine again now btw (after warning lights and weird temp-gauge behaviour with the old alternator) - only odd thing is the passenger-side headlight is brighter than before, and the driver side one is very dim - considering the alternator was outputting 19v for at least a short while before changing it, could this be a sign that I've fried something in the electrics, or is it more likely the headlight bulb is just failing? Don't think high-beam works properly on that side either, but all other electrics/lights seem fine.
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby Mazda Mender » Fri Apr 17, 2015 12:14 pm

alligatorlizard wrote:Got it all done today, took 4 hours but no real problems in the end. Thanks for the offer of telephone-based assistance, I did almost call when I was struggling to get the new alternator slotted into place (have your number from something you helped with a few years back), but in the end it just took a bit of wd40 and shoving and I was able to line it up with the bolt holes and get that lower bolt in place - then was just a matter of putting everything back together.

I did take a few photos, and would be happy to write a short how-to guide - do you have an e-mail address I could send this to, or should I just post it in a certain section?

Car all works fine again now btw (after warning lights and weird temp-gauge behaviour with the old alternator) - only odd thing is the passenger-side headlight is brighter than before, and the driver side one is very dim - considering the alternator was outputting 19v for at least a short while before changing it, could this be a sign that I've fried something in the electrics, or is it more likely the headlight bulb is just failing? Don't think high-beam works properly on that side either, but all other electrics/lights seem fine.

That is a bad earth on the lights, earth point is under the wiper motor 10mm earth block or the plug to the head light unit it self.
Post your how to up on here and we'll check it over and then add it with your name to the how to's to help others :handgestures-thumbup: :wink:
M-m
The Disclaimer:-
This post is a natural product made from recycled electrons. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects, the articles/answers/comments are provided for information purposes and they are not intended to substitute informed professional advice, I or mazdamenders.net cannot personally be hold responsible for any damage occurred from following this procedure or any injuries from it. Proceed at your own risk.


Mk 1 Eunos 93 black V.S II 1.8 ,
Mk 2 .1/4 Roadster 99 black & gold V.S 1.8 .
Mk 1 Eunos 90 1.6 soul red ..f/ build
MK 2.1/4 Blue V.S Roadster 1.8 99 ..
MK1 1.8 ,white import.. (Ashleighs)
MK1 1.6 yellow J ltd import.f/build
MK 1 1.8 black Tokyo Ltd..f/build


http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/ http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/ http://miata.net/ http://www.autolinkuk.co.uk/
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Sat Apr 18, 2015 12:46 pm

Will do. Just found how-to section also, didn't realise it was seperate from the actual forum.

Investigating headlamps now...
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Sat Apr 18, 2015 1:30 pm

btw forgot to mention - checked my voltages since changing alternator, 12.6 volts across battery terminals when car off, 14.6 when idling. These definitely are now in the right range, but all readings seem to be 0.6v too high. I'm guessing this is not something to worry about, but let me know if it sounds odd!
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:29 pm

Thanks for the headlight tips (I also found an old OC thread where you'd advised on the same problem) - both the headlamp connector and the earth looked fine, but after removing/cleaning/electrical-contact-spraying both, my headlamps are now back to at least roughly equal strength, so one of those things must have been the problem!

I'm about to post the how-to guide below, hope I've not given any inaccurate info, obviously feel free to edit if needed.

(I've had to post it in multiple posts, couldn't mange to upload more than one image per post)
Last edited by alligatorlizard on Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:41 pm

MX5 mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation:

1) Disconnect the battery negative terminal.


2) Drain the coolant and remove the upper coolant hose.

Remove the radiator cap, open the valve on the bottom of the radiator and drain the coolant into a bucket – you don’t have to drain all the coolant, just enough so it doesn’t come spurting out all over the engine bay when you remove the upper coolant hose. Some people claim to be able to remove the large air pipe without removing the upper coolant hose, but I’ve never managed – also removing this hose will give you a bit more room to work on the alternator.


3) Remove the large plastic air hose that runs from the airbox to the throttle body.

There’s circular clip to loosen at either end, and on the throttle body side, 2 smaller hoses and a 12mm bolt that also need undoing.

Here’s how it should look with all this removed (I also unplugged the plug on the right side of the throttle body just to help access)

ALTNTRpic1S.jpg
ALTNTRpic1S.jpg (147.29 KiB) Viewed 25725 times
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:43 pm

3) Disconnect the alternator wiring.

You can get at this fairly easily reaching down from the side of the car. There are two things to disconnect, a heavy cable (which goes to the battery) held in place by a 10mm nut, and a 2-pin connector plug just to the right of this. In the pic below I’ve removed the plug, but have yet to unbolt the heavy cable.

ALTNTRpic2S.jpg
ALTNTRpic2S.jpg (109.46 KiB) Viewed 25725 times
Last edited by alligatorlizard on Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:44 pm

4) Remove the old alternator.

First loosen the 14mm mounting bolt underneath the alternator but don’t remove it just yet. You’ll need to reach around the back of the alternator to grip the 14mm nut on the other end of the bolt with a spanner, while using a socket wrench to loosen the bolt from the front.

Then completely remove the 12mm locking bolt in the adjustment mechanism at the top of the alternator. This is the bolt that runs from the rear to the front. I found this the single most time consuming part of the job - there is only room to turn the bolt about an 8th of a turn at a time, so it takes a bit of patience! Once it’s completely unscrewed from the top of the alternator, lift it out along with the locking block and adjuster bolt that it’s connected to:

ALTNTRpic3S.jpg
ALTNTRpic3S.jpg (165.53 KiB) Viewed 25725 times
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:45 pm

You’ll now be able to remove the drivebelt. Then now completely remove the lower mounting bolt – careful not to lose the nut at the back, I was able to unscrew this with fingers after a bit.

Don’t be worried that the alternator will drop down to the undertray as soon as you remove this bolt – in fact you’ll probably have to give it a good yank to get if off the mounting bracket, it’s a tight fit, and it’s likely all a bit rusty! Once you’ve got it off, carefully lift it out from the front, there should be just enough room.

Here’s a pic with the alternator removed:

ALTNTRpic4S.jpg
ALTNTRpic4S.jpg (124.34 KiB) Viewed 25822 times
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:47 pm

5) Install the new alternator.

If you found it difficult to yank the old alternator off the rusty mounting bracket, you’re probably also going to have a bit of trouble slotting the new one on – lubricating the bracket will help a bit. It took me a lot of pushing and pulling until it seemed to line up correctly with the bolt hole – at some point it seemed to slot into place though and I was able to get the lower bolt pushed through. Once you’ve done this, celebrate, have a cup of tea and at least 3 chocolate digestives – from now on it’s just a case of putting it all back together.

ALTNTRpic5S.jpg
ALTNTRpic5S.jpg (134.68 KiB) Viewed 25822 times


Screw on the nut at the back of the mounting bolt (with fingers for now, or at least don’t tighten fully just yet). Then put the belt back on the pulley, and re-attach the adjuster-bolt mechanism at the top. This won’t take quite as long to screw back in as it did to remove it if you lube the locking bolt up first (you’ll probably also have to loosen the long adjust bolt a good few turns too to in order to easily slot it back in place). Don’t fully tighten the locking bolt yet – first set the belt tension using the long adjuster bolt. When adjusted correctly you should get about 10mm deflection pressing on the belt halfway between the pulleys with firm (but not excessive) thumb pressure. Then fully tighten the locking bolt, and the lower mounting bolt (again you’ll have to reach around to grip the nut at the rear with a spanner while tightening the bolt from the front with a socket wrench).

Now re-attach the wiring - the heavy cable and the two-pin connector plug.
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:48 pm

6) Put everything else back in place.

Re-attach the large plastic air pipe and any other plugs/tubes you may have removed along the way. Re-attach the upper coolant hose. Reconnect the battery negative terminal and refill the coolant. Start the car – it should all now work!

Tip: after re-filling the coolant, let the car idle with the radiator cap off until the coolant starts to circulate and get hot – squeeze the upper coolant hose a few times to help get rid of any air bubbles, and top up the radiator as needed. Put the radiator cap back on firmly before the coolant gets too hot though!

ALTNTRpic6S.jpg
ALTNTRpic6S.jpg (119.1 KiB) Viewed 25822 times


The job’s done when everything’s back in place and at least three fingers are bleeding…
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby alligatorlizard » Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:28 pm

So how's the how-to I did? Can you use it in the how-to section?
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Re: Any tips for mk1 1.6 alternator removal/installation?

Postby Mazda Mender » Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:19 pm

I'll have a good read through tonight buddy :obscene-drinkingcheers: :text-goodpost: :handgestures-thumbup: :wink:
M-m
The Disclaimer:-
This post is a natural product made from recycled electrons. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects, the articles/answers/comments are provided for information purposes and they are not intended to substitute informed professional advice, I or mazdamenders.net cannot personally be hold responsible for any damage occurred from following this procedure or any injuries from it. Proceed at your own risk.


Mk 1 Eunos 93 black V.S II 1.8 ,
Mk 2 .1/4 Roadster 99 black & gold V.S 1.8 .
Mk 1 Eunos 90 1.6 soul red ..f/ build
MK 2.1/4 Blue V.S Roadster 1.8 99 ..
MK1 1.8 ,white import.. (Ashleighs)
MK1 1.6 yellow J ltd import.f/build
MK 1 1.8 black Tokyo Ltd..f/build


http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/ http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/ http://miata.net/ http://www.autolinkuk.co.uk/

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