alternator went bad . trying to remove it. can't seam to get the top bolt to break loose. have been spraying with pb blaster for 5 days know. bolt head is starting to round off on me. any help before I totally screw it up. have a new alternator ready to go in.
I had to remove this same, very stuck, bolt from a broken alternator bracket. Fortunately, I had the added benefit of removing the bracket from the engine with the alternator still attached to it, and it took a good impact wrench to free this bolt up. Not sure how easily an impact wrench would reach in there, and I might suggest a specialty socket for rounded heads from this point on. The last inch or two of this bolt is all that's threaded, so heat may help if used carefully. Good luck.
Long pivot bolt? Carefully Heat the alt where bolt go thru. Aluminum will expend and might help.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
I have broken a few of these over the years. Anymore, I find it advantageous to get known good ones (and brackets) when I can find them in the junkyard and save them.
Some have had good luck by first tightening the bolt a tiny bit before trying to loosen it.
I'm having the exact same problem. PB for days, hitting the head, tried tightening and then trying to loosen, even with a breaker bar it didn't budge, impact wrench, and torch, but none of these things have worked for me so far. Winger, did you finally get it? What worked for you? I'm replacing this bolt with a stainless one if I ever get it out.
You are tapping the bolt with a small hammer every time you spray it right, it says to do that on the instruction if I am not mistaken, if that doesn't work do as ogre sad and use a little heat, little I said little, don't use anything more than a standard propane torch. work the bolt in both directions each time you try to move it, if it does move in the other direction, just a little, spray it again and tap the bolt, then try to turn it the other way, use a 6 point socket, less chance of rounding off the bolt head.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
Thanks for the quick reply. I read it and got to work. I honestly don't think I was applying PB and then tapping with a hammer. I think would spray it on, let is soak, and then smack it with a 3lb hammer before going at it with my impact wrench. I ended up applying plenty of heat to the bracket around where the bolt is threaded. Not enough to make it red, but way hotter than anything you'd want to accidentally touch. It was enough to make it smoke. Then with some advice from Bozzie, I took the deck lid off to get more range of motion with breaker bar. Finally got that thing free. Didn't even break the bolt. Took a long to time work it out. Had to do some back and forth stuff in the beginning and then back it out with the breaker bar most of the way. Thanks guys! Will be replacing with stainless so this doesn't happen again..... hopefully.
Originally posted by deloreanant: Will be replacing with stainless so this doesn't happen again..... hopefully.
I am a fan of replacing steel screws and bolts with stainless versions, but be advised: the alt bracket is aluminum and if you are going to use a stainless bolt you should coat the threads with anti-seize. Completely coat the threads with anti-seize. If you don't fully coat the threads the bolt can cold weld into the aluminum due to galvanic corrosion.
[This message has been edited by lateFormula (edited 08-28-2016).]
Thanks for the quick reply. I read it and got to work. I honestly don't think I was applying PB and then tapping with a hammer. I think would spray it on, let is soak, and then smack it with a 3lb hammer before going at it with my impact wrench. I ended up applying plenty of heat to the bracket around where the bolt is threaded. Not enough to make it red, but way hotter than anything you'd want to accidentally touch. It was enough to make it smoke. Then with some advice from Bozzie, I took the deck lid off to get more range of motion with breaker bar. Finally got that thing free. Didn't even break the bolt. Took a long to time work it out. Had to do some back and forth stuff in the beginning and then back it out with the breaker bar most of the way. Thanks guys! Will be replacing with stainless so this doesn't happen again..... hopefully.
At that point you are almost cutting new threads, get a new bolt of the right size and thread, you obviously don't want to use the old one and to be honest I bet the new one may not fit the old threads any more after all that heat. you might want to pick up a tap for the threads and run it threw those threads before ever even trying to put that new bolt threw.
aluminum is soft compared to steel and can get damaged real easy by a lot of heat. so if the new, right thread bolt even gets hard to turn run the tap threw the thread. Then again there is always helicoils or you could do like my Dad did on one of his old cars, just drill the hole our and put a nut and bolt on. Hey it worked !
Good work there dude.
quote
Originally posted by lateFormula: I am a fan of replacing steel screws and bolts with stainless versions, but be advised: the alt bracket is aluminum and if you are going to use a stainless bolt you should coat the threads with anti-seize. Completely coat the threads with anti-seize. If you don't fully coat the threads the bolt can cold weld into the aluminum due to galvanic corrosion.
Ayup coat the crap out of any part of the bolt that even touches the aluminum with never seize, this is what happens to those steel lug nuts on aluminum rims with steel nuts, you must be familiar with those. Steve
[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 08-28-2016).]
Hey it worked ! 
