im Axle Specialists

Technical Alternator replacement

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Technical Alternator replacement

s130 said:
I'm told (via several posts here) that it can be taken out from the top.

Having said that I don't recall any specific details other than to connect the leads to the new alternator before replacing it.
Click to expand...

Hi thanks for response, have read posts about taking from top but OH needs some convicing. He is experienced at taking cars apart but this one is offering a few challenges so any hints or at least a starting point would be appreciated, from anyone who has done it.

J
 
Our Croma has just given birth to an alternator, there was lots of huffing, puffing and swearing and I quote 'the wiring harness will never look the same' but it is out.
Have a quote of £150+ Vat for a new one (have to give back the old one) or the possibility of £90 for one from an auto electricians (refurbished) Car will be off the road for a few days though.

:)
J
 
Ok, here's some tips from how OH did it.

Firstly remember to disconnect the battery before mucking about.

Remove wiper arms and plastic trim under windscreen. This allows you to remove the fuel filter and bracket, this is done by removing 3 10mm nuts below the washer jets (there are 2 pipes and electrical connections that need disconnecting here too). Once the fuel filter and bracket is out of the way, the job now looks possible! Slacken as much of the wiring harness as possible by disconecting sensors and removing cable ties this should allow the harness to be moved.

Take the right hand front wheel and cover behind off, this gives access to the belt tensioner and bottom mounting bolt (torx) back at the top of the engine remove the two torx bolts on the link between cylinder head and alternator. The two alternator electrical connectors are under a pivotting cover on the back of the alternator, you will need 13 and 10mm socket to disconnect them. To provide clearance when dragging the alternator out, the brake pipes can be pushed towards the bulkhead.

Good luck!
 
Hi, My Alternator failed a couple of days ago. 03:50 in the morning woken up by the alarm sounding. AA came out and said alternator internals had failed then shorted out and flattened the battery, hence the alarm sounding. Well it was taken to the Fiat Dealership in Knutsford and they have confimed that it was just the alternator.

The quote...... The alternator and belt plus fitting and charging the battery....£762.00 ouch!!
We have a Croma 1.9 16v mjet prestigio, I thought they had quoted for a Masserati. Does anybody want to buy any of my limbs
Parts coming from Italy in a few days...
....can't wait...not!!
 
You're mad to go ahead at that price. It's a pain of a job, but that price is nuts.

The layout is the same as a Vectra with the same engine, so any decent independent Vauxhall specialist should know it well (as it uses the same crappy OE alternator).
 
I would like to add some interesting info to this thread.
This is based on actual HAVE TO HAVE GUARANTEED alternator well within 24 hours.

Now Fiat P/N: 7350159 (new) cost £322 in Sep.2010. A recon unit at same time cost £254 (all inclusive of VAT). Fiat take 48 hours minimum to deliver.

Today on the Internet recon/new unit can be obtained for £150 inclusive of VAT.

However with a major local motor factor to the trade, with/in a group buying capacity of over 2500 members, the best trade price I could obtain was £290 inclusive of VAT.

Oddly a local independent motor factor could supply the same identical part for £190 inclusive of VAT.

Due to my particular circumstances I'm paying the £290 price (long story .... don't ask) from my trade supplier who have always been very very competitive. Sadly on this occasion they are well off the pitch for the Croma (and other????) alternators.

I've already contacted their buyer about ANY retail customer being able to buy the same part through a local (non internet) car parts shop for £140 pounds less. When the boss gets back (who I know) I'll take the matter up again with him as he is obviously being charged well over the odds for his supply.

More worryingly is that 2500 suppliers Nationwide are being ripped off as well.

When I get any feedback/updates I'll post back here for all to view/digest. Meanwhile be warned that there appears to be an unjustified lottery out there.

Unless you have your back to the wall with regards to time then please hold back and research prices and delivery from whereever you can (local, Internet, etc. etc.)
 
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Mangolusso,we live in the same area as yourselves and also have a croma.Why not try Dave edge autoelectracal at tarporely
They supplied me an alternator for mine at £140.00 i fitted it myelf in my own workshop but they do offer a fitting service.These guys are brillant.
 
I've just bought from alternatorsnstarters.co.uk, a 140amp part (not seen the box yet and they didnt say the makers name, but the part number quoted was AEK2808). £149.99 delivered. Did I do ok, does anyone know ? My Marelli original is giving up, on a 16v 1.9 JTD registered in 2007 with 50,000 miles on it. It now smells & whirrs, and I have had the cataclysmic moment where power steering, ABS, airbags etc all went (though the car got me+wife+baby home another 30 miles). Did anyone conclude with certainty that you can take the alternator out from the top following CrazyJo's notes, only my mechanic is preferring the idea of taking out drive shaft etc ? Can anything be done with the old one other than the obvious if/when I finally get my lovely leather seated Eleganza back on the road ? Does anyone want to fit it for me, I pay cash and live near Cambridge ?
 
I did mine from the top (1.9D 16v), but it really is a ridiculous pain of a job with the amount of stuff you need to clear out of the way. Expect grazed knuckles and a worn temper! I'd gladly pay a garage to do it in future instead of the trauma of a repeat performance.

It came out after much wiggling and turning. I then honestly thought the new one had to be bigger when I tried to get it in, and ended up comparing the two to check. I doubt it's the recommended way of doing it.

If a garage is doing it then they'll have the car in the air, so it's probably quicker to do it from underneath - not an option for me, as I did it where the AA left it on the driveway. The alternator is nearer the bottom than the top - you need to reach w-a-y down behind (and slightly underneath) the engine when working from the top (working by feel mostly). So their advice sounds very reasonable to me - I think the "from the top" technique is strictly for DIYers, who have no other option.

Mine was some generic part, and it's working fine so far. Anything has to be better than the Magnetti Marelli rubbish.
 
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Doofer said:
Mine was some generic part, and it's working fine so far. Anything has to be better than the Magnetti Marelli rubbish.
Click to expand...

Not sure I entirely agree about M M rubbish. Most of the earlier Cromas appear to have been fitted with Denso 140Amp units and event these fail.

As for replacements then There is a lottery there as well. I have a so called "new" Lucas part fitted which is in reality a refurbished 'other' make.

I can't be 100% sure of this but from my brief investigations thus far many new alternators being supplied (for the Croma at least) are as new fully warranted remanufactured units (as in old style exchange units) but exchange is not required or being waived due to additional shipping and handling costs involved.
 
s130 said:
Not sure I entirely agree about M M rubbish. Most of the earlier Cromas appear to have been fitted with Denso 140Amp units and event these fail.

As for replacements then There is a lottery there as well. I have a so called "new" Lucas part fitted which is in reality a refurbished 'other' make.

I can't be 100% sure of this but from my brief investigations thus far many new alternators being supplied (for the Croma at least) are as new fully warranted remanufactured units (as in old style exchange units) but exchange is not required or being waived due to additional shipping and handling costs involved.
Click to expand...
I have fitted a Wood Auto alternator from alternatorsnstarters.co.uk, they say it's 100% brand new. It was £149.99 delivered. For the Marelli equivalent the same company quoted me £270. Fiat quoted £320. Fiat happily fitted it, they quoted 1.6 hours and were prepared to discount the labour rate, so I have got going again for c£300. I like the idea of using original parts like Marelli, but if they are going to fail after 4 years, then who knows. Anyone know whether it's worth changing the (Marelli) original 90ah battery at the same time too, in case the alternator has damaged it ? Green light has come back on so presumably it's ok ?
 
This parts business is actually a nightmare.

Elsewhere under "I Hate GM" thread you will find info about a clutch pressure plate failure whilst on holiday. Fiat garage confirmed the failed parts were early Croma and GM parts. Now I have the parts back I can clearly see that Valeo made and supplied them. Valeo are a massive OE supplier to all manufacturers.

Not sure what I'm trying to say but Valeo were in my trusted book but the original Valeo GM parts failed. Are the later Fiat parts Valeo items? Who knows!

Almost certainly true that Fiat/GM/BMW/ etc will source parts (to specification) from whoever can supply xxx thousand units at price Y. As far as the motor manufacturer is concerned then as long as the part does not fail within the warranty period then they will be happy. Failures after warranty will be acceptable unless such failures bring the brand into disrepute.

Where the disrepute threshold is anybody's guess. In more recent times it is at a level that does not attract national publicity.
 
bobbyblue said:
I

The original for a 1.9D 16v is a Denso MS1022118270 140A (taken from the original label on mine).
Click to expand...

anyone got other denso part numbers? googling MS1022118270 is coming up as being a MARRELLI :confused: denso part numbers seem to be 6 numbers a dash then 4 numbers like ******-****

does 102211-8270 sound right?

i found this list

OEM Refs
MARRELLI 63321940
MARRELLI 63377005
MARRELLI MS1012100990
MARRELLI MS101210-0990
MARRELLI MS1022118270
NIPPON DENSO 102211-8270
NIPPON DENSO MS102211-8270
OPEL / VAUXHALL 13229992
OPEL / VAUXHALL 73501591
OPEL / VAUXHALL 93191922
SUZUKI 31400-79J0

here http://universal-alternators.co.uk/Product/SA340.aspx
 
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Well, tomorrow it looks like I'll be replacing my alternator.

Horrible whirring at rpm above 1800-2000rpm. Also the car went into limp mode twice on holiday coming back from Italy with full lights and additional caravan lighting and fridge load (over 10Amps). Twice I had to reset the fault and on the second pass through I killed the caravan fridge, headlights (required in Italy) and that seemed to tame the system.

Can't get much above 13V at the battery and on all equipment running there is a net negative current so the alternator is not keeping up.

Not looking forward to this job but I do have an extra pair of hands so hopefully all be go well.

First thing I'll do is run the engine with no auxiliary belt to ensure that the whirring is not coming from any of the cam belt driven components.

Already have brand spanking new Denso 140A alternator (£145 NO exchange), new tensioner assembly and belt ready to fit.
 
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