My '97 Max just came up witih the Battery/Brake warning lights signifying that the alternator is going out. Usually, the problem on alternators is that the brushes wear out. Assuming that the bearings are Ok, has anyone tried to just replace the brushes? Easy or difficult to do?

On an older MBZ that I had, the brushes were something like 15 bucks and just snapped in with one screw as a lock-down.

That would be a lot nicer than a $150 alternator and messing with the belts.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

yes, but you have to take into consideration that if you are pulling more than the appropriate ampreage, you can always wear out other parts for example the coils can get fried, and the Diode.

 

In my experience, it was always the Diodes that fried.

 

This may help... I rebuilt a starter on an old Peugot my pops had back in the day. It worked perfectly, not many parts so it was an easy job. You can replace the alternator brushes but aren't you still going to have to remove it anyways?

 

On the 97s, I don't think you can replace the brushes. The brush assembly, the voltage regulator, and the diode assembly are all one part.

It's also possible that your alternator/AC belt just needs to be tightened. Or that the brushes are fine and some other alternator component is bad (diodes, shorted or open field coil or stator windings, burnt stator winding). On alternators the brushes are conducting only the field current - it's on starters that the brushes carry the motor amperage and are likely to eventually wear out.

 

Bought a re-mfg'd Alternator at Manny, Moe and Jack. haven't put it in yet, but I can tell you this if anyone needs to know.

Our Maximas will go at least 18 miles on a freshly-charged battery with a dead alternator.

My kid called, car died on the way home from school. I took the battery out of my Altima (while it was running!) swapped it into his Max and it was still running OK when we got home, 18 miles away. Note, this was during the day with lights OFF, might be less if it is at night and you are burning them all brightly!

 

This job is starting out all wrong. The center tensioner pulley bolt stripped, along with a couple of my knuckles. I tried heat, I tried PB blaster, this thing is tough. It now has no edges on it at all...any ideas how to get it off?

 

Try vice grips first, but I doubt if there is enough clearance. What about a Dremel tool and carefully cutting it off?

 

Man, I spent 3 hours torturing the Idler Pulley nut last night, and that sucker still would not break loose. You guys sure it is not a left-hand thread?

Anyway, it is not even recognizable as a nut anymore. I ended up taking it into a local mechanic first thing this morning to get the thing off as I was worn out laying on my back trying to remove it.

I used Pb Blaster, I used a apropane torch, I used a HUGE pair of vicegrips, I tried to hammer if off with a sharp screwdriver and a hammer, all to no avail. I probably screwed up the threads on the bolt during the process and might need anew idler asbly.

Tonight its supposed to rain, assuming I get the car back, I might not even be able to work on it. *&^$ nut

I was going to remove the entire assembly, but to get to the bottom 2 bolts I would have had to cut off the belt and I didn't want to risk making the car undrivable if I did have to take it to a mechanic

 

You should always use 6 point sockets, no way your going to round off heads with the right tool.

 

I take it you have never loosened the Idler pulley nut.

The passenger frame rail is about 3/4 of an inch directly opposite it, so you barely have room to get a wrench on it. You cannot get a socket on it. I have a full set of 6-pt. metric sockets and would have used them if they fit, but they don't.

 

Proto super-short socket with a Snap-on FL80 won't fit. Gearwrench vortex socket won't fit. Gearwrench ratcheting wrench with a socket adapter and socket won't fit. Gearwrench serpentine belt tool with a socket won't fit (as a wrench, it will).

Unless the Snap-on RAF80 low-profile socket set fits, I'm curious to know what socket/ratchet combo you could get on that nut.

There are 6 pt wrenches of course, but not everybody has them.

It's easy to get the wrench slightly cocked on that nut, making it easier to round off.

People strip that nut all the time. Nothing to be ashamed of.

 

Yeah but what do you do when that its stripped ??

 

Knowing that people strip that bolt head all the time, don't ya think it would be a good idea to run to the auto parts store and pick up the correct size 6 point wrench for the job? Just sayin.....

 

I ended up taking mine to a mechanic locally and just had him do the whole da*n job. By that time it was raining, I was tired after wrestling with the nut for 3 hours, and my kid needed the car for school the next day. Mechanic told me it took another hour for hime to get he nut off; charged me $200 for the whole thing including putting in the alternator and new belt.

 

Yes, that probably would've been a good idea before starting the job. Not sure what good it does after the nut's already destroyed, though.

I don't know if you could fit a nut splitter in there or not, probably depends on the nut splitter. I guess I would've attacked it with an air hammer.

 

Absolutely. Get them.

 

Oh before you go buy new parts make sure to check the little alternator plug is tightened all the way!

I once accidentally ran over a speed bump too hard and it jerked the connector loose. But the battery and brake light came on and I thought that I had broke my alternator but it was actually only the plug. I took it to my friends shop and he measured the voltage coming to the battery and it was jumping up and down when we moved the plug and so he unplugged it and there was was sort of buildup in the plug and so he sprayed some electrical cleaner in there, along with some compressed air and plugged everything back up nice and tight and the light went away ever since. And also the voltage that we measured stabilized and so it was a simple fix for a expensive problem.