Repair And Fix it

The 2005 Kia Spectra left the factory with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine with a single serpentine belt driving the alternator and water pump from power supplied by the crankshaft pulley. Replacing that belt is a simply process with just a few steps and requiring only hand tools to complete. Working in the driveway or garage at home, most home mechanics can accomplish this job in about 20 minutes. A replacement belt for your Kia is available from any auto-parts store or through the Kia dealer.

Instructions

1

Open the hood of the car and remove the retaining bolt that holds the negative battery cable on the negative battery terminal using a wrench. Isolate the cable from the battery while you work.

2

Locate the adjuster bolt on the top of the alternator and loosen it with a wrench. Push the alternator toward the center of the engine, loosening the belt.

3

Remove the belt from the pulleys and discard it. Place the new belt around the crankshaft pulley, run it up and over the water pump pulley, then around the alternator pulley. Pull the alternator back, tightening the belt.

4

Tighten the adjuster bolt on the top of the alternator with a wrench, then check the tension on the belt. Press down on the belt between the alternator pulley and the water pump pulley. The belt should deflect about 1/8 inch.

5

Install the negative battery cable on the negative battery terminal and install the retaining bolt. Tighten the bolt with a wrench.

Regardless of the type of vehicle you drive, the alternator is one of the most important components in the engine. It acts as a generator to keep the battery charged while the engine is running, and controls the flow of electricity to the various electrical components of the engine. Over time, the alternator can suffer damage from wear and tear, and you many need to install a new one in order to keep your vehicle running properly.

Instructions

1

Park the vehicle on a flat surface and shut off the engine. Set the parking brake. Allow the engine to completely cool (30 minutes to an hour) and open the hood. Refer to the belt diagram on the underside of the hood or the radiator shroud cover to locate the exact installation area for the new alternator. Disconnect the negative battery connector with a wrench or socket.

2

Disconnect all of the wires to the old alternator. Follow the instructions on the diagram chart to locate and loosen the serpentine belt tensioner pulley that holds the belt tight in place, as this same belt attaches to the alternator. Use the socket and ratchet to loosen the tensioner pulley and slide the belt off. Take the now slack belt and remove it from the alternator. Loosen the bolts holding the mounting bracket for the alternator with a socket or wrench and remove the old alternator.

3

Install the new alternator. Mount it in place of the old alternator and replace the mounting brackets. Tighten the bolts in place with a socket or wrench. Reattach the wiring to the new alternator, but save the positive and negative connections for later. Slide the serpentine belt over the alternator pulley and adjust the tensioner pulley to slide the belt back in place over it. Adjust the tension on the belt until it is tight.

4

Connect the positive and negative connectors from the alternator to the battery of the car. Reattach the negative battery lead. Remove all of your tools from the engine and close the hood. Start the car and allow it to run for several minutes to ensure the belt and alternator are installed correctly.

An alternator creates electricity to power an automobile and charge its battery. It is possible to drive with a bad alternator, but this can cause many problems.

Failure to Start

Starting a car requires a good deal of electrical power. At start-up the battery must power the starter, fuel injection system and other components. A battery that is not being properly charged by the alternator will at some point fail to start the vehicle.

Becoming Stranded

While a car will operate for some time on battery power alone, the battery will eventually lose power and the driver may become stranded along the road. Driving at night when more power is needed for headlights, instrument lights, etc., makes becoming stranded more likely.

Belt Breakage

A bad alternator may seize and stop turning. The alternators drive belt with then attempt to turn on an immobile pulley and likely break. When the belt breaks other components driven by the belt will also lose power which may damage the car or make driving difficult.

Like other years for the first generation of the Dodge Stratus, the 1998 Stratus is standard-equipped with a 2.0 L SOHC engine. If you have experienced persistent electrical problems and you have singled out the car battery as the cause, it is likely that an alternator replacement is in order. The replacement procedure for the alternator on this model is a fairly straightforward task that can be done quickly and easily at home.

Instructions

1

Disconnect the negative battery cable from its terminal post and slip the cables rubber grommet over the electrical post to prevent an accidental discharge.

2

Disconnect the electrical field circuit from the alternator, which is located toward the front of the vehicle and is turned by the drive belt. Disconnect the B+ terminal wire by prying off its terminal cover with a flat screwdriver and removing the wires retaining bolt.

3

Loosen the pivot bolts on the alternator until you can maneuver the alternator back and create slack in the belt. Remove the belt, then finish removing the alternator mounting bolts, making sure not to lose the spacer on the pivot bolt on the top. Slide the alternator forward and remove it from the vehicle.

4

Place the new alternator in position and mount it with the bolts, but leave the bolts loose. Reconnect the B+ terminal wire and tighten it in place with its retaining bolt, then reconnect the field circuit terminal. Install the drive belt and properly tension it, then lock it into position by tightening the alternator mounting bolts.

5

Reconnect the negative battery terminal. Start the car and inspect for proper functioning of the electrical system.

Replacing the alternator in your Chevy truck may become necessary if the original quits or starts to show signs or failure. If you are not sure that the alternator is failing, removing it from the truck will allow you to bench-test the unit and determine without question if that is where your issue lies. If the alternator is faulty, replace it with a new or remanufactured unit, available from any auto-parts store or through the Chevy dealers parts department.

Instructions

1

Remove the retaining bolt from the negative battery cable end with a wrench, then remove the cable from the negative battery terminal. Isolate the cable from the battery by setting it off to the side where it cannot fall back against the battery.

2

Place a socket and breaker bar on the axis bolt in the center of the serpentine belt tensioner pulley. Rotate the tensioner counterclockwise and then slide the belt off the alternator pulley.

3

Locate the electrical connections on the rear of the alternator. Remove the nut from the "B" terminal with a wrench, then slide the battery cable off the terminal. Disconnect the plug in the connector from the body of the alternator by pressing the locking tab, then pulling the connector out of the alternator body.

4

Locate the two mounting bolts at the bottom of the alternator. Remove both bolts using a socket and ratchet, then lift the alternator off the bracket. Position a new alternator onto the mounting bracket, install the two mounting bolts and torque them to 37 foot-pounds with a torque wrench.

5

Install the electrical connections on the rear of the alternator. Plug the push-in connection to the socket on the alternator body and install the battery cable onto the "B" terminal. Torque the nut to 13 foot-pounds with a torque wrench.

6

Slide the serpentine belt onto the alternator pulley, then rotate the tensioner clockwise with a socket and breaker bar, tightening the belt. Install the negative battery cable onto the negative battery terminal. Install the retaining bolt on the terminal and tighten it with a wrench.

Prior to replacing a faulty alternator, the battery ground cable needs to be disconnected. If this step is not taken, the battery will still have a live current running through the vehicles electrical system. The potential danger here is that a spark can be ignited when disconnecting the electrical connections from the alternator. Alternators that use fusible links can burn out the link and have to have that component replaced in order for the new alternator to work. Sparks near the battery can also cause flammable gases to ignite and explode, causing serious or even fatal injury.

Instructions

1

Park the vehicle on a flat surface if possible; apply the parking brake, ensure the engine is off and the keys are removed from the ignition. Open the hood.

2

Locate the battery in the engine compartment (if applicable). Some domestic and foreign vehicles employ a variety of locations for car batteries. Most all batteries are located in the engine compartment, but some vehicles can place the in the wheel wells, under the rear seats or even in the trunk. If necessary, to locate the battery in the specific vehicle, refer to the owners manual and follow the procedure illustrated to obtain access to the battery.

3

Locate the negative battery terminal clamp or bolt. Top-post batteries use a terminal clamp, while side-post batteries use a broad bolt to connect the terminal ends. Most vehicles use a black cable for the negative terminal and a red cable for the positive terminal. However, all batteries have a molded "NEG" or a minus sign (indicating negative) stamped on the battery housing in the vicinity of the terminal end. The positive side will have a "POS" or a plus sign (indicating positive) stamped on the battery housing.

4

Loosen the negative terminal clamps retaining nut from the bolt with a wrench or ratchet and socket by turning it counterclockwise until the terminal clamp is loose enough to wiggle back and forth on the post. For side-post batteries, turn the terminal bolt counterclockwise and remove it from the battery with the terminal end intact with the bolt.

5

Remove the drive belt and then remove the alternator according to vehicle specific repair guidelines. There is no need to disconnect the positive terminal end of the battery since the electrical current is no longer grounded. Once the alternator is replaced, reconnect the drive belt and reconnect the negative battery terminal clamp or bolt and start the engine to test the system.

The alternator on the 2003 Chevrolet Impala engine provides the proper amount of voltage to the battery and other areas of the engines electrical system. When the engine is running, the alternator belt turns the alternator pulley. This enables the alternator to generate the power needed to keep the battery charged and the electrical system working. If the alternator begins to malfunction or stops working completely, the battery will be drained completely and the engines entire electrical system will stop working. Once this happens, change the alternator immediately.

Instructions

1

Open the hood on the 2003 Chevrolet Impala and prop it in place. Locate the battery and remove the cross bar from the top of the battery by unscrewing the two bolts with a open end wrench. Loosen the negative battery cable bolt with an open end wrench. Pull the cable to the side of the battery so that it does not touch the negative battery post.

2

Locate the alternator on the front of the engine. Loosen the top pivot bolt from the top of the alternator with a ratchet and a metric socket. Loosen the lock nut on the lower front of the alternator slide bracket with the ratchet and socket. Turn the adjustment bolt on the end of the alternator slide bracket counter-clockwise to loosen the tension from the belt. Slide the belt off of the alternator pulley.

3

Remove the two electrical wire connectors from the back of the alternator by unscrewing the stud nuts that hold the wires in place with the ratchet and socket. Unplug the wiring harness from the back of the alternator by squeezing the tabs on both sides of the plug and pulling outward on the plug.

4

Locate the coolant reservoir behind the alternator. Loosen and remove the small mounting bolts that secure the coolant reservoir in place with the ratchet and a socket. Pull the coolant reservoir out of the way enough to remove the alternator.

5

Remove the alternator mounting bolts from the top and bottom of the alternator bracket with the ratchet and a socket. Pull the alternator out through the coolant reservoir opening and out of the engine well.

6

Lower the new alternator through the coolant reservoir opening and into the alternator bracket. Repeat the same steps as outlined above for hooking the alternator back up and for tightening the belt. Once the belt is put back around the alternator pulley and tightened, check the tension of the belt by pushing inward on the belt with your hand. The belt tension should be around one-half inch to be properly tensioned. Adjust the belt tension as needed.

7

Reconnect the coolant reservoir back to its base and screw the bolts in to the reservoir. Tighten the bolts with the ratchet and a socket.

8

Re-install the negative battery cable back onto the battery and tighten with the open end wrench. Set the cross brace back over the top of the battery and screw the bolts back through the brace. Tighten the bolts with the open end wrench. Crank the engine up for about thirty seconds so that the new alternator can fully charge the battery and the engines electrical system. Turn the engine off.

An alternator is an auto part that gets power from a cars engine. It then makes electric energy to use in tasks such as charging the vehicles battery. Learning information on alternator replacement can be beneficial for Suzuki Esteem owners having trouble with this part.

Types

When a Suzuki alternator begins to fail, it can cause several types of problems. The headlights and the dash lights will not be as bright as normal. Also, because you may run into trouble starting your vehicle, a jump start could be required as well.

Replace

When replacing your Suzukis alternator, you can partly or fully remove the alternator belt before removing the alternator. If the belt is worn, it should be replaced right along with the alternator.

Misconceptions

Suzuki starting problems due to battery issues are often confused with alternator problems. A load test can be done on your battery to help sort things out. If the battery cant put out at least 10 volts, then your Suzukis failure to start is likely a battery problem instead of an alternator problem.

An alternators purpose is to provide electrical power to a car while it is running as well as to charge the battery. When an alternator problem develops, it needs to be promptly repaired before the problem becomes worse.

Drive Belt Problems

The belt that drives the alternator can cause problems that will result in the alternator not working properly. Old belts can become hard or stretched, which will cause it to slip on the pulley. Belts should be pliable without cracks or other damage. The belt also needs to be properly tensioned to operate the alternator.

Wiring Problems

Damaged wiring or loose connections on the alternator can cause problems with the alternators performance. Check to make certain that the wiring is not damaged (severe bends, missing insulation, etc.) and that the connections are secure and free of corrosion.

Failing Alternator

As alternators age, the electrical output may begin to gradually decline through normal wear. The simplest way to check the alternator is to have it tested at an auto parts stores. Most stores will check an alternator for free, and the test can be done with the alternator on or off of the car.

Of all the components that make up a vehicles charging system, the alternator is at the head of the pack. It is responsible not only for making sure the battery remains charged, but also for creating power to supply the needs of everything electrical within the vehicle. Having information on diagnosing known alternator failures can be beneficial to auto owners.

Identification

A classic way to identify if your vehicle is having trouble with its alternator is an unusual dimming of the headlights. Alternator issues may also cause an automobile to struggle with cranking. In severe cases the vehicle may fail to start up altogether.

Diagnose

There are several things that could cause an alternator to fail, such as bad wiring connections. These bad connections could be at the battery or somewhere else within the charging system. A drive belt breaking is another incident that could bring about alternator charging failures.

Time Frame

When an alternator fails to charge, a vehicles battery will no longer have a source available to keep it powered up. Your vehicle will not run for much longer than an hour before the battery dies, and all the electrical components in the automobile stop functioning.