Jump to content
The mkiv Supra Owners Club

alternator removal ??


peter richards

Recommended Posts

had a look at the how to but not really got much of an idea , got quoted £300 labour to do it it , as he reconed it would take him 6 hours to do the job

 

so can someone give me a rough time to swap one over , and is it out the top or bottom of the bay .

 

only reason I want to know is I can tell whoever does the job roughly the time scale , and a few pointers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shame you're not nearer, I had a load of alternator issues, and got it down to 7 minutes to change one, start to finish!

Admittedly I don't have the viscous fan in the way, but that only takes half hour to get out

Viscous fan is only 4 nuts and its off. Literally 2 minute job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Budz86

I have electric fans and it only took me 10 mins to change from the top of the bay as there was loads of room wire and 2 bolts iirc, may even have been just 1 bolt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Roger NE

£50 is a fair price for a full Alternator repair/refurb . . . but obviously you will need to take it to them.

 

It really isn't that hard to get the alternator off (much easier to get at than on most front wheel drive cars these days!)

 

Most people that have a go at these simple unbolt type jobs for the first time wondered why they didn't try before!

Edited by Roger NE (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Roger NE

To be honest Peter, the only parts that actually "wear out" in an Alternator are the bearings . . . but they very rarely do

 

What usually goes wrong is the electronics - either the rectifier diodes or the regulator transistors blow

 

But those parts don't "wear out" (and they can go on and on forever) - so the electronics in a brand new or reconditioned one are just as likely to fail as a secondhand one.

 

Personally I'd always choose to fit a good secondhand one - unlike a new one, it has a track record of being reliable!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Roger NE

Very sensible Peter . . .

 

What you really need is someone local who can come round and help if you get stuck! Then you could try taking it off yourself, and call on them if needs be.

 

I find it interesting that the Mk4 Supra Alternators fail a lot more often than the Mk3 ones . . . I suspect it's because the rating of the electronics is much nearer what the coils can put out . . . whereas on the Mk3 ones there's a bigger safety margin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. You might also be interested in our Guidelines, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.