Alternator Replacement / Mounting Bracket Questions

[nc-grayson]

Greetings,

I pulled what I thought to be an OEM denso alternator out of a 99 at the pick and pull, to replace my CS-144 upgrade that's been giving me issues. I was a goon and traded in my OEM denso at the time of the original CS-144 upgrade so I have no reference point.

Anyways, the alt I pulled from a 99, doesn't want to fit in the mounting bracket. There's this washer looking thing that the long bolt goes through on the forward mounting bracket that seems to be in the way. Seen in the picture.

Now the alt I pulled from the yard doesn't have any grooves to slide over this "washer". If it weren't for the 2mm thickness of this "washer", it'd slide right in.

I assume now that the alt I took from the yard was NOT oem?

Am I missing something super simple?

 

[mtbtim]

It will fit but it's tight and will fight you. If you pulled it out of a 3rd Gen it will go back into another 3rd Gen. When I pulled the alternator out of my 2000 to replace the brushes, it fought me going back in. I don't know if the video [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I made will help you or not, but I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to see how we maneuvered it in place.

Start watching at play time 18:50. I worked it into the bracket with my hands first and then tapped it into place more using a long breaker bar. The final adjustment to line up the alternator with the bracket so you could get the pivot bolt threaded in was to use a small telescoping mirror to figure out which way I needed to move the alternator to get the holes to line up perfectly.

Since you already have this alternator free of the engine, you might want to replace the brushes before putting it in. Worn out brushes will cause the alternator to not charge effectively or not charge at all. If you don't need to get the truck on the road right away, either order some brushes online or visit you local Toyota dealer for a set.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/71_kBhg6_-A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[nc-grayson]

Thanks [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION]. Your video shows me exactly the same situation I'm up against. I can see the "washer", (which is actually more like a sleeve running through the front mount), and it looks like your alternator has the same flush mounting surface as the one I'm working with....so I guess I didn't muscle it enough yesterday. to the naked eye, it looks like there is NO way the Alt will fit in the mounting bracket with that "washer" thing there on the aft side of the forward mount.

Can anyone tell me if this alternator is an OEM denso based on these pics? This is the alt I picked from the yard. It came out of a 99 4 Runner so I assumed it'd fit right in to my 2000. It's been bench tested and it puts out solid numbers, but there's no Toyota/Denso sticker. Any chance the sticker came off over the years? Or am I looking at an aftermarket brand alt here?

I'm replacing a dying CS-144 Alternator. The last thing I want to do is replace it with another parts-store brand that'll just start dying in months to come.

 

[genmarks]

On my last alternator it seemed too tight to squeeze in so i grinded just a hair on the alternator side and it fit like a glove, made installation so much easier


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[Scramble]

Thanks [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION]. Your video shows me exactly the same situation I'm up against. I can see the "washer", (which is actually more like a sleeve running through the front mount), and it looks like your alternator has the same flush mounting surface as the one I'm working with....so I guess I didn't muscle it enough yesterday. to the naked eye, it looks like there is NO way the Alt will fit in the mounting bracket with that "washer" thing there on the aft side of the forward mount.

Can anyone tell me if this alternator is an OEM denso based on these pics? This is the alt I picked from the yard. It came out of a 99 4 Runner so I assumed it'd fit right in to my 2000. It's been bench tested and it puts out solid numbers, but there's no Toyota/Denso sticker. Any chance the sticker came off over the years? Or am I looking at an aftermarket brand alt here?



I'm replacing a dying CS-144 Alternator. The last thing I want to do is replace it with another parts-store brand that'll just start dying in months to come.

Tough to tell, a lot of the auto parts store crap are rebuilt Denso's with cheap internals. I didn't see a sticker on my old one but it could have come off over the years, it was the 16yo original. It did have stampings but I chucked it in the garbage because of the corrosion.
Old vs New from Quality Power, I painted it with POR15 caliper paint so it would stand up to heat.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Thanks [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION]. Your video shows me exactly the same situation I'm up against. I can see the "washer", (which is actually more like a sleeve running through the front mount), and it looks like your alternator has the same flush mounting surface as the one I'm working with....so I guess I didn't muscle it enough yesterday. to the naked eye, it looks like there is NO way the Alt will fit in the mounting bracket with that "washer" thing there on the aft side of the forward mount.

Can anyone tell me if this alternator is an OEM denso based on these pics? This is the alt I picked from the yard. It came out of a 99 4 Runner so I assumed it'd fit right in to my 2000. It's been bench tested and it puts out solid numbers, but there's no Toyota/Denso sticker. Any chance the sticker came off over the years? Or am I looking at an aftermarket brand alt here?

ers/nc-grayson-albums-nc-grayson-picture46802-img-0137.jpg[/IMG]

I'm replacing a dying CS-144 Alternator. The last thing I want to do is replace it with another parts-store brand that'll just start dying in months to come.

That last photo has the stamp ND, which is short for Nippon-Denso. OEM, or at the very least it's a rebuilt OEM unit, which will work fine.

 

[nc-grayson]

Tough to tell, a lot of the auto parts store crap are rebuilt Denso's with cheap internals. I didn't see a sticker on my old one but it could have come off over the years, it was the 16yo original. It did have stampings but I chucked it in the garbage because of the corrosion.
Old vs New from Quality Power, I painted it with POR15 caliper paint so it would stand up to heat.

Thanks [MENTION=7105]Scramble[/MENTION] [MENTION=115347]gamefreakgc[/MENTION]

The alt I pulled from the yard doesn't look like the OEM one you pictured on the right....but looks exactly like [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION]'s with the stampings on the case.

 

[nc-grayson]

so this has turned out to be the biggest small ticket PITA I have come across to date on my 3rd Gen. Sometimes, something so simple as an alternator replacement can really kick your ass to the point of feeling defeat.

Anyways, I broke the damn alternator trying to squeeze it in yesterday lol. As you can see, I "broke" off this stupid little washer looking thing on forward mount of the alternator itself. No idea what this useless spacer is for other than perhaps something smooth for the alternator to swivel against once it's actually in place.

Now the problem is....is that the alternator is too small/narrow for the mount. I get about 1-2 mm of forward/aft movement with the alt in and the bolt cranked down. I'm sure this will work for a week until my belt shreds to dental floss from the wobble of the alternator forward and backward. I went from one extreme to the opposite here.....I can only laugh at this point.

So now I'm faced with adding a washer as a shim similarly to mounting the CS-144. Only problem is, is that all of the washers I used for the CS-144 mount are too fat. I either need to make a washer "thinner" or take a bit more off of the alternator itself.

Anyone got any recommendations on which end to grind down if I were taking some off the alternator mount/housing itself? Fore vs. Aft? There still is that stupid sleeve/washer running through the front bolt hole that shows its face on the inside of the mount.....I don't think it'd be wise to file that down to get clearance for a washer....obviously that's there for some reason

My options are:
1. File down the front of the alternator housing that mates with the stupid sleeve/washer at the top bolt hole.
2. File down the rear of the alternator housing that mates with the bracket near the threaded portion of the top bolt.
3. File down the stupid sleeve/washer running through the front bolt hole.
4. Somehow make a washer thinner
5. Core my dying CS-144 for a *new* denso reman'd from the big box store and try to squeeze it in from step 1.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

Look for a metal split sleeve that's inserted into the mount on the engine. They kind of float in there and press against the alt when you tighten the long bolt. Sometimes that split sleeve needs tapped or pried out out to open up the gap. Seen it many times.


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[Rock_Rat]

so this has turned out to be the biggest small ticket PITA I have come across to date on my 3rd Gen. Sometimes, something so simple as an alternator replacement can really kick your ass to the point of feeling defeat.

Anyways, I broke the damn alternator trying to squeeze it in yesterday lol. As you can see, I "broke" off this stupid little washer looking thing on forward mount of the alternator itself. No idea what this useless spacer is for other than perhaps something smooth for the alternator to swivel against once it's actually in place.

Now the problem is....is that the alternator is too small/narrow for the mount. I get about 1-2 mm of forward/aft movement with the alt in and the bolt cranked down. I'm sure this will work for a week until my belt shreds to dental floss from the wobble of the alternator forward and backward. I went from one extreme to the opposite here.....I can only laugh at this point.

So now I'm faced with adding a washer as a shim similarly to mounting the CS-144. Only problem is, is that all of the washers I used for the CS-144 mount are too fat. I either need to make a washer "thinner" or take a bit more off of the alternator itself.

Anyone got any recommendations on which end to grind down if I were taking some off the alternator mount/housing itself? Fore vs. Aft? There still is that stupid sleeve/washer running through the front bolt hole that shows its face on the inside of the mount.....I don't think it'd be wise to file that down to get clearance for a washer....obviously that's there for some reason

My options are:
1. File down the front of the alternator housing that mates with the stupid sleeve/washer at the top bolt hole.
2. File down the rear of the alternator housing that mates with the bracket near the threaded portion of the top bolt.
3. File down the stupid sleeve/washer running through the front bolt hole.
4. Somehow make a washer thinner
5. Core my dying CS-144 for a *new* denso reman'd from the big box store and try to squeeze it in from step 1.

I think all you were dealing with in the beginning was the bushing in my post. Ace hardware sells bushings in many various shapes and sizes. Since it';s all buggered up, I would get a longer bushing and not an extra washer. When I replaced my alternator all I did was make my own "press" using a socket, nut and bolt and pulled the bushing flush. Re-installed the alternator. Here's a link to my post. Alternator Installation
Not sure if this will help in your situation now.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

That bushing needs pushed out a little bit. That is all


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[nc-grayson]

I think all you were dealing with in the beginning was the bushing in my post. Ace hardware sells bushings in many various shapes and sizes. Since it';s all buggered up, I would get a longer bushing and not an extra washer. When I replaced my alternator all I did was make my own "press" using a socket, nut and bolt and pulled the bushing flush. Re-installed the alternator. Here's a link to my post. Alternator Installation
Not sure if this will help in your situation now.

That bushing needs pushed out a little bit. That is all


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Thanks Guys! I had NO idea that bushing, (sleeve/washer as I've been calling it) was movable. I whacked on it with the hammer a few times but not much leverage in there to get a solid blow to push the bushing out a bit.

 

[nc-grayson]

so I finally got the bushing moved a little bit, the alt in, and all buttoned up. It's putting out between 13.8 and 14.1 v at idle so that's solid.

However, the battery light on the dash is on. I'm assuming that's because the terminal lugs on the alt post and my big 3 upgrade, are a bit bigger than the actual post on the alternator itself.

I remember I had to swap my wiring to larger terminal lugs when I did the CS-144 as that post was larger.

Do you guys think my battery light is on now because these lugs aren't seated fully against the charging post of the alternator?

What are my options? Obviously I could strip those lugs off and put on a lower gauge lug with a smaller eyelet hole.....but I don't really feel like doing that unless that's my last option.

Does the black plastic thing on the alternator post come off so I can seat these lugs all the way down on the post and bolt them down?

I have not had a cover on any alternator post in over 3 years, so I'm not concerned with that.

 

[DK327]

Make sure the alternator belt is set to correct tension, test the battery w/o alt to see if it's putting out over 12.6V.

 

[nc-grayson]

I don't have a fancy belt tension gauge...but I filed the black plastic cap enough to properly seat the lugs. The battery is resting at 12.86 volts and while idling it's now putting out 14.2 volts after I seated the wire terminals.

This is all after driving 45 miles today for work/errands, with the battery light on. So to get home and have he battery resting at 12.86 volts I'd say it's charging fine, even before properly seating the lugs.

The only thing I can think of is a gummed up electrical connector? Al I did was swap an alternator, and now the battery light is on. Any ideas?

 

[blairracd]

Look for a metal split sleeve that's inserted into the mount on the engine. They kind of float in there and press against the alt when you tighten the long bolt. Sometimes that split sleeve needs tapped or pried out out to open up the gap. Seen it many times.


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This little bushing inside of the alternator mounting bracket can **** off

 

[19963.4lsr5]

This little bushing inside of the alternator mounting bracket can **** off

Put a large nut over the protruding bushing and then stick a bolt through the bushing and a nut and flat washer on the inside of the bracket. Tighten the nut to bush the bushing flat against the back of the bracket. It will make the room you need to slide the Alt in there. I have a few pictures of what I use floating around here. I’ll try and find it.


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[blairracd]

I tried for a good while and gave up and just busted out the dremmel. I was able to move it back mostly all the way but it was 30° and I was not happy lol.

 

[jkoni426]

When I replaced my alternator I used the alternator belt tensioner bolt and washer through the hole to push the bushing out towards the front of the vehicle until it was flush with the mounting point.