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Old 03-11-2008, 09:58 AM   #1
Dogo
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Changing the alternator ( and clutch and turbo and ... )

For those who don't already know - the car is a BA with BP-T engine.

I'm replacing my alternator. I'm getting very quickly tired of jump starting my car and the engine is clearly responding to electrical load when running.
Even the indicators drop the revs and you don't want to see what the elec windows do !

Getting to the alternator in a BA is a pain in the A. Has anyone got some good suggestions /experienced advice? Is it easier to go from underneath ( remember its a DIY in the driveway, so no hoist ) , or from top. If I go from top I reckon I'm going to have to remove the intake manifold and all the bits around it.

I suppose I may as well change the belts at the same time, since they'll have to come off. I haven't done that before myself tho
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Old 03-11-2008, 10:35 AM   #2
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Probably one job that's easier on the V6.
Remove the right front wheel and go from there. Take off the plastic covers and it's all laid out in front of you.
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Old 03-11-2008, 11:12 AM   #3
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thanks - never thought of going from the side !

I don't have the plastic cover on so that's one step already taken care of.
I've got the covers but no plastic plugs. Auto store wants to charge $$ for just a few !
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Old 03-11-2008, 11:58 AM   #4
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Yep, in through the side is the way to go. I once tried to change the alternator belt on my SP from the top - definitely not the way to go. Even tried unscrewing the headlight at one point to get better access! A call to the mechanic saved lot of time.

Feel like taking some photos? My alternator belts seem to die pretty quickly for no good reason, so I'm thinking maybe the alternator is seizing occasionally or some such, and I might replace it at some point in the near future.
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Old 10-11-2008, 08:09 AM   #5
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Took off the wheel. There's not much I can get to through the wheel well. because the chassis is in the way.

To go from underneath ( service manual recommended procedure ) requires getting the crossmember & driveshaft out and maybe the exhaust. What a pain in the A.

To get the driveshaft out I know how to get the steering column off the hub but I've never done the stabiliser pin.
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Old 13-11-2008, 08:57 AM   #6
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Are you putting a standard one on or something bigger ??? From memory the NA is 80amp and the GTX is 65amp.
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Old 13-11-2008, 09:06 AM   #7
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Its a new 80A going in

I think Tony put his BP one on because when I look down at whats in there, I can see 80A stamped on the housing.

But it seems weak. My theory is that having the fan permanently on has put too much strain on it.

I could get it reconditioned but found a new 80A for an ok price and just took the easy route. And while I'm at it I'll try setting the fan back to the normal mode of being triggered by temp
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Old 14-11-2008, 10:47 PM   #8
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It's a bit tricky for a DIY, but definitely doable. You can get the belts from supercheap or a similar auto store - just make sure you get the right one, ie a v-belt, not flat. It helps if you take the belt into the store, but not necessary as they should have a list. It's also worthwhile getting the power steering/ac belt changed at the same time, since you'll have to remove it anyways.

Also, note that you'll have to wear in the belt. Ie. after it's been used for a certain period of time, it'll need re-tightening. Otherwise if it runs loose it can overheat and the sides will glaze, making the belt prone to snapping.
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Old 14-11-2008, 11:31 PM   #9
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Dogo, what belt is running the Alt? Is it a flat belt or a "v" belt. If it's a flat then it's a BA type which is a conversion. If it's a "v" it's a GTX BPT (or early BP) type.

Unless the Alt pulleys were swapped?

Either way it's a bugger of a job - and you've got the "big" engine bay. You shoudl be able to undo top bolt (on tension adjuster) from top, and use the side approach to get into position to remove the bottom pivot bolt working blind pretending you can see through the frame at that point.

I only loosened it all up on Stinky when doing belts/water pump and it was possible once you got a good position to work in more than anything else.

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Old 17-11-2008, 08:54 AM   #10
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I'll check which belt type it has. Might be important when I swap the new one in.

Fitting an alternator in the 1.8L 4cyl BA is highly frustrating. The belts are about an inch or 2 from the firewall, leaving very little space to work. I have nfi how you would change the timing belt with the engine on the car. How would you see the tensioner ? Through the wheel well you can see the crank pully but nothing above that.


The service manual recommends going from underneath, which requires you to remove the crossmember, exhaust and the driveshaft. The driveshaft is proving a real pain to get out for me. The locknut won't come off. I ended up cutting off the metal that goes into the notch to be 100% sure I hadn't crushed it into the hole when I was chiseling it up.

I've broken a couple of tools already - my torque wrench ( which I knew I shouldn't have been using as a breaker ) and a solid metal 1/2 inch socket bar ( bent first time - thats what you get from buying at super cheap auto )

Soaked the nut in wd40 so maybe that will loosen it after a few days.


The 'changing of alternator' step will take about 5 mins but its so hard to get to. Forget the book - next time I'd go from the top.
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Old 17-11-2008, 09:00 AM   #11
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Definitely sounds like it's easier on the BG.
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Old 17-11-2008, 02:24 PM   #12
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I did the waterpump and timing belt on the Lynx (including tensioners and idlers) which has a tighter bay than yours. It did take about 17 hours to do with the car on stands, and most of that was finding the "right" angles to access things from and then the tetris puzzle to get the pump into the space.

I'd probably say the alternator has the same tetris feel. However you do need to work blind and trust your tools to do the job.

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Old 17-11-2008, 02:36 PM   #13
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Quote:
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Dogo, what belt is running the Alt? Is it a flat belt or a "v" belt. If it's a flat then it's a BA type which is a conversion. If it's a "v" it's a GTX BPT (or early BP) type.
BA, GTX/R and NB8C use all the same belts and pulleys.

Why I know this is cos my pulleys and belts on my un-modified BP05 had the same gear as my BP26. And of course we all know the BA and NB stuff is the same...
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Old 17-11-2008, 02:51 PM   #14
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Aaron maybe you had a "special stinky" belt
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Old 17-11-2008, 03:19 PM   #15
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It's a Mazda, you just never know what they were up to in the mid 90s...
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Old 17-11-2008, 04:54 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by project.r.racing View Post
BA, GTX/R and NB8C use all the same belts and pulleys.

Why I know this is cos my pulleys and belts on my un-modified BP05 had the same gear as my BP26. And of course we all know the BA and NB stuff is the same...
Incorrect. Belts, waterpump and pullies are different. Having a BP-ZE (ala NB8C) in the garage, and having had plenty of looks at BA (BP05) and owning a BPT (BG) does mean that I have seen these variations.

I bought BG GTX (ie to suit Laser KF TX3 Turbo) belts for the BPT, which I can assure you are nothing like the the belts on the NB8C MX5 that's in the carport. Likewise I installed a NB8C waterpump and had to cut off the alterator bracket mount tab because on a BG GTX this is where the engine mount goes. There's also a difference in the way the timing belt idler pulley attaches. However they can be interchanged with lateral thinking.

GTR BPTs I believe use BP05 style belts though, but not sure.

Happy to take pics to prove the point

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Old 17-11-2008, 05:49 PM   #17
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No need for pics, I'm confusing GTX with GTR and NA8C with NB8C most likely maybe? Blonde moment?

As there was a GTR motor floating around when my GTX motor was hanging about.
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Old 17-11-2008, 07:49 PM   #18
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Quote:
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there was a GTR motor floating around when my GTX motor was hanging about.
Lol, I wish turbo motors would randomly hang around with my car... maybe I could snag one.
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Old 17-11-2008, 10:03 PM   #19
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NA8C is a BP05(ish) like the BA And if the GTR is same belted again then that would explain it perfectly.

I wouldn't normally be narky about such details but it's very easy to end up with quite a few $$ of parts you can't use by assuming they're all the same..

I was lucky that I knew to get the KF turbo laser belts, but Dogo (and anyone else with a BPT swap they didn't do) needs to be aware that all the covers, belts and alternator/engine mounts can interchange and they could have any combo of the above.

IMHO the best BPT swap would use all the BP from the chassis it's going into covers and ancillaries (waterpump/alternator/pulleys etc) as these are what will come up if you walk into a parts joint and ask for "belts for a 1994 Laser Lynx" or whatever instead of trying to explain the hybrid to parts guys.



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Old 20-11-2008, 02:21 PM   #20
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The belts do need to be worn in, but that just means retightening after 750kms or so. What kind of noise does the steering make?

I have another problem which needs figuring out - my alternator belt gets loose all by itself, meaning it needs tightening once every one and a half to two months or so. If I don't tighten it, it squeals and wears the belt out, and I'm liable to lose power while driving (happened once on Homebush Bay drive travelling at 80kms in the dark - not fun!).

Does anyone know what might cause the belt to come loose so often? It's not the nut the holds the alternator, because whenever I tighten it (as I did today) it's always stiff as. I also think that the pulleys aren't worn, because that would just fray the belt without loosening it, right? Could the alternator be seizing under load or some such?
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