Anyone got any suggestions on how to remove a stuck alternator lower bolt? So far tried heat, a very long bar, an even longer bar, swearing at it and WD40. Its stuck solid - car is on a lift - next option is to cut it off but worried about the sump?
Impact wrench and extensions? My battery powered Ingersol Rand impact does 1800 ft lb. Breaks everything loose. The impact action is very different than a breaker bar. Snapped the frozen CV bolts below like they were never tightened, did not even have to mess with pb blaster and soaking them etc..
Extensions and swivels are useful, gun is outside for alternator, in theory at least. Perhaps take slight tension off it with a small floor jack? Good luck!
try tightening 1/8 of a turn before trying to loosen. a stronger penetrating agent than WD40. getting a long extension / bar on the bolt head and hitting the other end with a hammer. some combination or all of the above. good luck.
Not trying to be a smart a$$, but you know there are two nuts on the front of that bolt, right? Take those off completely with a spanner and the lower bolt should just come straight out.
If you’ve got the top bolt out then I’d be giving the alternator a wiggle up & down until that lower bolt starts to move. Getting the top bolt out will help, if you haven’t already done it. Also, my car is a 2.7 and I don’t have the spring, but looking at the parts fiche it looks like the spring has maybe been fitted on the wrong end of your bolt? Perhaps someone with better knowledge of that bolt on the later cars will chime in and advise if the spring goes on the nut end or the bolt-head end…
That sucks. I am a big fan of Kroil oil and heat. But its going to hard to get oil into the alternator mount. guess you could sacrifice the alternator as a last resort by cutting trough the mount.
Spring goes on the bolt head end. I am not sure what to tell you about that bolt being stuck. Get a cheater pipe and use more heat.
Where does that bolt thread in? I assume on the mount side that's farthest away from the bolt head? I would heat wherever the threads are and hit it with cold water (spray bottle) to cool it rapidly. Do it several times. This rapid expansion/contraction can break up the corrosion enough to get the bolt free.
That bolt does not thread into anything with the 2 nuts removed. I have an idea, try hitting the head of the bolt with brass hammer, or air hammer/chisel. The impact will compress the spring and hopefully free up any corrosion inside the hole where the bolt goes through.
Before you start hammering... I would make sure you can find a new sump in case the worst happens. If it was my car, I would continue to soak it with WD-40 or whatever, and I'd use a propane torch to head the sump around the bolt, and then keep trying to turn that bolt. Hammer would be a last resort as it would definitely increase the risk of you breaking the sump. I would even say that using a breaker bar carries a risk of breaking the sump. The best thing you can do is get an impact on that. They do sell swivel impact sockets that in my opinion would be your best and safest bet.
Looks like you’re suffering a bit of galvanic corrosion. Rock that breaker bar back & forth. Give it some wellie with plenty of penetrating oil. Don’t worry, you’ll get it out. Giving the bolt a few whacks as has been suggested won’t do any harm. You’d have to be going some to damage the sump. Give it a good smear of copper grease when you reassemble it to help next time you need to dismantle it.
Thanks guys, its sorted now. The shop (indy Ferrari shop) got it off the following day. They used a set of mole grips on the threaded end and used them to wiggle and then hit it with a fine adjuster as they went and its off and all sorted. I think they also cut the spring and liner off the other end. There is actually a sleeve that runs inside the bracket and this had grabbed the bolt. Luckily I had a new bolt so it was all sorted with new spring etc. They also replaced the earth strap. I am sooooo glad I did not attempt this myself in my garage!!
