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Alternator bolt frozen in place

2K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  HotRodMan 
#1 ·
I am working on a stock 1973 Vega. I am having a problem I have never experienced before. The top bolt holding the alternator on is frozen in place and can not be removed. The best I can tell the bolt is frozen where it contacts the alternator and not the bracket. When I try to loosen the bolt the bolt and the alternator turns together. The bolt is 3/8 by about 5 inches long, and its hard to get to.

I have removed the nut on the back of the bolt, sprayed penetrating oil all over it, put a brass punch on the alternator where the bolt goes thru and struck it 10 times hoping to loosen it up, put a 4 foot long pry bar on the back of the bolt and tried to push it forward, the pry bar is bending and the bolt is not moving.

Anyone have an idea how to get this bolt out?

The bearings in the alternator are making a terrible noise. Is it worth it to replace just the bearings, or should I replace the whole alternator? Thanks
 
#5 ·
The top bolt holding the alternator on is frozen in place and can not be removed.
Dissimilar metals like steel and aluminum experience a phenomena called galvanic corrosion. That's what's happened here. The bolt is siezed in the alternator housing. Expect to need excessive force to loosen the bolt, which will strip the aluminum threads. This is unfortunately not uncommon. Use anti-seize on the bolt in the new alternator.
 
#7 ·
Some heat will usually do it but be careful. I had one on a Ford once that was giving me all kinds of trouble. I ended up drilling a couple small holes in the alternator where the bolt passes through and spraying Kroil into the holes. After it sat for a while it came out. I have also used an impact chisel with one of those flat punches about the size of a quarter to break up the corrosion between the alternator and the bolt buy running it on the alternator.
 
#8 ·
Finally got the frozen alternator bolt out

I finally got the alternator bolt out. I thought if I applied heat to the alternator and put my 4 foot pry bar on there it would come right out, but that did not happen. I put a 2 foot pull handle with a socket on the end of the bolt, and while applying the heat, turned the bolt to break it loose, and then kept turning it for about 5 minutes in a clockwise rotation to free up the bolt. While the bolt was still hot, I dripped some candle wax on the joints, then turned the bolt counter clockwise with an air ratchet, and the bolt came right out.
 
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