Alternator removal

[dgarcia]

I'm trying to remove a dead alternator from a 85 300D. I managed to loosen the upper bolt that connects to the adjusting bolt. Can't loosen the bottom bolt to save my life. Can I just remove the entire assembly including the bracket and then remove the lower bolt? I think the lower bolt is the pivoting bolt. I was under the car for an hour today and that bolt tight as a drum. I tried a search on this issue but did'nt get a clear explanation of the procedure. Any suggestions would really be appreciated.

[BobK]

Seems to me on my '83, you had to loosen a nut on the back of the pivot bolt on the alternator. Not sure if yours is the same. I just put a big wrench on it the first time I did it.

[Palangi]

The trick is to loosen the hardware on the rear side of the bracket, I believe that's a nut on the outboard rear side and the pivot bolt on the inboard rear side. Don't try to loosen what looks like a nut on the front inboard side. It's welded to the bracket, it ain't coming out.

[dgarcia]

Thanks for your reply's guys. Got the darn thing off the car and in the process the tensioning screw broke. Easy part to find though. Seems as if the alternator I removed was the original. Amazing that this alternator lasted almost 20 years. I'm sure it's replacment wont last as long. Apparently, there's no way to tighten the belts without that tensioning screw. Believe me I tried. With only the weekends to work on this car it's difficult to get things done. But it keeps the blood flowing knowing that even with 348K on the odometer, it's still the cheapest car to maintain I've ever owned. I'll track down the tensioning bolt and get her running again this week.