Ok, please ignore my previous post at this point. My major problem facing me now is regarding transferring the alternator pulley and the fan thing that is below it. Do I need an impact wrench? I tried using a 1/2" drive 22mm socket wrench and held the fins still, but that sucker is really stuck on there. My dad has an impact wrench, so if that's what I need, I'll go over to their house and tear it up. However, I need insight into how to use it correctly... Do I need to secure the cooling fins in any way, or will the impact alone be enough to loosen it?

Also, there's a resistor attached to the back of my old alternator... However, it appears to have disconnected from the ground end (not the +) due to rotting long, long ago (the plastic just crumbles when you touch it). I've spoken to a few people and it's suggested that it's only for reducing alternator whine. Is this true? Obviously my alt went a long time without a functioning one, so I'm wondering how important this is... The local dealership doesn't have any of them laying around (they only come bundled with the alt), nor can they get them, so I might end up going scrapyard hunting sometime.

Thanks in advance.

You didn't specify model, so I can't tell you whether you have the swapable voltage regulator (the part on the back) or not.

Yeah, the plastic deal is a suppressor to reduce alternator whine. Doesn't affect anything as far as electrical performance, but it may induce a bit of noise into your radio's signal path (especially at night).

As far as removing the pulley, it does take an impact wrench to get it off. I did the swap a few years ago, and had to take both (old and rebuilt) alternators to a local shop to remove the pulley and reattach to the new one.

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Thanks for the info. Sorry for not specifying, but it's a 1988 300E.

I ended up resorting to an impact wrench with a 22mm socket and managed to get it taken care of... Unfortunately, it took a hammer and a flathead screwdriver to get the pulley off the old alternator, but now that it's mounted on the new one, it appears to be perfectly centered and balanced (I call it luck). But the resistor is as I believed, to be nothing more than a noise suppresor (sp?)?

It's a capacitor (condensor).

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The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)