Alternator bracket SNAFU!
 

First off let me just say that I have NEVER in all my life had something be as difficult as the gd alternator on my 1981 300TD. I have done WAY more involved projects that went WAY easier. If it could go wrong it did...


So as some of you may know the bearings went on my alternator..no biggie, just replace it ...well I snapped off the lower mounting bolt right at the end of the threads. Also it took an act of god to remove the top mounting bolt. I managed to get the top bolt out, grind away the alternator enough to get it off of the bottom bolt and after much cursing and tool throwing the alternator was out http://www.benzworld.org/forums/imag...s/thumbsup.gif

Here is the reason for the new post...I went to see how much of the bolt that has snapped off I had left to work with and the ear of that bracket fell off in my handhttp://www.benzworld.org/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif I mean, like it was hanging by a thread. SO I had been told before that the bracket was mounted to the block with four bolts and nuts...the nuts are off, but the bracket is not. Not even a budge...I assume I am missing some bolts or something, but I do not want to go willie-nillie removing bolts. Did I mention I was doing all of this on my back in a gravel driveway with a slope..good times! How do I get the entire bracket off?

give it a few strategic taps

Any particular place to tap??? I hit it a few times with no results...are there only the four bolts on the side?

im not near my om617 shop manual so I cant say

Hello, DinNC,
I hate to tell you this, but I just looked at my coupe & remember thinking when I semi rebuilt the engine, that stinks. The bracket in addition to the four nuts in the side has a bolt going back behind the harmonic balancer.
Paul.

I know a 617NA in an 85 409d has an alternator bracket bolt behind the harmonic balancer. I remember when I saw this, I thought it was really bad engineering.

The bolt behind the crank pulley is what holds the upper bracket to the alternator mount. It doesn't have to be removed until the whole thing is out and you want to transfer the bracket.

Here's a link to the Russian EPC: Alternator Mount

Let me see if I am grasping this correctly...there is a bolt BEHIND the harmonic balancer????? Which means that I have to pull that off to get the bolt out...which means the radiator and all kinds of other stuff has to come out to get the HB off???? Surely you jest...

This bracket HAS to come off, I do not think JB Weld will cut it..

Thanks for the link...so the bolt does not have to come off?? I have to pull the whole mounting bracket..

There should be a little cut out in the harmonic balancer. turn the engine until it lines up with the bolt.

Now when I removed mine is when I had the engine out, and removing all the parts when I was installing the new one.
I haven`t removed this bracket while the engine was installed in the vehicle.

But I will recommend that you coat the bolts with anti seiz compound, especially the long bottom one. Mine was rusted and seized into the aluminium bracket.

Charlie

On mine, that one bolt coming from the back of the engine wouldn't come all the way out without removing that other bracket. If that's the case, can you get a dremel type tool to cut that bolt?
Once I finally got mine out, I put that bolt back in from the front, and double nutted it on the back, it's NOT coming out unless I want it to.

[quote=charmalu;2067134]There should be a little cut out in the harmonic balancer. turn the engine until it lines up with the bolt.

God I hope so that would make my day!...when I finally got the top bolt out for the alternator, it came out with out any clearance issues, but you could see where it had been rusted in the bracket..you could hardly tell it had threads..