So you can't take 176 out without removing 200? I thought if I could take the whole bracket out, I could put it in a bench vice and get the bolt (200) out easily. I had to quit and go to work ... and tomorrow going to snow. Rats. To be continued ...

Today was not a very good day (so far) ... I also cannot for the life of my get the dust cap back on the w124's hub ... which I think has a lot to do with it being freezing out and the cap being of a different metal than the hub. But, I've got a set of wheel bearings in the basement to play with when I get home at 1:30 a.m.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

#176 will come out only if you can get #230 out, if #230 will not come free you will either need to get #200 out some how with #176 still in place, or you will need to remove #155 first to get enough room to remove the entire engine block mounted alternator bracket #110! Getting the top nuts off the studs will be a challenge, although the bottom nuts are fairly straight forward to remove.

If you can't get at least one of the #230, #200, or #155 bolts out your best bet is to remove #200 in situ by grinding both its ends off and then levering the alternator and the spacer out of #176.

A slathering of something like Permatex Never-Seize on the shafts of #230, #200 and #155 and the inside of #209 and the pivot hole of #176 would not be just a good idea but a great idea after you go through what you will have to get this job done! Good Luck!

P.S. this is one of those situations where that $10 Harbor Freight 4" angle grinder increases in value substantially!

In my experience, I'm not sure a torch or angle grinder is going to work. It's just too tight of a space. It's made worse by the big York A/C compressor preventing access from above as well.

__________________
Kevin

1978 300D
1979 240D

Well, none of the three bolts will budge. They all turn. The adjustment bolt turns without the collar turning with it ... so it isn't stuck to that. I also noticed the bracket itself has teeth worn off on the inside, so even when I get a purchase on the bolt and turn it, the alternator won't move back outward. So I can't put the belt back on.
I hate to say it, but I'm thinking about just taking it to my indy and letting him fix it. Right now it's blocking the driveway so I can't get my 300D, which is an even bigger disaster, out of the garage. And it's ripsnorting cold out. Can I drive it with the alternator belt off and leave it at my indy's shop?
I guess the alternative would be to take the entire mounting bracket off the engine block.

Edit: rats I just remembered the water pump. I guess I won't drive it anywhere. UGH.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

You could put the belt on and pry the alternator outward with a prybar and then tighten the bolts. I would probably do that, forget abut the adjustment bolt and just drive it that way.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Hmmm. That could work. If I could move it enough that the bolt teeth catch the non-worn part, I might even be able to use the bolt again. I'll try it when I regain circulation and work up the courage to go back out in the cold.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

Well, the bad news is, not one of the three bolts would move ... I even tried the torch on the bottom one. The good news is, I tried kerry's idea, used a pry bar to shove the alternator out just a bit (which was not easy), and then tried turning the adjustment bolt. I noticed the bracket's teeth were very worn toward the inside, and the bolt teeth almost seemed out of alignment with the bracket teeth ... well, once the alternator got a little push, the teeth lined up just enough to catch. From there, I could just turn the nut until the belt was tight. Tightened down all nuts and I think it's OK ... it started right up (have I mentioned I love the glow plug upgrade?) and I drove it up and down the street and detected no squeal. Eventually I'll wimp out and take it to my indy so he can help me replace the bracket and bolt so I can avoid this problem in the future. For now, I can drive this thing, I think.

Oh yeah, just for fun, I knocked loose the coolant hose that runs under the air cleaner. It's not a vacation until you've gotten coolant on your face! I'm glad that happened though, because I noticed there was no clamp on the hose ... which could have been a problem down the road. Replaced missing clamp, A-OK.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)