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My story is this, lately my lights have been dimming , etc, charge battery light comming on when i press on the break... etc..ANYWAY, needless to say, my car will only start with a battery jump, and last until that juice is gone, which is , 2-3 minutes... So.. assuming my alternator is dead, I have a ZE alternator to replace it with... question being... theres 2 bolts on the front, loosening the tensioner... and then one bolt on the back left..

I CANT GET THAT ****ING BOLT OFF, i cant even come close to it, even with my rad off, i jacked up my car, and underneath is a shield that prevents me from getting at it... does anyone in the greater toronto area wanna come to hamilton and install a ****ing alternator for me? i'll pay you 200 bucks... P.s: I need to know how to get the ****ing ZE alternator to work with mine, ZE has 3 wires, mine has 2... PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME..

I think it was curt that did a write up on how to use the ZE alternator,and its probertly in the FAQ

For the ZE alternator, you need to get a male plug end from a Millenia alternator. Then, you need to splice the existing two wires into that alternator, as well as find a switched 5 volt power lead somewhere to tap into the third wire.

Anyways, have you tried testing the battery first? Charge it up on a charger, or in another car. Then, with the car off, test the voltage across both its leads. Then, still with the car off, measure across the leads again, except with your headlights, AC fan, and radio on. Measure voltage again. Both measurements should be over 12 volts. Then, try the load and no load test again, except with the car on. Both measurements should be over 14 volts to determine if the alternator is working within specs.

Originally posted by Dennis Jørgensen:
I think it was curt that did a write up on how to use the ZE alternator,and its probertly in the FAQ

Like this??????????

http://www.mx-3.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=23;t=000021

shouldnt the car be able to run just off the alternator though? it doesnt explain why my car would just stop working..

Originally posted by Chasing_Size:
shouldnt the car be able to run just off the alternator though? it doesnt explain why my car would just stop working..

You didn't say your car would stop working. So it just dies once it's already running?

Originally posted by Chasing_Size:
shouldnt the car be able to run just off the alternator though? it doesnt explain why my car would just stop working..

Yes, if your alternator was ok your car would run with a jump. Your alternator is dead, and so now your battery is too.

Yeah, so now its just "removing" the old alternator, I have no ****ing way of getting down at that bolt.. near the back, its a long one

no help with that bolt.. I've never had to replace my alternator on my MX.. (had replace one on just about half the cars I've owned, but not the MX....

Check with local auto-parts place.. most of them will test and charge the battery for you..

it's possible that the battery might be OK (just needs a full charge), or it might be having problems as a result of all this, especially if you've fully drained it like this. Odds are however that it just needs a charge.


BTW on a full battery, with most of your lights and all accessories off, you can often drive for an hour or more (depending on battery) with your alternator dead (or belt broken, etc)..

Any suggestions on how to get that bolt off? I really need to get this thing fixed so I can drive to work, I took my rad out, got underneath the car.... I CANNOT get at that bolt at the back of the alternator.. Please, someone help.. me.. *begs*

I don't know what the issue is. There are only two bolts holding it it, and one bolt on the power wire and a wire harness clip next to that. Instead of removing the top bolt on the alternator, I removed the whole mounting bracket, which was two simple bolts. Then, you crawl under the car (which you are supposed to do anyways to loosen the tensioner bolt before you loosen the belt tensioner from the top) and hit the bottom bolt. What's the issue? Only thing I can say is if you're pulling it out the top way, take your radiator COMPLETELY out. I just took the fan out. When I tried to slide the new one in, I knicked the radiator and put a hole in it even though the new alternator was wrapped in a rag for protection. Radiators are fickle.