Alternator issue - AGAIN :( :( :(

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Shaz)

Wed, 28 Jan 2015 08:32:08 GMT

I picked my baby up yesterday afternoon. " />
They fixed the wiring in the drivers door as well, but the tweeter cover fell off half way home. They said to call in & they'll sort that out.
I also decided to check what the cover over the alternator looked like this morning. When I shone the torch down there I could actually see the wiring inside the alternator " />. Waiting for them to call me back to tell me why they didn't make the cover they said they would. Feeling a bit nervous in the rain, so I have covered the engine cover. Altho the original alternator lasted almost 24 years without a cover, so it should be ok.

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Shaz)

Fri, 23 Jan 2015 15:50:52 GMT

Aahh well, no roof off driving for the long weekend.
The new alternator arrived later than it should have & they don't want to rush it, so she will be spending the weekend at Gibbo's.
A bit disappointed that she won't be ready, but I'd prefer that they don't do a rush job.
Without the temptation to drive I will probably get other things done that I've been putting off, lol.

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Spaceresearcher)

Fri, 23 Jan 2015 11:17:18 GMT

Interesting to read.

Just in case there's other people out there looking to purchase a new alternator for the Toyota MR2 MK1, please be aware that there is a shonky chinese job on the market that proclaims to suite the car, but doesn't. I know as it smoked in approximately 8 months in my own vehicle and upon taking the vehicle to another autoelectrician I learnt that the incorrect type had been installed in the first place(although the first autoelectrician I took the vehicle to swears black and blue that there manual states it can be used). The funny thing was I had all kinds of electrical troubles and they kept saying things like: 'the age of the vehicle' and 'something else is probably wearing out' etc etc.

With the replacement 'CORRECT' alternator, I have had ZERO electrical problems and everything runs perfectly, so don't listen to B/S. Looked after, the Toyota MR2 MK1, is a superb reliable car. (It also helps to have mechanics and autoelectricians who know what there doing and who you can actually trust).

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (rikkir)

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 16:04:44 GMT

That's great news " />

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Shaz)

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 15:44:45 GMT

Yaaayyyy. " />

Just got confirmation that the alternator definitely being replaced under warranty by an Auto Electrician instead of the mechanic. They will also rig up a cover when they put the new one in, checking battery as well. And fixing electrics in driver side door that have been playing games for a while. I will have to pay something for the door part of it, but once I had her towed to the Auto Electrician I didn't have to talk to the Mechanic any more. Gibbo's Auto Electrics took it from there.
They will have the new alternator tomorrow & the plan is to have her ready to go by tomorrow afternoon.
" />

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Shaz)

Wed, 21 Jan 2015 15:29:49 GMT

She is now at an Auto Electrician awaiting instruction from the Mechanic's supplier of the Alternator.
It will be either replacement alternator & a reimbursement for labour. Or a refund & reimbursement for labour.
I'll also get him to check a couple of other little things while she is there. And put a cover of some sort over the new alternator when he puts it in. Just to be sure................

dennis the menace
Given the age of your battery, I'd suggest you do go ahead and replace that. Sadly modern day batteries don't have the longevity that they used to. In answer to your question about how long to change an alternator, NA's should take no more than an hour of workshop time.

Thanks Dennis, that helps to determine how much they should pay for the labour.

Tree
Screw the battery, go capacitors! Save weight with style and innovation " />

lol, Tree I'm sure you know I don't even know what that means.

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Admin)

Wed, 21 Jan 2015 11:04:13 GMT

The turbo lid doesn't have a steel frame. It is completely plastic though does have metal rain shields

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Reddtarga)

Wed, 21 Jan 2015 10:04:30 GMT

"The turbo engine lid is much lighter"

It is not lighter, although it would keep the water out better.
I was looking for weight savings, and I actually weighed them both but found the turbo lid is 1 kg heavier than the NA lid!!
Although the top is made of ABS or whatever, pretty sure the one I checked had a steel frame and rain shield.

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Tree)

Wed, 21 Jan 2015 01:44:35 GMT

Screw the battery, go capacitors! Save weight with style and innovation " />

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (dennis the menace)

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:49:11 GMT

Given the age of your battery, I'd suggest you do go ahead and replace that. Sadly modern day batteries don't have the longevity that they used to. In answer to your question about how long to change an alternator, NA's should take no more than an hour of workshop time.

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Steve_A)

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:14:25 GMT

If you can get the cover made for it, covering the hole completely will reduce airflow through the engine bay. When I mentioned what I was going to do to the mechanic they said they'd do it when they put in the new alternator. They used a spare piece of plastic they had laying around and charged me $10 extra so its definitely cheap and easy!

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Shaz)

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:43:00 GMT

Thanks Glenn, that sounds like a great idea & it would look great, but I think I'll go with the option of either covering the hole completely or getting someone to make me a cover for it.
Still hoping to have it fixed under warranty tho.

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Admin)

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:36:03 GMT

I think it is made of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). It's definitely not fibreglass.
I have a turbo one for sale if you are interested.

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Shaz)

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:35:03 GMT

Thanks Steve.

Re: Could this sort itself out overnight tucked away in the garage? (Steve_A)

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:15:10 GMT

I had a 1990 N/A and my alternators were dying all the time! Turned out to be water damage due to the stupid placement of the drain hole in the NA engine lid, it drips straight on to the alternator!! This causes corrosion so they fail faster than they should.

This is the thread I posted - http://www.mr2australia.com/mr2play/tm.aspx?m=107346

There are two easy options to protect your new alternator from the elements. You can put a shield over the top of it like I did, the black piece of plastic under the hose in the centre of the pic is covering the alternator, the second pic shows the hole in the engine lid which is directly above it!

Or you can get a turbo engine lid as the hole is in a different position as you can see below the alternator is nice and protected :)

The turbo engine lid is much lighter as its made of fibreglass and looks great too so if you have the money to spare its the best option IMO. If not the shield costs next to nothing which is why I did it, your mechanic should be more then happy to do it for you so he doesn't have to deal with it again!