Speedy Pete wrote:
> jim beam wrote:
>> 1. you /do/ need to remove the driveshaft! don't waste time messing
>> about. if you go straight there, it's quicker and simpler than
>> messing about "trying to find a way". because there isn't one.
>
> Havent had to remove the shaft on either of my 89's. Separating the
> lower ball joint will give you enough room to remove the alternator.

ok, let's put this another way - there's no exit path that doesn't
involve "contact" [read: "forcing"] without driveshaft removal. as you
say, you pop the lower joint, but from there it's a 1 minute job to
nudge the driveshaft end out and put it in a baggie to keep it clean.

"contact" is undesirable since it can damage the alternator, scratch the
driveshaft [which can initiate fatigue] and worse, damage the driveshaft
boot.

all that risk and no time saving? what a pointless exercise!

>
>> 2. mitsubishi alternators are unmaintainable. just toss it and get a
>> nippon denso.
>
> Had both and really didnt see any difference in build quality.

take them apart and lay the parts out together. in the nd, the
rectifiers are superior, the brushes replaceable and the bearings better.

>
>> but here's the real kicker:
>>
>> 3. had noticed the usual pre-failure symptoms - dim lights, slow to
>> kick in after starting, etc., hence replacement before complete
>> failure. but it also completely cured another seemingly unrelated
>> problem. when started, and allowed to roll, my car would speed up and
>> slow down repeatedly from idle, just like the symptoms of low coolant
>> affecting the tw sensor. i'd spend a couple of months idly
>> speculating about this and had bled the coolant system a couple of
>> times to no avail. but with the new alternator, this problem
>> disappeared immediately. now i figure that the electronic load
>> detector [eld] was detecting low current and boosting revs to kick up
>> output from a weak alternator. now, with a good alternator with new
>> brushes, electrical output is strong from idle, so no need for the eld
>> to raise revs, hence problem solved.
>
> But THIS little item is interesting. I'll have to add an alternator
> output test when I had a wacky idle problem just to see if this happens
> often.
>
> Thanks for posting.
>
> -SP