t_bone22

Where is the alternator located at?

Mazurfer

Under the hood in the engine compartment.

t_bone22

Thanks I had gotten that far, Lol think you could narrow it down a little bit more than that?

Mazurfer

Yeah, well......you asked!

Look almost directly behind where the battery is and slightly to the right. You will see a pulley right there with a belt on it. The alternator is driven by this belt and you will see copper color wires inside the alternator, those are the actual windings of the alternator!

t_bone22

awesome thanks. So its easy to get to and easy to replace?

Mazurfer

Not that hard.
Go to the DIY section on this site and search for it in there. There will be instructions that should be helpful.

t_bone22

yeah I looked there first I didnt see one on the list. I'll look again

elysium19

iTrader: (1)

there is no entry in the DIY, I think, but people (including myself) have described it. Search. It's easy to do if you have a few basic tools and a little insight from people before you...

@!!narotordo

This thread is full of win

Mazurfer

^...............Should I tell him you'll be over to help?

Mazurfer

So the 64,000 dollar question to you now T_bone is......................why do you think your alternator is bad?
Given you supposedly didn't even know where it was, I wanna know why you think it's bad!

@!!narotordo

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

t_bone22

Thanks for all the help guys. I think the A;lternator is bad because when I start the car and get going all the lights go dim or off the power steering goes out along with the abs and the Dcs and then it died while driving just cut out and wouldn't start I got it back to my house and got it started and left it running and when I came back out side it was off.

ken-x8

Sounds likely...but you should really do some voltage measurements and a little more checking.

Charge the battery, and make sure it's good - or at least reasonable. Make sure the terminals are clean. Do a visual inspection of the wiring to the alternator - make sure nothing is falling off or corroded.

Then put a volmeter across the battery terminals while the car is running. If you don't see around 14 volts, and the battery light is on, then it's very likely the alternator is bad.

Ken

Razz1

Take a autoshop class, you need it.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

if you have to ask where is the alternator. I don't think you will be able to replace it on your own.

Mazurfer

^...............probably true.
T_Bone, at least take Ken's advice above. If you have an Autozone near you, you could run it up there and the would be able to check the charging system for you before you go drop money on something that isn't needed. I was absent from this thread for a day or two due to working like a dog, but it did occur to me that I better ask why you thought the alternator was bad and given what you said......it could be other things and not the alternator itself. This is why I say, read Ken's advice. Dirtty connections could cause this amongst a host of other things.

Mazurfer

Or..............the connection at the battery or coming off the alternator(for that matter) is so crappy that you can't get a solid reading.

ken-x8

Which would be caught in the visual inspection.

Actually...your suggestion to take it to an Autozone is good. Or a Sears or Merchant's or similar. They'll charge maybe $20 to check the charging system and battery.

For all we know, though, T-bone may be knowledgeable enough to take it from here on his own. His initial "Where's the alternator" post may be from fatigue and frustration at getting stuck. I know that I've limped cars home a few times, and barely had the energy to say "So how do I open the hood?"

Ken

Alexb

iTrader: (1)

If you are able to start and restart the car mutliple times after driving a bit, assuming you aren't recharging the battery, it may not be your alternator... because obviously your battery is getting a charge from somewhere...

That is assuming you have started and restarted. If you've only done it twice or so, then the alternator is still a possibility.

t_bone22

hey thanks for the help everyone I did take it to a mechanic and had it tested and it was the alternator they said and they battery is now dead Im guessing from the car running off the battery. I am acually off to replace the alternator right now so I will let you know if it goes good or not. I was wanting to upgrade the alternator anyways so just another excuse to do it. Yeah I was pretty pissed off and didnt even want to deal with trying to find the alternator or anything. But yeah Ill let everyone know if this fixes the problem or not

Razz1

You need to recharge the battery.

Don't let the new alternator due this.

Also, battery may be bad now.

cidvicious831

at lest your spending time with your love one!!! (rx8) happy v-day!!

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

fortunately it's not a poisonous snake ...