im taking out my stock alternator right now and having some problems. ive removed the 3 bolts like everyone has said to do. however the belt on it is very tight. im wondering if the supercharger has anything to do with it? please help!!!!!!!

 

how do i loosen this belt:



like i said, ive already loosened the alternator as much as i see i can. but that belt is on there very tight, and must come off to get the alternator out. please help, i need to get the 4runner up and running tomorrow.

 

all serpentine belt systems have a tensioner somewhere in the system. without using a large prybar to relieve the tension on the belt, the tensioner is going to take up all the slack unbolting your alt provides...hehehe

gimme a few pics of the entire belt's path and I can point out the tensioner and what direction to torque/rotate it.

 

well i appreciate the help, but i did get the belt off. dont know if it was the best way, but i got it off...using a little of the muscle i dont have.

now ive encountered a new problem. the plug that goes into the alternator...wont come off. i see the one tab ur supposed to push in, and ive pushed it in, and the plug wont budge. what to do? im not wanting to cut the plug and have a new one fabbed up...no need for that. i just cant get this stupid plug off.

 

use more muscle.

Try wiggling it back and forth?

 

mine was the same way when I went to change my stock alt to a HOAlternators unit.

Just make sure the retaining clip is fully pushed in and work at it....wiggle it lots in all different directions and pulling on it pretty hard. Its fun trying to do that all at the same time in the engine bay...hehe

 

its the best way to get bloody knuckles!

 

oh, yeah, it's the tensioner for the supercharger.

you have to put a ratchet w/ 3/8" drive into the square hole on the front of the tensioner and use a cheater bar to move it back off the belt. you can then remove the belt. when you put the belt back on, thread it on the other pulley, crank back on the tensioner and then slip the belt back on it and release the tensioner.

all of this is in the installation instructions for the charger.

 

either that or come do some furious installations iwth me at CC! Both of my hands literally have btwn 12 and 15 cuts on them, each!

 

thanks for all the help guys!!

as you can tell, i am not very engine/supercharger savy. i bought the runner with the s/c on it. i have a box full of the leftover parts from the install....and you can point to anything in that box, and i could not even tell you the name of it, let alone where it goes.

as for the alternator, now im trying to get that stupid plug off. hopefully i can. ive tried with that clip and the wiggling, and i guess i just need to try harder. i was just hoping i was missing something stupid, but apparently im not.

as for the alt, im throwing in a stock replacement from autozone. 200 bucks. i dont have the money for a HO alt, and all i would need one for would be the extra lights i have...i plan on getting a winch sometime, but i dont have any money. o the world of modifications. sometimes you love it, and right now i hate it.

 

Just curious, why this alt vs. the other choices (GM, Mr. Alternator, etc.) you were thinking about? Oh yeah, good luck w/ getting the new one on. Since I'm not mechanically inclined, I can at least cheer you on...

 

simple. <-thats my answer

this is the stock replacement. its got a lifetime warranty. it fits, perfectly. simple.

its not too expensive. i really dont need the extra power right now, and what i need right now is a working 4runner, and this alternator will do that, beautifully.

like i said, the only thing i have extra, that is worth needed more power, right now, is the lights i have. i dont use them much, and when i do, i never need all of them at once. the stock alt, and a stock repl. battery do the job.

now once i get the money for a winch, i will most likely upgrade my alt/battery situation. this will not be for a while, and even then, ill need to seriously consider if its worth upgrading those.....

 

Link
second link

 

all done.

i sent a writeup to bob, so keep an eye out for that. im not sure if hes going to put it on his website, or in the tech section.