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    Alternator bolt: I'm perplexed

    Just bought a 325i coupe. Alternator was seized. I had a spare. went to take out the old one.

    got everything out, except the bottom bolt

    damn thing started to strip. had a 6 point on there. still stripping. Can't get the damn thing to turn. just strip. why did bmw make the damn bolt head so short?

    any ideas?

    It's not a big deal, this ordeal got the old one unseized
    Originally posted by blunt
    can you get me a deal on cases of their (fiji) bottled water? i wash my 02 in that shit

    #2
    If my memory is correct, that's a bolt and self-locking nut combo. Just hold the the bolt head on the front side and turn the nut.
    The car makes it possible, but the driver makes it happen.
    Jim Levie, Huntsville, AL

    Comment


      #3
      the nut on the back is held in place by the bracket for the p/s pump/alternator. there's no way to get on it
      Originally posted by blunt
      can you get me a deal on cases of their (fiji) bottled water? i wash my 02 in that shit

      Comment


        #4
        Put some JB Weld on that nutit to hold it in place. Once it cures remove the bolt.

        Comment


          #5
          You can't get to it with a box end?
          Yours truly,
          Rich
          sigpic
          Originally posted by Rigmaster
          you kids get off my lawn.....

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by delatlanta1281 View Post
            You can't get to it with a box end?
            to which? the one on back, or the front one?

            i can get to the front one, but like i said. it strips. even with a 6 point.
            Originally posted by blunt
            can you get me a deal on cases of their (fiji) bottled water? i wash my 02 in that shit

            Comment


              #7
              The bolt on the rear is not held in place by the bracket. get a boxed end wrench on it and i bet youll find that its not stripped.


              Originally posted by vlad
              Do you know anybody else who built that many bad ass E30s?

              Comment


                #8
                I have a pic on my cellphone camera. there is definitely no way to get a box wrench on there. It is indeed held in place by the bracket for the ps pump/lower alternator bolt.
                Originally posted by blunt
                can you get me a deal on cases of their (fiji) bottled water? i wash my 02 in that shit

                Comment


                  #9
                  you just ruined the alternator ajustment. you probably have to replace the bracket and bolt now..

                  the front bolt isn't to losen/tighten the alternator, it's to tension the belt. you have to loosen/remove the bolt on the backside first (yes, it does come off), and then you can release tension on the alternator belt (by turning the bolt on the front).
                  Build thread

                  Bimmerlabs

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by nando View Post
                    you just ruined the alternator ajustment. you probably have to replace the bracket and bolt now..

                    the front bolt isn't to losen/tighten the alternator, it's to tension the belt. you have to loosen/remove the bolt on the backside first (yes, it does come off), and then you can release tension on the alternator belt (by turning the bolt on the front).
                    He is talking about the lower bolt not the upper bolt. So Stop with the misinformations. I would hit it with some Penetrating lube let it sit over night, then hit it again and wait about 30 min. then go for it again. If the bolt is stripped and you cant get a grip on it then your best friend will be a set of wrenches that grips the bolt by the side instead of the corners. I picked up a craftsman metric set for about $25 at k-mart. Its great for any bolt thats already stripped. Remember you can also use a 1/2 inch socket on it aswell as it is just a hair smaller than a 13mm and maybe that will do the trick. but you are correct the mount does hold the rear bolt in place so you dont have to worry about holding it. if nothing else works then air chisel the head off the bolt and pound it through. good luck.
                    sigpic
                    1991 325iC w/ 75k Original Miles, Brillantrot, 5-speed, 16" BBS RX's, Black Leather Sport Heated Seats, LSD, and Diving Boards for life!!!:D

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I had to do that in a McDonald's parking lot when mine seized up, and I had the same problem.

                      Ended up wedging a flathead screwdriver in there to jam the nut in place, worked like a charm. :)

                      "See, we're adding a little something to this month's sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Anyone wanna see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired."

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Struggled with this for about a couple hours. After stripping the heck out of the bolt head, I ended up hitting it with a map torch till it was red hot, cooling it off with a spray bottle, spraying on some PB blaster to the locking nut and finally breaking it loose with a vice grip.

                        Unfortunately, you cannot access the nut on the other end because the mounting bracket acts as a cage for the nut: i.e. there's no room for a socket.

                        use fire!

                        Although reinstallation is probably clear for most, I'd recommend getting the bottom bolt completely through both the bracket and the alternator with only a small amount of thread coming through on the rear side of the mounting bracket. Then I put the nut in between the two walls of the bracket that act like a cage for the nut and slowly pushed the nut forward until I felt the thread end of the bolt. I had someone help me turn the bolt on the top end while I continued to push the nut forward until the bolt began to thread onto the nut.

                        Hope this helps!

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Use a bolt extractor on the stripped nut.
                          Your resource to do-it-yourself and interesting bmw and e30 stuff: www.rtsauto.com

                          Your resource to tools and tips: www.rtstools.com

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