where do you buy the alternator? do you have to pay for the CORE which is $111 on top of the alternator itself. that would make it some where near $300. please verify your price. i am looking to replace mine next week too, the x has been sitting out for too long. what the heck with the CORE?

Okay. Bought 32mm wrench and removed fan and shroud. Lots more room!

Both bolts are out and everything's disconnected from the alternator but it still won't pop out. Have been rocking it back and forth for 30+ minutes but I still can't get the bottom mounting point to slide off the bracket. Am I missing something?

I had to wedge a screwdriver in the space of the mounting lugs and rocked it violently in order to get it out.... I removed the idler pulley and the belts slipped right off.

I bought mine at a local autoparts store. Yes, you pay additional money ($111) up front for the rebuilt alternator (core) and when you return the old alternator (core), you get back your $111 deposit.

If you removed both bolts (very long ones) and the hose at the bottom and the two cables on the back of the alt (black clipped one and the red bolted one), that would be it. Of course the belt is removed! :rofl:

It may be that the bottom nut (on the alternator) for the botom bolt is pulled up against the bracket that holds the alternator. Pull upward (grabbing the front and rear of the alternator. Rock it up and down and it should work its way loose. See my earlier post about this same nut that needs to be punched out when mounting the rebuilt one. GL :thumbup:

This would work also! Prying the alt apart from the bracket.

Success! A gentle pry with a screwdriver was just the ticket! Rocking the alternator back and forth while trying to pull it up had no effect.

Now that I can see the nut on the bottom mount you've talked about (looks kind of like a threaded sleeve), I was thinking I could have sprayed some WD on it and gently tapped the bolt while it was still partially threaded into the nut to push the nut out and create a little slack.

Really appreciate all the help I've received here! Kudos to all!

Hey NOVAX5 - I haven't purchased a replacement alternator yet. O'Reillys has the best price I've found, but you have to consider the cost to ship your core back to them (if you aren't located near one of their strores, like I). Depending on where you have to ship to, it could eat up more than half the core charge you paid up front.

I'm considering purchasing a NAPA premium remanufactured alternator (with lifetime warranty). The cost is about $70 more than O'Reillys, but I'm a little concerned about getting what you you pay for.

Anyone have any experience with NAPA alternators?


Thanks.