an epic alternator tale
Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:02 am
a few months back i noticed my a/t, battery and oil pressure(?) lights flickering. a common sign that the alternator is on the way out.
so i looked around, found max overdrive had the cheapest replacements. coincidentally my friend in richmond was coming out to visit so i asked him to pick it up for me on his way over, saving me $30 in shipping. he picks it, no problem.
he gets about half way and rolls his car, luckily no one is hurt but the car is a write off. i tell him i'll buy him a bus ticket but he decideds against it, instead he puts the alternator in his backpack and starts hitchhiking. he gets to salmo and the fellow giving him a ride takes off with his backpack. he tries to run down the truck but the dude doesn't notice and keeps on going. so my friend keeps hitching towards my place sans backpack and alternator.
luckily my friend had gotten his phone number before departing the vehicle, we call him several times over the next few days but he never answers the phone. eventually we get a hold of him after about five days, he says he'll put the bag in the mail, c.o.d. no problem.
so a week goes by, two weeks, no bag. we call him again, he says stop bugging me and informs us that he tossed the bag into a ravine. wtf
so i call the cops and try to get them to do something about it. but they don't appear to do anything, even with his phone number and threatening message he left on my machine, admitting to having the bag and throwing it away.
so i've pretty much given up on ever getting the bag/alternator back. and start looking around at local shops near nelson to get it rebuilt. i make an appointment at a place that quotes, "between $20 and $1800"... i just don't want to think about it anymore and nobody else seems to rebuild alternators around here so i agree.
the day before i was to bring it in, i get a call from the bag stealers mother in law. the bag has been on her porch all this time and she'll happily put it in the mail. so she does and it arrives a few days later.
when i finally get a look at the alternator i discover it's a 75 amp, not the 110amp maxoverdrive said they would send. but i don't really care, as long as it fits, it's going in. and putting it in was actually the least stressful part of the whole ordeal. i removed the fan shroud and fan, and was able to get the old alternator off and the new one on with very little trouble. taking that fan off made it much easier to get at the alternator than trying to get at it from the bottom.
so it all worked out in the end and only took about 3 months from the time i bought the alternator!
so i looked around, found max overdrive had the cheapest replacements. coincidentally my friend in richmond was coming out to visit so i asked him to pick it up for me on his way over, saving me $30 in shipping. he picks it, no problem.
he gets about half way and rolls his car, luckily no one is hurt but the car is a write off. i tell him i'll buy him a bus ticket but he decideds against it, instead he puts the alternator in his backpack and starts hitchhiking. he gets to salmo and the fellow giving him a ride takes off with his backpack. he tries to run down the truck but the dude doesn't notice and keeps on going. so my friend keeps hitching towards my place sans backpack and alternator.
luckily my friend had gotten his phone number before departing the vehicle, we call him several times over the next few days but he never answers the phone. eventually we get a hold of him after about five days, he says he'll put the bag in the mail, c.o.d. no problem.
so a week goes by, two weeks, no bag. we call him again, he says stop bugging me and informs us that he tossed the bag into a ravine. wtf
so i call the cops and try to get them to do something about it. but they don't appear to do anything, even with his phone number and threatening message he left on my machine, admitting to having the bag and throwing it away.
so i've pretty much given up on ever getting the bag/alternator back. and start looking around at local shops near nelson to get it rebuilt. i make an appointment at a place that quotes, "between $20 and $1800"... i just don't want to think about it anymore and nobody else seems to rebuild alternators around here so i agree.
the day before i was to bring it in, i get a call from the bag stealers mother in law. the bag has been on her porch all this time and she'll happily put it in the mail. so she does and it arrives a few days later.
when i finally get a look at the alternator i discover it's a 75 amp, not the 110amp maxoverdrive said they would send. but i don't really care, as long as it fits, it's going in. and putting it in was actually the least stressful part of the whole ordeal. i removed the fan shroud and fan, and was able to get the old alternator off and the new one on with very little trouble. taking that fan off made it much easier to get at the alternator than trying to get at it from the bottom.
so it all worked out in the end and only took about 3 months from the time i bought the alternator!
- here is my buddy with his car, notice what is in the background on the right
- IMG_3285(2).JPG (61.93 KiB) Viewed 5145 times
