Replacing the alternator

[hellbentangels]

yep. crazy project.I'm glad I got on here and found this thread cuz I've been having the same problems

[Kirby]

Anyone know if you can just replace the pulley on the alternator? Got a bad bearing but the alt is still charging...

[jayebeach]

ok i finally did it and it was actually pretty easy (not as easy as most cars ) but after only removing the air cleaner to throttle body rubber hose jacking up the car putting it on jack stands removing the splash gaurd taking off the serpintine belt i was able to remove the top bolt fairly easy and of course had an issue with the pivot bolt being too long instead of fooling with that i took off the whole bracket (big heavy duty aluninum thing )with the alternator there are only 3 bolts holding it to the block and all easily accesable (from underneath ) then poped out the connector removed the battery line and pulled it easily out the bottom when i re installed the new alternator i simple put in the piviot bolt in appx the same position it was in before removal lined up one of the 3 bolts finger tightened the installed the other two hooked up all the wires adjusted the alt so the top bolt lined up and then tightened every thing down and put the belt and splash gaurd on and i was done took the better part of 2 hours using trial and error and fooling with the piviot bolt but if i had to do it again i could do it in 1/2 hr 45 mins .

[avguy]

Good to read another success story, and thanks for posting the helpful information. It's also good to post the vehicle year and how many miles are on the clock.

[Cabledogrg11]

The bracket behind the manifold (which the bolt is hitting) can be loosened. Loosen the top 2 screws about halfway, then remove the bottom two screws from underneath. You can then move the bracket out of the way with a little pry and take the bolt out. Difficult sometimes, but loosen the screws more first doesn't work. Good luck.

Thanks, but the manual doesn't help - it says to remove that bolt that cannot be removed.

Going in tomorrow through the passenger side wheel well, will report back.

[avguy]

It's good to have information like this posted, BUT I can't understand why the folks who take the time to do this don't include the year and model. It may not matter for some repairs, but for something like this (where a bolt can't clear out), it seems really likely that the year and model might make a big difference. Just the slightest change in the configuration of the various parts might mean one method working best for a given year but not others. If I read '05 non-hatch, I'm going to be confident the information will work for mine - otherwise maybe not. As someone else here once said, it's all about the details.

[Cabledogrg11]

I feel your pain, and can understand this could happen to certain models, BUT. This is a very commonly searched problem, the thread is pointed at AVEO. It's on ALL Aveo's, and it's the bottom bolt issue. So when reading this post, you should pay attention to all of the attempts above dealing with the Aveo and figure this is the Bottom Bolt Issue on All Aveo's.

It's good to have information like this posted, BUT I can't understand why the folks who take the time to do this don't include the year and model. It may not matter for some repairs, but for something like this (where a bolt can't clear out), it seems really likely that the year and model might make a big difference. Just the slightest change in the configuration of the various parts might mean one method working best for a given year but not others. If I read '05 non-hatch, I'm going to be confident the information will work for mine - otherwise maybe not. As someone else here once said, it's all about the details.

[avguy]

I feel your pain, and can understand this could happen to certain models, BUT. This is a very commonly searched problem, the thread is pointed at AVEO. It's on ALL Aveo's, and it's the bottom bolt issue. So when reading this post, you should pay attention to all of the attempts above dealing with the Aveo and figure this is the Bottom Bolt Issue on All Aveo's.

LOL - definitely not in pain on this one. The main thing is that you posted your result, and that's great. All I'm saying is that it's so easy to post year, model, mileage, and it always seems like it should be an automatic thing to do on these auto forums. But no big deal in any case, and thanks for your information!

[smrh20]

there is an easy way to do this, you do not have to take off the manifold, you do not have to take off manifold brackets. all you do is take off the mounting the alternator sits on. there are 3 screws. then u take the altanator with bracket it sits on ,off from the bottom of car and then unscrew the last screw off the alternator that is still connected to the "alt mounting."

Hello everyone,

First post here as I don't own an Aveo, but I'm going to be (attempting) to replace the alternator on my friend's wife's 2004 Aveo automatic, 4 door I believe. (he's out of town on a fishing trip, hopefully catching the biggest muskie he's ever seen) I have yet to even look in the engine bay, but I'm not a stranger to automotive work, so I figure it can't be that hard. That being said, I've never worked on an American car before (Subaru, VW, Mazda), but I know I probably won't be needing any metric sockets - unless things have really changed.

I found this post: 2005 Aveo 5-spd sedan - timing belt broke - being repaired

The pictures seem to show it at the back of the engine bay - under the intake manifold it looks like. Are there any special cases of corrosion? Special tools I'll need? Tips or tricks?

Okay, haha, before I posted I googled and found this: How to Replace the Alternator in a Chevy Aveo | eHow , and this: http://www.justanswer.com/questions/...-my-2004-chevy ) It actually looks pretty easy, but that's usually where things start out.

Any extra info is still greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[smrh20]

the Bottom Bolt Issue

there is an easy way to do this, you do not have to take off the manifold, you do not have to take off manifold brackets. all you do is take off the mounting the alternator sits on. there are 3 screws. then u take the altanator with bracket it sits on ,off from the bottom of car and then unscrew the last screw off the alternator that is still connected to the "alt mounting."