Date:         Sat, 20 Oct 2012 22:45:27 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Swapping out the alternator and fun with a pivot bolt
Comments: To: Steven Johnson <sjohnso2000@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <CAGXJJtyhD3Y-PExEMyhQUmLiHPb4VjyPS0M9of_uhoo7OE=BBw@mail.g
              mail.com>
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At 09:59 PM 10/20/2012, Steven Johnson wrote:
>After a general inspection I realized I didn't have to remove any of the
>other belts and

If you have power steering, your life will be much easier if you
remove the power steering belt from the pump and pivot the pump out of the way.

>belt.  Once
>slightly loosened then the 13mm

I'll get back to this.

>  can be used to loosen the alternator
>adjusting bolt and the larger toothed bolt can be turned (I used a
>cresent wrench for this).

Older vans have a plain strap without the rack-and-pinion tensioning
setup.  In either case you simply remove the M8 clamp bolt.  You also
should loosen the strap pivot bolt until after you've tensioned the
belt on the replacement alternator.

>So I got the alternator back to my garage and started putting it back in
>and realized that getting the pivot bolt back in wasn't going to be
>as easy as taking it
>out.   Uggg!

What you *didn't* realize was that the pivot bolt was in
backwards.  If you install it with the bolt head to the rear and the
nut on the forward end of the bracket it all goes together
easily.  Roll the alternator to the right into the space left by the
power steering pump, and you'll be able to reach around its left side
with two fingers to get the nut started and run up finger
tight.  With luck, when it comes time to torque up that bolt after
tensioning the belt, the nut will grab hold and not require a wrench
to hold it as you tighten.  N.B. I've run across an '85 with a square
hole in the forward ear of the bracket, and a carriage bolt for the
pivot bolt.  I can't remember - that one may have needed to be fed in
from the forward side.

Yours,
David