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Alternator Pulley/Fan Removal

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Webb

Webb

Senior Member
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Had to buy a new alternator, and I can't get the frickin' pulley and fan off the old one. No matter how tight I got it, the belt on the car wasn't tight enough to hold the thing in place so I could undo the bolt. I think the Hulk himself tightened this thing up. Any suggestions as to how to get it off?
 
The old trick was a vise to hold the alternator, a big bladed screwdriver to hold the fan blade still and an impact wrench on the nut and off it comes.

Sometimes you need to use a puller to safely remove the fan and pulley without bending either.
 
Maybe a shot of WD-40.
 
roofman said:
Maybe a shot of WD-40.
Click to expand...

Tried it to no avail. I tried the big screwdriver trick, but it wasn't in a vice. If the fan gets bent a bit, and I can't get it perfectly true again, will this affect the alternator later on?
 
Did you use an impact wrench? That is generally what is needed to break the nut loose. WD-40 certainly won't hurt, but may not be enough on it's own to loosen the metal to metal bond.
 
An impact wrench is the best, but lacking that, I would seperate the halves of the alternator. Take the front half with the rotor, and grip the fat part of the rotor in a vise. Now you can loosen the nut. No damage to anything.
 
Impact wrench is a good solution. Another that has sometimes worked for me in the past is to clamp the fan belt around the pulley with vise grips. Then use the vise grips as a handle. Discard the belt afterwards, as this process will damage it.

You can also do a "poor man's impact wrench" by putting a box-end wrench on the nut and smacking the handle with a hammer (preferably a brass-faced one).
 
If you separate the case, make sure that you pay attention to the brushes so that the springs don't go flying out into the "haven of lost small parts".
 
I recommend you run it down to your friendly local gas station, give the wrench there a couple bucks to use his impact on the nut. Another alternative is if you have a "strap" wrench. Which will wrap around the pulley, emulating a belt, that can be held down by someone while you are trying to torque on the nut. Usually though, with mileage and time comes surface corrosion, which fills in the thread openings between the nut and the shaft of the alternator.

That is why I recommend an impact, as the sudden jolt breaks the surface tension. When you reassemble a little(key word is little) antiseize applied will help anyone in the future to disassemble the pulley. The fan blade can usually be straightened to near original shape. If you haven't removed any metal there should be no affect on the rotation. I have seen a few come with weights welded(soldered) on, but that's a rarity anymore.
 
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