My Niece’s car died
I am so happy that my daughter and her cousin are growing closer. My Niece has come to trust my daughter’s car knowledge. When my niece’s car died, she went into action and reached out. She described the problem, and we quickly figured that it was the alternator to blame.
The Part
This time, my niece had done some leg work ahead. She did the right thing and had the battery tested and found that it was okay. She then reached out to grandpa and they worked through ordering the part online. This was an unexpected surprise. Ordering parts can be the least fun part of the job. Anyway, there was a nice and new alternator waiting for us to pickup on the way to the repair.
The Weather
We had gone for a couple weeks with the weather being pleasant and conducive to outdoor car repairs. Today was not our lucky day. The weather outside was pretty cold to be laying on the pavement and turning cold wrenches. We called in assistance from my brother. He has done more alternators than I have and is invaluable when it comes to backyard repairs.
The repair
We got up early and drove down to pick up the alternator and meet my niece where the car had finally stopped. Luckily it was in her parking lot so we knew they were home safe. Popping the hood began the process with a mild disappointment. This alternator was not right out in the open, but buried down near the bottom. We jacked up the car and removed the plastic covers. From here it was a pleasant surprise that the belt had a proper solution for tension and removal. Even though it took a few hours to get everything replaced, this was mostly due to the cold. We took turns in the cabin of the truck warming our hands and feet so we could continue. To finalize the repair, we did have to shim the battery terminal so the connection was solid.