How to Take Care of Alternator Problems

Preparation
1. Put on a pair of protective gloves to prevent your hands from getting dirty before you take care of alternator problems. Alternators can be very greasy.
2. Open the hood of your car and ensure it's safely secured in place.
3. Locate the alternator. Follow the alternator belt, which is usually at the front of car, until you get to cylindrical object that's bolted onto the car's engine. It's made of aluminum and has vents on the side and a pulley wheel on the front. The alternator belt goes round the pulley.
Alternator Wiring
4. Check that the two thick cables attached to the alternator are fixed tightly and firmly. You should not be able to move them. If either is loose, use a suitably-sized wrench to tighten the nuts holding the cable connectors on the alternator terminal.
5. Reconnect any cables you find detached to the exposed alternator terminals. If the red cable is detached, it connects to the terminal marked 'B' or 'Bat.' If it's the black cable, it connects to the terminal marked 'Neg' or 'Field.'
6. Check any other smaller wires. The small wires have push-in connectors. Push the connector into the terminal socket using your fingers until it clips into place. Each terminal socket is a different size so you can't insert a connector into the wrong socket. If you found loose or disconnected cables or wires and corrected them, you've probably taken care of the problem, but it's wise to follow the steps in the next section as well.
Alternator Belt
7. Check the tightness of the alternator belt. Loose alternator belts mean the pulley wheel doesn't turn fast enough, meaning the battery may not get charged and the electrical equipment won't operate correctly.
8. Use a six-inch ruler and position it at the center of the longest distance between two pulley wheels. It's likely to be between the alternator and the water pump, but check. Keep the ruler in place using one hand; then use your other hand to move the alternator belt down the side of the ruler. Measure the distance its travels. If it travels more than one to 1 1/2-inches, it's too loose and needs tightening.
9. Locate the two bolts that hold the alternator onto the engine. You find one at the front of the alternator and one at the back. Loosen the bolts using a wrench. Don't undo them completely. Locate the third bolt that threads through an adjustable bracket and bolts into the alternator. Slightly undo the bolt. You find you can now swivel the alternator.
10. Swivel the alternator away from the engine. As you do this, the alternator belt tightens. Pull the alternator away from the engine until it can't move any more then immediately tighten the bolt that threads through the adjustable bracket using a wrench. The alternator is held in place. Check the tension on the alternator belt using a ruler. If the belt moves less than one inch you've taken care of the problem. If it moves more than an inch, repeat the procedure.
11. Tighten the alternator's front and rear bolt using a wrench. Check the alternator is held tightly in place and then check to ensure the belt is still tight. Close the car's hood.