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c900 alternator Posted by IrieTom [Email]  (#1032)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from IrieTom) on Wed, 21 Jan 2004 11:48:15
In Reply to: Most botched DIY auto repair, any good stories ?, dtech, Tue, 20 Jan 2004 14:25:34 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
In the days before I discovered saabnet.com, I was having charging problems with my '86 900T which had just passed the 200,000 mile mark. Well, not just charging problems, but sputtering, bucking, clouds of stinky black smoke (unburnt gas), idiot lights celebrating on the gauge panel, etc...
I decided to take the alternator down to the local autoparts place to have it tested. For those of you who've ever tried to remove the alternator from a classic 900 with A/C without any guidance from a Bentley manual or helpful saabnetters- check out the "how to swear in swedish" website. That sucker is wedged between the A/C compressor, engine block, and firewall pretty good. I managed to remove 3 of the 4 bolts holding it in, and got the nut off the last bolt, but couldn't back the bolt out. It needed to move at least another inch or two beyond the firewall.
45 minutes later, I had vented some of my frustration by sawing that bolt in half with about two inches worth of hand-held shorty hacksaw. That sucker was made from some really high-quality steel! The tests at the autoparts store were inconclusive- the alternator seemed to work just fine. Off to the local SAAB dealer to get a new bolt (which worked perfectly fine when I put it in backwards!- no firewall clearance issues), and a voltage regulator at the advice of the parts guy, who chuckled at my tales of woe removing that bolt.
The new voltage regulator was inserted into the alternator, which was inserted back into the car, which started purring like a kitten. I wasted two half-days of cursing and skinned knuckles for a problem which could have been cured in less than an hour.
I've still got the sawed-off bolt hanging around to remind me of that day, and have heard at least a few other stories of people who actually hammered a hole in the firewall to overcome the same obstacle.
posted by 24.195.59...
, Wed, 21 Jan 2004 13:28:00, Wed, 21 Jan 2004 11:48:15 <-- Viewing This Message, Wed, 21 Jan 2004 10:12:35, Tue, 20 Jan 2004 17:35:23
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