ammar_rage

I have searched the forum thoroughly looking for an alternator DIY. I guess its time now for me to replace the alternator. It started off with a usual battery/alternator msg that i ignored for a while thinking it was my battery that was dying on me but turned out that these OEM batteries are prolly the most reliable thing this car has. Anyhow, i started keeping an eye on the battery voltage as i would drive to work everyday. Initially the alternator wouldnot kick in at all and then kick in when the battery voltage would be well below 10V and then it would be okay for the rest of the trip. if i would make a quick stop, it would be fine once the car was started again with alternator at full blast at 14.3/4 v. However at the end of the day it would be the same story.

Anyhow the problem has gotten worse since, last time i drove the car i noticed the battery voltage jump upto 16 -17 v as i wud press down on gas... to me its a VR problem??

I got a price qoute of $250 to get it rebuilt if i can take it out and bring it to the shop. I tried to get to the alternator and gave up after removing the hood latch assembly and the air intake pipe. Is there a proper DIY for the Alternator.

Please help...times are tough!! and dont have alot of money to throw away.

Phil you got something??

leeer73

I just did mines...TWICE! The second time it only yook me about 45 mins. I'll try to recall everything I did but I don;t have pics.

you'll need a set of E-sockets, there are 2 different sizes but I dont recall them. It's pretty easy once you realize that there isn;t that much stuff to remove. The alternator comes out and goes in fairly easily.

Remove the battery cable, then disconnect the upper hose from the thermostat housing. You'll lose a little coolant, just plug the hose with a rag and not much will come out at all. You can leave the other end of the hose connected to the radiator, just bend the it out of the way and "hook" the top part of the hose some where so it stays out of the way.

You'll need to move the silencer out of the way that goes across the front of you pullies in order to get to the tensioner. You need to get to the tensioner to remove the belt. there are large hoses that go into both ends of the silencer. Pop the clips up on each hose so you can remove them, then remove the smaller hose attached to the top of the silncer with a flathead screw driver and swing that hose out of the way. Remove the 2 bolts that are holding the silencer in place. The top one is tricky to get to, the bottom is a little easier, but if you are mechanically inclined at all, you'll figure it out.

Now you don't need to pull the silencer out at all, just remove the hoses , unbolt it and let it drop towards the bottom. It will be out of the way.

Now you can get to the tensioner pulley to release the belt. Towards the bottom of the tensioner, facing foward there is a star shaped hole that you need to insert a large torx bit into in order to to release the belt. Using that torx socket and a 1/2 drive rachet, you are going to apply pressure counter clock-wise on the tensioner to release the pressure and you will be able to slide the belt off

Now I can remember there being a small hose that is mounted to the firewall right in front of the lower alternator bolts. That hose is held in place by a small clip that has an 8mm bolt holding it in. Remove that bolt so that the hose can be moved around a little. It will move just enough to get it out of the way. it kind of blocks the lower bolt.

Now you just need to unbolt the alternator and remove the clip and the wire bolted on to the back of the alternator. If you have room before removing the alternator, then remove the wire and plug from the rear before you unbott the alt. If yuo need more room, then unbolt the alt first.

The upper 2 alt bolts are easy to reach using a long extension, a universal socket joint and the e-socket. I used both my 6" and 3" extensions i believe. the bottom 2 bolts are a little harder to get to, you need just the right length. a little long or a little short and the bottom bolts will be a b1tch to get out. For me, the ideal length came from using a 1/4 drive ratchet with a 2" (i believe) extension, then a 1/4 - 3/8 adapter and finally the e-socket. I tried to use my 3/8 ratchet plus my 3"extension and socket but it was about 1/2 - 3/4 inches to long. If you can find a 2" 3/8 extension, you might be in business too.
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With my 1/4 drive set-up, the bottom bolts were fairly easy to come off. The foward/lower bolt was a little harder because it is also holding down a brachet for the power steering pump line. Also that smaller hose connected to the fire wall I was mentioning earlier gets in the way. With that smaller hose unbloted from the firewall, you can hold it to the side just enough to get that foward/lower bolt out and back in when you are done.

Once the alt is unbolted, you can manuever it pretty easily to get out. Pay attention to how you do it so you can put the new one back in the same way. Just do the opposite to replace the alt and you are in business.



Now a few things that I had issues with that might help you out it is...

First, when you bolt the alternator down, spin the pulley and make sure it isn't binding and stuck. For me, when I bolted the rear/upper bolt down, it would lock the pulley up so it would not spin. I had to unbolt the alternator and spin the alt 180 degrees and rebolt it back down. In other words, the top of the alt was now at the bottom, and the bottom was now at the top. You can reference this post about it:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...-you-guys.html

another issue I had was connecting the wire to the rear of the alternator. The nut is kinda hard to get on because you don't have a whole lot of room, so take you time and be careful. I dropped the nut twice. The first time it landed on the ground, the second time it landed on a croos member or something and I have to use a telescopic magnet to get it. also becareful of the wire falling to low to reach once you bolt the alt back on. I have to unbolt my alt again because I couldn't reach the wire.

another small issue was that small hose that I unbolted from the fire wall. Well getting the 8mm bolt out is easy enough, but putting it back in was not happening because the hose is blocking it. What I ended up doing is actually spinning the bracket to the side of the hose, then i got the bolt started and then I straighten out the bracket so the hose was blocking it again used my wrench to screwed the bolt back in. I think you'll see what I'm talking about when you get there.

and still another issue I ran into was bolting the silencer back on. If I remember correctly, just bolt the bottom on loosly first. The top is a b1tch and you cannot get the hole lined up correctly. the bottom one is easier and once you get it started, the top hole will be lined up. In order to get the top bolt in, you won't be able to just use your fingers, they wont reach. I used my 3/8 6" extension with the universal joing and socket on the end. you will have to move the fan blades a little so that the extension can fit between the blades. The straighter it is, the easier it is to get to bolt started. Once the bolt starts to thread in, get it as tight as you can just using the extension, then use the ratchet to tighten it down all the way.

The last problem I remember is that I forget the way the belt was set up on the pullies, so I had to look it up here on the forums and draw myself a picture. Hopefully you'll have a better memory that I did!

And I think that is about all. Sorry I don't have all the sizes of the sockets and what-not, but hopefully this will be enough to get you going. Let me know if I can be of any more help!

ammar_rage

Thanks alot man, you got pretty good memory for detailing all the steps so well or it must have been a pain in the *** for you the first time. I will get at it this weekend, its good to know the right tools that are required... i will go and get everything ready before hand. Its a b1tch to stop in the middle of the work when you dont have the right tools. if everything goes well i will make sure to take some pics and prolly we can put it together in a DIY section. There is alot of people who can benefit from this.

KillerPancake

Leer: No issues with the Bosch then in place of the Valeo, other than the orientation issue that at first caused it not to spin?

leeer73

I here you about finding the time to put into working on cars. I'd be happy to help you if I can. I'll try to get more specific tool sizes for you and let me know if you have any questions while you are going through the swap!



I haven't had any issues with either of the alternators other than the pulley binding. Oddly enough, I work at and import parts store over here and I sell that Bosch alternator brand new for about $280. And BOTH of the alternators had veleo stamped on the case. I asked my boss why that was and he said that Bosch sometimes buys these alternators through Valeo and re-sells them under the Bosch name. That could be why I havn't had any issues.

ammar_rage

Ok gentelmen, after four hours of hard labor the alternator came out. I was actually able to take it out without the universal joint or any extensions, but thanks to Leeer`s detailed procdure - I saved alot of time.

Now I have a few questions for you guys, I took the VR out and the carbon brushes look kinda small because of the wear and tear but they do make a good contact with the rotor - now i am just trying to determine if the problem is the VR or should i send the whole thing for rebuilding- as I mentioned earlier the alternator was working but it would only kick in when the Voltage would drop down below 10 and recently the voltage wud not be regulated at 14 when it wud kick in but the voltage wud shoot upto 16-17 v.

My thoughts are ... if the alternator is bad then then it should not work at all, if it is working and producing watts then it is most likely the VR for not doing its job.

Any thoughts ..

leeer73

Are you sure thaet you just don't want to replace it? How much is it to get rebuilt?

ammar_rage

Its $350 to get it rebuilt and i believe the VR shouldn`t be more than 80-90 bucks so i do save some money there.

leeer73

Dayum, that's why I thank goodness I work at a parts store, being able to get these parts cheaper is the ONLY way I can afford this car!

Funny, I was just under my car the other day and from underneath the car it looks like you have a clear shot right at the lower bolts for the alternator. Only problem is that you will have to work under the hood with the car jacked up in the front.

Boom vang

usually it is the VR that is faulty. I found a source that is much cheaper for OEM parts for our alternator.

A VR for a Valeo (Princess of Darkness) alternator is $59, which is way cheaper than what Annapolis MB charges ~$118 and MB Canada $202

http://www.americanenginesco.com/ser...des/Categories

ammar_rage

Damnnnnn just a day too late..!!! I just bought one from MB Canada for $213 and put it in, after searching for weeks online and the local alternator shops. this is the only model the local shops dont have the after market stuff for! US prices are cheaper but by the time you add duty shipping it almost the same as the local price. Wish you had posted this a day earlier brother! But good to know for others!

On a separate note, many thanks to Leeer for providing me with detailed instructions on the alternator DIY. I have found some shortcuts and will be posting a complete DIY soon.

Boom vang

I bought mine had it shipped to TO, for $15 and there was no duty or taxes. I looked at all options and figured that the VR at the time was $202 it was not worth getting as I could have the alt rebuilt with all new parts for $269 at Start Electric on Dundas st. When I found the VR for only $59 + $15 it was worth taking a chance to repair and skip the other parts such as bearings etc

KillerPancake

Good call on that source for the VR! I ordered one up to have on hand when the inevitable happens. Shipping's up to $25 to Canada unfortunately!

Boom vang

just make sure that you buy the right kind, some in your year have bosch and others have Valeo

on the side of your alternator is the brand and part number, supply that to the vendor

I guess shipping went up as I ordered it in December but still is way cheaper than the robbery prices that MB charges for that part

Make sure they send via USPS as the courier companies charge an insane brokerage charge

ammar_rage

man the more i hear you guys buying it from US the more it hurts me $ 220 later from the stealership...

acr2001

The Bosch and Valeo alternators are inter-changable (at least in a C240). There is also a higher amperage slightly larger 150 amp alternator that is meant for the C320. This is also completely inter-changable and turned out to be a nice upgrade for the electrical system. The lights do not dim nearly as much when raising or lowering all windows, or when the air pump comes on. My Valeo rusted out and actually burnt up, so I replaced it with the C320 Bosch - appears to be higher quality.

Boom vang

I know that the alternators are inter-changeable HOWEVER the VR are not and I was referring to the replacement VR as that is a quickfix for $60 rather than replacing the whole unit.

C230 Sport Coup

A very good deal indeed.
Had mine rebuilt for $150 when it wasn't blown yet, but had 120K miles.
The brushes were down to nubs.
I actually found a VR on Ebay new but got outbid.
Then the rebuilt one went out, I had to pull it and
have it done again, under warranty.
Needless to say it came out in 1/2 hour the 2nd time.

Still all I really needed was brushes. Probably coulda saved me from the 2nd repair.
I had my starter repaired. They looked it over after I got it all cleaned up and all it needed was brushes. $15 out the door.
Some auto electric shops can solder new brushes onto an old VR.
Aside from the brushes I think they can go much longer and full rebuild isn't likely
needed in all cases. Often the components they put in aren't as good
as the ones that were there.

ammar_rage

I can tell you that this whole rebuild business is big bull shiitt, they tell you that they popped your alternator open and serviced it from inside. They actually most of the time just sand blast it to clean the appearance then spray paint the stator windings that makes them look like new copper.....so when you look at it, it looks new........they just check the stator wdngs for shorts from outside, i saw the whole bull ****t business at an alternator place ..a guy i happened to know!!! So dont be fooled unless you are there to see it urself!

acr2001

Oops. Sorry, guess I shouldn't have skimmed the thread.

C230K_DV

Here are some pictures I took while removing the alternator. I hope this pictures complement the instructions previously provided by leeer73 on this thread. I added a few extra steps on how to remove the cross bar but everything else should be the same. I hope this helps. There are also some valuable pictures here on how to remove the cross bar:
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...placement.html

C230K_DV

Second part.....

C230K_DV

Third Part...

Boom vang

not sure what the advantage of going through the trouble removing the crossbar it really does not buy you anything as the rad will still be there and the whole alternator repair can be done with the bar in place. I removed mine in less than half an hour and less then half hour to put it in. Removing the undertray gives you more of an access advantage

C230K_DV

I agree. Removing the bar is an extra step and probably not necessary. However, for those of us that can't get underneath the car to remove the alternator; the extra 10 minutes spent removing the bar were totally worth it for me.