I refuse to be beaten but it came close today as all my spanners came out the pram. I decided to remove the alternator myself and get it rebuilt locally (before the guy retires).
Having read loads about this job I was a little unkeen but went for it anyway. After soaking the wheel for a few days with Plusgas this came off after a few whacks with a length of 2x4 and a lump hammer.
Axle stand in place I was ready to go. Airfilter box off and inner wheel arch liner out no problem. So many missing bits it was easy. Quite a bad area of rot inside the wheel arch lower rear quarter which I can see is where the drain hose empties. Nice design that.
I could easily get to the lower long bolt on the alternator bracket from below so loosened this. Then with a small 10mm combi spanner the top bolt is easy to get off. I could remove the positive lead off the main stud through the wheel arch. All going swimmingly well and not a grazed knuckle in sight. Now I knew I had to be careful not to break the wires to the multiplug. I could see it but could not get my fingers in the right position with enough force to get it off. I photographed it to see where the securing clip was but it didn’t help. I decided to carefully lever the alternator off the engine so I could then move it round to give me better access to the connector. Oh no you can’t because the wires are so short the options are zero. Even with the alternator away from the engine it is impossible to get the plug into a position where you can pull it away. 2 HOURS LATER it came off. You have to squeeze and wiggle in a position where you have no strength in your fingers and the pain!
No room for needle nose pliers or any tools. Suddenly it comes free for no obvious reason but I had used up all the swear words and was on the verge of just cutting the wires and splicing back together.
Anyway it was off so then I could remove it via the wheelarch without any trouble at all. So this should have taken about 20 minutes. For the record no need to remove fans or oil filter.
If the cables to the multiplug were an inch longer it would have been all over in seconds but no dice on that one.
The alternator looks ropey inside so I hope this is the cause of my electrical woes. I will soon know.
Now wheres that bottle opener…
Admiration and respect…!!!
Good luck
So I took the alternator to a local “Old Boy” who I was told about and he immediately said - oh a 3 pin connector I can’t do anything with it. It is sweated together so cannot service etc.
Big disappointment.
We got chatting as you do and I mentioned I did have something he could service ie. my Daimler V8 electrics. He said we have one of those in the back!! Would you like to have a look?
So in I went to a workshop out of the 1940’s… it was piled high with starter motors and alternators and the machinery was awe inspiring. All dials and enamelled paintwork in faded grey. Then right at the back was this fully complete Daimler V8 which he assured me was completely sound as all the wings were “new” and loads of work done years ago but it had never been finished. It belongs to his boss who must be quite elderly.
A true barn find.
So of course I asked if it was for sale and he said he would have a word. Amazing these cars are still out there at the back of old garages.
Watch this space…
As for the XJ8 alternator I am seeking a broken XJ8 to secure one asap as my best option.
There are a few to choose from on Ebay, check Item number271980049633
They are DENSO alternators so there is nothing special about them. My local rebuilder orders Toyota parts I think. I always get them back working fine, both the 4.0 and 4.2 V8 units.
bob
I bought an aftermarket unit for £50 with warranty. Just arrived at 16.00 and installed within the hour. I ground a fraction off the mounting lug as the plastic bush would not budge - tried reversing the nut on the bolt and hitting it into the bush but no joy. Alternator was still tight but used rubber drift to gently tap into place.
Once connected and fired up all the warning lights had gone and the gearbox was working again.
The only issue is the gearbox interlock is jammed. It was getting sticky before the electric failure so I need to figure out where to fix this. It works fine once I use the manual override switch.
The fuel pump has been moved to try and stop the buzzing but it is still noisy so back into the tank again to move it a little more.