The alternator on my car went kaput. Nowhere in my area would do the job for less than $800-something, and most places were quoting $900-$1k.
So I looked up how-tos on YouTube and it looked like something I, a woman with zero experience or knowledge of working on cars, could do.
I got a remanufactured alternator for $180 and got to work following the tutorials I’d found.
It certainly did not go smoothly, but I managed it. It took me 6 hours to get the alternator out, mainly because every goddamn bolt holding the parts in place were basically cemented in. I had to use my foot to stomp one loose because I didn’t have the strength in my arms.
Today I spent another 4 hours trying to put in the new one and all the parts back in place. And I did it!!
Except for the power steering belt. That fucker would not go into place, and trying to force the belt tensioner back took every ounce of strength I could muster.
All that work. All that time and effort and THE VERY LAST STEP to get my car up and running defeated me today. I had to get a task rabbit guy. He’s coming tomorrow to get my belt back on.
On one hand I feel proud that I made it this far. On the other I feel like a complete failure because it turns out I couldn’t complete the task myself.
Anyway, how was your weekend?
That’s a major success and you should be super proud of yourself! You saved a ton of $$ and learned something new - total win-win!
Good job! Sounds like it was your first time and things generally well.
This weekend a patched a hole in drywall for the first time and i feel like i did a pretty good job!
Things went well in that I didn’t break anything except for a corroded bolt. I also dropped a wrench own into the under carriage somewhere, so that’ll be fun to hear rattling around.
Dry hole patching is hard, I’m glad things went well for you too!
Twenty years ago I could have done that in my sleep. Now days I know I could not get as far as you got. Good job.
ETA: to be more clear.
Thank you. :) I’m lucky at this moment that I had the time and energy to get most of it done. :)
Sounds like your car did not defeat you, and like you kicked a lot of ass. Serpentine belts are a giant pain in the ass - fought with one myself today. Just gotta have the right tool, which in this case is one of those that gets used once every 5 years unless you work on a lot of cars. You did great, and should be proud of what you accomplished!
Oh, that makes me feel better that I’m not the only one that struggles with them. And yeah, I was so jealous of the people in the video for it. Thanks for the pick-me-up, I feel better about it.
I hate serpentine belts. Even with the right tool (rented from the auto parts store), the tight clearances always make it a royal pain in the ass.
That’s effing awesome! I’m stereotypically someone that would look like I could do that in my sleep (male, lots of tools in my garage) and I definitely would have taken it somewhere to get changed. I don’t even know you and I’m proud af of you!
Way to go! You weren’t defeated, you did the whole job you were able to. You can get a short length of pipe that will slide over your wrench handle to give you extra leverage in cases like this.
I worked as a service writer in a shop full of mechanics (all men) and they all had a breaker bar wrench for these situations.
Also, if you’ve got the DIY bug now and you take on more projects find a store (Harbor Freight is good if in the US) that sells cheap tools, buy them there and if you use it enough to break it, then go buy the more expensive/better made version.
Saves from spending lots on a tool you rarely use.
