Installing Ford Explorer Alternator

[xpl0it 10+ year member]

Anybody ever do this? I have a 1997 explorer sport. Do I just take the three bolts out of it's tensioner bracket, push the tensioner down so the belt get some slack, and do the replacement? Thanks.

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[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

just call a ford dealer and ask them how to relieve the belt tension

 

[xpl0it 10+ year member]

Ok, here are my questions. Where would be the best place to ground my engine block to my chassis? It looks as if my alternator is welded to it's tensioner pulley. Has anybody ever seen something like this?

 

[xpl0it 10+ year member]

Bump, need a somewhat quick response, installing my alt tomorrow.

 

[Crank 10+ year member]

Um.. It's an aluminum alternator housing, to an aluminum bracket, I'd bet if you took a wrench, pried down on the tensioner, took the belt loose, then took, a um, hell lets say 18 mm and broke those bolts loose, I'd be almost willing to bet, you could kinda shock the alternator loose, I'd bet that welded look is just the aluminum kinda corroded almost, it just looks welded. Good luck

Brandon

 

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

Let me know how this turns out i need to do the same thing....ALso need to upgrade to big three.

 

[xpl0it 10+ year member]

the tensioner isn't touching the belt at the moment. Thanks for the hlep though.

 

[supraman1379 10+ year member]

I would assume losing up that bolt and it would loosin the tensioner up.

 

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

Wow way off subject but you have an explorer as do i so i thought i would ask, You wouldnt know or have any ideas on keeping the back window from rattling would you...Mine rattles like a mother and is very anoying...

 

[xpl0it 10+ year member]

Is there anything else to installing an HO alternator? You remove the first, put in the new one. Slip the belt on, wire 1/0 to battery and clip in the 2 other connections? Should I keep the existing power wire going to the battery or where-ever for the hell of it? Thanks.

 

[xpl0it 10+ year member]

No, but I don't hear it anyways, my bass has always been too loud to hear rattles from inside the car.

 

[yacob.naif 10+ year member]

Yeah, it hooks up like normal.

Only difficult is getting the old off, then everything's a snap.

I kept the factory wire going into the cabin, but cut off the terminal and replaced it with a brass setscrew terminal so everything matched under the hood.

I did replace my alternator-to-starter cable with an 28" 2 gauge cable from autozone, tho. I think it set me back a whopping $8 bucks, and had the washer terminals already soldered on. And i don't know about your alternator, but mine came with a 2" pulley where the factory pulley was ~2-3/4 (probably equates to something metric) but i just got a new factory size belt, and the tensioner still had a good 2" of travel to it, so everything's playing real nice.

Just make sure you're super careful with any electrical leads you disconnect, they love to corrode and break (my entire alternator replacement charade started as simply tring to do the big-3....) if the positive bolt on your starter has enough thread left on it after the original bolt, i would highly recommend leaving the old wire and bolt on there, and simply putting the new bolt on what's left of the screw, just to prevent possible breakage problems. And just remember to reconnect your exciter, and that's about all that can go wrong.

Good luck

 

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

No, but I don't hear it anyways, my bass has always been too loud to hear rattles from inside the car.

Yeah thats true but still i dont want to be the kid who's shit rattles instead of shoves.

 

[xpl0it 10+ year member]

There's nothing you can do, that hatch only connects at one point on the top, you can easily fit a screwdriver behind that windows seal. That thing will always rattle. One way to reduce it is to fire your subs and port upward, this minimizes rattles in an explorer and does it quite well. Just depending on your system though, you'll need to sound deaden your roof, you lose a lot of SPL through the roof.

Back to the alternator, what happens if my pulley is a different size? I mean, got a vehicle specific alternator, so I'm not even sure that will be an issue. We have some family friends that are ex-ford dealership mechanics so I'm gonna have those guys look at it today in about an hour. I'll keep it posted.