Chevy Cobalt Detailed Alternator Replacement in the Driveway
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- Опубліковано 22 січ 2021
- Weather there are charging or regulation issues that need addressing. Both will ultimately lead to the removal of the alternator for testing and/or replacement. On the Cobalt this is a slightly more involved task due to the location of parts, but not a very difficult task to be done in the driveway. There is no need to pay a shop hundreds for what can be done in an afternoon with the proper tools.
I start by removing the bug plastic shroud, first cleaning around the oil cap so i don't dump all of the dirt into the engine when i remove it, then with the cap removed the two fittings are unsnapped and the whole unit is lifted off. Next the airbox is first blown out to remove dirt and dust by the throttle body before loosening the hose clamps and the small hose from the engine. One plastic retainer clip is also lifted out as well. The whole unit is lifted off before stuffing clean paper towel into the throttle body and the air box opening.
I take some time to blow out all of the garbage I find under here, a lot of the cable loom is destroyed, so i've replaced it and re-taped the harnesses with super 88 3m. An inspection of the air filter showed that I might as well order one too.
Next will be the belt, accessed from under the car from the passenger side, using a jack and stand, just high enough to clear the tyre for removal. With the tyre removed the wheel is turned to the right for more access to work. I remove the locking clops and 7mm screws from the access panel as shown to deflect it for exposure to the engine. I removed 5 clips and two screws in total.
The lend tool at autozone OEM 27115 is too big to do the job. The cheapest way to do this is two parts off of amazon, gearwrench 368072, which is the wrench, and the 3/8 adapter for that wrench.
part 338071 also provides for an extension to make this easier .
The Wrench
amzn.to/3mXp0MG
The 3/8 adapter
amzn.to/406HmJu
Shown highlighted where the 3/8 fitting is , we see how the tool goes in and rotated counter clockwise to loosen the belt. and pull it off of the pulley. After removing the tool, I then with the belt loosened removed it from the alternator pulley. The cables are not easy to remove from the alternator until its unmounted so I remove the three 13mm bolts. The connector can then be removed and then the nut holding the second cable. With the the water hose is bent slightly out of the way and the alternator negotiated out of the car and inside to the bench.
For assembly:
The alternator is negotiated back into position so that the cable can be reconnected onto the stud. Then aligning it to mount back onto the car with the three bolts. These are tightened to about 16lb/ft
The belt is then brought back around the alternator which brings the project back to belt installation.
The tool is reused to rotate the tensioner so that the belt can be brought around the pulley.
Now replacing the air filter with an A2956C from AC delco, I replace only what is need to get the car running, this includes the manifold airbox and filter. The battery is then reconnected and the car started for evaluation. I see that the overall voltage is reduced, so I continue with the addition of the service cover re-installation, tyre , 100ft/lbs and rim, and then the engine cover, lowering the car to completion.
Air filter
amzn.to/3FwL1IB
#chevy #cobalt #chevycobalt - Авто та транспорт
Might be saving my life right now, i wish i was taught to clean and maintain my vehicle. I will be watching this video changing my alternator tomorrow. Ill let you know how it goes! Much love, cheers!
I have not seen any mechanic treat an old car so well. This video is excellent. The camera angles delivered images that were clear. I had to take a look at your previous videos and discovered that you have been fixing electronic wonder machines for a while. You know how much damage dust can cause in electronic circuits. Dust + humidity = trouble in the form of conductivity. This was one well organized presentation in more ways than one. I followed your instructions and took out the hose on the engine block side. If I had chosen the plastic side, the amount of force that I had to use would have caused some damage. Thank you sir!
Im glad it worked out.
@@retrotechandelectronics It worked like a charm until I found myself on the ground trying to make my breaker bar fit in the tensioner. That did not work. Instead I used a tire tool that had a fine tip bent 90 degrees.
I shaved the tips a little to make it fit in the axle hole of the tensioner wheel. I then used a bottle jack to slowly lift it. That worked perfectly.
@@generatorblue I guess thats one way of dong it.
@@retrotechandelectronics Once you mentioned that a certain rental tool could be too long, I assembled a few flat pieces of metal just in case the breaker bar did not work. I actually modified the breaker bar by shaving 3 millimeters off the (3/8) inside head.
I tried it and it fit in the square hole. However, for some reason, I could apply pressure clockwise but the head skipped out each time I tried to unscrew. Therefore I could not lift the pressure wheel. But the breaker bar is still working fine outside of that tight space. My body was twisted for too long trying to make the breaker bar work. I switched to the tire bar and soon realized that it could work. I had to tilt the bottle jack to be in line with the tire bar. I used two small pieces of wood (on the street surface) to position the jack at the right angle. I was expecting the flat tire tool to fall down a few times, but that never happened. Before I knew it I had lifted the wheel as high as it could go. I verified the position of the belt while looking down under the hood and touching the belt each time I lowered the jack. I then started the car (on 3 wheels) and no longer saw the battery symbol. Thanks again for the clear images and the warnings that are parts of your video.
I reference UA-cam a lot when working on vehicles and I have never commented on a video. You Sir have been a life saver. This was hands down the best how to video for cars that I have ever seen! I aspire to be as attentive to the care of my cars as you are. Thank you!
Glad to help
A MASSIVE thank you to you sir! My alternator went completely out right in the Autozone parking lot. It took about 5 hours and the employees had bets on whether or not I would be able to do it, but with your help I got it done. I definitely could not have done this job without this video! The tips about the belt tool were great because, you're right the one they have is way too long. Also the tip about propping the tool against that bolt was a life saver. I actually used a slim profile 3/8 ratchet that I found at the O'Reillys next door for about $25. I genuinely can not comprehend how you got that thing in and out without removing that hose from the engine. Even doing that, getting the dang thing unscrewed and out took so long! Also very impressive camera work, it really made what you were doing much more clearer than other videos. Again, thank you so very much, definitely subscribing.
Outstanding. Glad to help, and walking from Autozone to O'rielly to buy their tools....
@@retrotechandelectronicsHaha yea AutoZone didn't have one that would work so they lost out on that one. They got plenty of my money though with the actual alternator.
@@trevor6358 fair enough, glad it all worked out.
@@trevor6358 glad it worked out in the end.
I agree... Fabulous camera work! After attempting to watch several other videos, I eventually found this one, and it was the only one i was able to make it all the way thru. Clicked off the others in less than 2 mins, simply due to the fact that by that point, i didnt even know where they were or what they were doing anymore because of the shakey camera and the super close up, and back and forth from top to bottom footage they were giving me. After this, I was able to understand exactly what i was supposed to do and when to do it and was even able to gather the proper tools i needed before hand to do it with! Thankfully due to the belt breaking last year, I already learned the hard lesson about the tool and had a long 3/8 in breaker bar that I bought and used last time already on hand. Wish I had this video to refer to then, as it took me 3 days and several trips to the parts store and a lot of trial and error, just to fix a simple broken belt 🤦🏼♀️ I was truly dreading this repair because of that previous incident. I can't thank you enough, for your time and effort in making this video, and making my life easier today!!!
Absolutely the best production DIY videos I have seen/used.
Thanks 👍
Thank you. One of the best DIY 2008 Chevy Cobalt Alternator and serpentine belt replacement videos I have seen. I have not seen one video with people using the Ratcheting Wrench with the 3/8" adapter like you did in detail and that was just what I was looking for. Last year I got a 2008 Chevy Cobalt 4-door 2.2l with 104,000 miles and a to do list a mile long from A to Z, with 2 more to go. I'm going to replace the serpentine belt and the belt tensioner pulley. I have a small 3/8" socket wrench that should give me the room to fit it inside the tensioner to get the belt back on. I’m going to cut the belt off to save some time and work. Retired engineer likes having DIY fun these days.
Im working on the AC now....the service port is an AC delco one time use so be ready to replace it.
@@retrotechandelectronics So far, so good on the A/C. My Chevy Cobalt LS 4-door 2.2L with only 104,000 miles, has been great reconditioning it and a lot of fun for this retired engineer. lol
Thanks brother! I watched your video and was able to help my neighbor out with their alternator!
Great to hear
By far best video showing you how to do this job Thank you Keep them cominng
I’ll try
You are very professional. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching!
You always do such a great job.
Thanks
This was actually a very thorough and informative video
Thanks!
Great video brother.. I actually have that same make and model and you just saved me some cha ching.. Great advise with the jackstands also.. subbed..
Glad I could help
Bro you did a better job than 1A auto lol....very well detailed,I almost had to go get some popcorn and coke😅 🍺
Thanks!
Thank you so much for this.
You are so welcome!
Very nice video and informative. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
I’m willing to die for a cobalt. I know my cobalt would for me
Only if you run out of gas or leave the lights on.
Yea...my Cobalt has never let me down and bought it 17 years ago!
Excellent video !!! Thanks !
You are welcome!
Very good video the one thing I noticed you don't have to buy a tool all you need is a ratchet that actually fits in there without a socket and you can loosen that tension pulley with that that's how I did it thank you
This is a Very good video ! Thanks
You are welcome!
Always knew i was stupid but didnt know i was a special stupid. Thanks for the video
Use a jackstand.
when you took the alternator out you made it look easy took me 2 hours to slide that ************* out JESUS i dont think i will ever change another chevy cobalt alternator ever again
Pray tell, what was it stuck on for 2 hours.
@@retrotechandelectronics the tube and the eletrical wires i just couldnt move the hose far enough out of the way to get it out finally i just said f it and pushed the tube as far as i could got on the bumper and yanked it out but the new one slid right in wierd how that works
Thanks! Helped a bunch!
You're welcome!
Thanks for the video👍👍👍👍
You’re welcome.
Great video and super helpful, but I have to call shenanigans on one thing: @ 13:09 you said the alternator “comes out with very little effort”… oh my, that was exactly the opposite for me. I had to spend over an hour rotating and twisting to no avail. I had to remove the hose and spilled coolant in the process, but got it out. Not. Easy. :(
Other than that, good advice on all the rest
Unless you used GM approved Dex cool then you can expect your cooling system to degrade due to incompatible chemicals
Awesome thorough instruction! Thanks !
You’re welcome
Thank you sir for this video. My alternator went out. In an effort to learn something, and of course save some cash, I will attempt to do this myself. I bought the heavy duty alternator from Autozone. I figure it will hold up better then the cheaper one. Both are Duralast.
One thing, they wrench you link to is available, but the 3/8 bit isn't. I did find a gear wrench set that had both of those items and the bar you mention in the video for $72. I figure it would be good to keep it around.
Just to let you know, I had and uncle and a cousin that were professional mechanics. I wish I learned from them. I was young and stupid. My cousins kids didn't even want to be a part of it. My uncle died some time ago. He was a smart man. He used to say you can tell a lot about person buy their car. He was spot on. LOL. He could tell race, gender, profession, all w/o ever seeing the driver. Then his son died. I no longer have anyone to fix my car. So I will take up the task and do it.
#quadstatecameras
Also one more thing, another mechanic I know always keep up to date on all the deaths from people that die when jacks fail. In his words, these deaths are unnecessary. I figured I would say that too.
Good luck, thanks for sharing.
the lug on the alternator, not the connector but the lug with the rubber boot, is that the charging cable? I'm looking to do "big 3" upgrades and found this to just see how difficult it is to access the alt on this car, is that where I'd make the connection from the battery to the alt?
Hey what is that wire with the nut connected to beside the alternator at 12:42? The wire in my car rotted away and I need to replace it
Instead of buying the gearwrench extension bar you could also put a small pipe on the end of the wrench and use that as a cheater bar for leverage if you really need it.
Ya could, but on the video im bound to pointing folks to the correct tools for the job...
12:25, it that a power wire or a ground wire, does it run to the starter or the block
Please help
I ran into a no crank star no start ...i suspect its an alternator issue but it could also be a battery is there a trial i could run on the car to know which one it is for sure?
Jump it and check the voltage when running.
Can you just change out the voltage regulator or brushes to save money? Or if the alternator is not working do I have to replace the whole thing D: My battery is charging the bare minimum and the charging system isn't working and I just looked up the price of an alternator for an 06 cobalt and it hurt lol
I have a seperate video for swapping the voltage regulator and keeping the alternator.
ua-cam.com/video/yvuZaQNjCsM/v-deo.html
Is this for the 2.2 or 2.4 L engine? Or is it the same process for both?
Not sure, I havent both engines.
Where do you put the black multimeter lead to test it
Anywhere on the chassis is ground.
What year is this cobalt? That metal stem is not sticking out of the fuse box on 2006.
2008
At 12:50 a blood sacrifice is given to the gods of GM! 👹
Ive got a few gallons in the delorean
@@retrotechandelectronics Eeek! 🚑
Will this method work on my 2010 cobalt?
I believe if you have the same type of engine the placement of the alternator should be the same or roughly the same.
i am not willing to die over a cobalt lmaooo
yeah.... mmm no
I changed my alternator on my 2010 Chevy Cobalt LT and it's not getting charged
Check the voltage regulator
I took off the tire and I cant find the belt tensioner
??? Its gone?
This is an excellent video. Having said that. After watching this video, pretty sure it would be easier to just junk the car and buy a used Toyota.
haah!
Not screws . Bolts
Not Didactic, Pedantic.
@@retrotechandelectronics Explain properly.
Mannnn this video too long😂😂😂😂but appreciate the tips tho
ok thanks.
Throw that japanese plastic enginge cover in the trash and just clean it every other day. That plastic cover is absolutly the most annoying part of the cobalt.
no.
@@retrotechandelectronics yes
@@bloodyfingers8633 the cobalt is a gm product and why is it so annoying anyway. I drive my car every day and it doesn't bother me lmao