Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General how hard is it to change the alternator..........

I am in need of an alternator, I think, and ford quoted me at 535$. Not too bad, but I figure I could save 300 on labor and do it myself.

What am I looking at on this task, anyone done it and what am I looking at. I will be on the floor of my garage with the car on jacks.

oh yea 00csvt

thanks
dan

PM toddras and get a Ford Serivce CD, VERY worth it for 7$.

i just tried and there and it came back saying that that name doesnt exsist.

is there another name he may go by?

dan

yet again my fast fingers screws up a word... its "Todras" only 1 d.

actually the SVt alternator isnt that hard to do.
you dont have to compress the spring to do it.
but you do have to disconnect the tie-rod at the spindle.

jack the car up high enough for you to get under easily.
put the car on jack stands.
remove the pass side tire, tire-rod, serp belt, and the dust shield in the wheel well.
its a tight squeeze to get to the bolts but not to bad if you have extensions and swivel sockets.
i recommend spraying the alternator bols with some type of penetrating oil from the front side of the motor.
there are two bolts that go through the alternator and one bolt that goes through a bracket mounted to the back of the alternator.
then there is the power wire bolted to the back of the alternator.
once you get those out you should be able to pull the alternator out enough to reach the 2 other plugs on the back.


its a pain, but not too bad if you have any mechanical skill at all.

have fun.

oh yeah, when you pick up the new alternator compare it to the old one and make sure it was assembled correctly.
i went through 5 different parts stores before i found one that had teh case put together correctly.

Are you still looking for a new alternator? PM me as I have a used one that I'm willing to sell for cheap....it's already in the classifieds. Let me know. Later.

I would probably avoid this job if I were you. You'll save a lot of aggravation (removing a half shaft and your y-pipe or a tie rod end) and if it fails again you're responsible. The quote you got from Ford seems a bit high to me. I was able to have this done for $435 both times that my alternator failed. I went to local shops around the area and they use the same crappy Motorcraft alternator that Ford will use. You could save about 300 by doing it yourself, but I'd rather find a place that guarantees their work and will do it for about 400 to 450.

I do almost all the work on our 3 cars at home myself, including rebuilding the transmission in my mustang...and the alternator on the V6 contour is a job I farmed out to a pro. I got under there, realized I am not a midget nor do I have remote-control tools, and said [censored] it. It was a $450 job and it sucked spending the money, but spending the money sucked less than screwing with it IMHO.

i can do this job in about an hour on my back.
i did one in my friends mystique 3 times in one week.
the first 2 were bad from the start.
should have had them tested at autozone first.