bad battery+missing dipstick=bad alternator?

[whatarook]

hey everyone.. rookie here.. iVE had an AWD 97 ECLIPSE GSX (my first and fortunatley, unfortunatley my only dsm)for about amonth now and have recently lost every last bit of electrical power to it horrible tease! i love this car now and plan on doing what i must to bring her back to life First of all my headlights never turned on but the other lights did(im not sure what theyre called) point is they were enough to drive at night with working signal lights. Now, let me inform you that one of the dudes at autozone pulled the dipstick out of the holder dipped it and when he pulled it out that time the stick dissappeard and remained in the holder it was after that incident that i became paranoid of crusing on the road. appearantly oil would spill onto surrounding areas and burn off the manifold? releasing white smoke into sight because i didnt have a cap on that dipholder. Next thing that happened was flickering radio display, turbo gauge displays stopped lighting. speedometer stopped marking the mileage and eventually shut down at a parkig lot. so iump started it and made barley made it home on that 20 min drive back. i never turned my car off when i got to tmy parking zone because i reved the hell out of that engine on neutral until it just died out. serioualy it got me home and thatbmakes me love this gsx even more. the next day i removed the battery and took it to autozone to find out it was a bad battery so there i was,wondering if i should replace the alternator as well because of sypmtoms and oil spill reasons. Today i bought a socket and ratchet to begin the removal of the power steerig pump to get to her alternator. have any of you had to deal with the pulley on that pump blocking the two bolts holding the pump to the mount? i spent 20 min. trying to turn that pulley for ratchet access before i cut myself..and thats
when i called a break and began reading through these forums.. any tips, recomendations, suggestions, ideas-basically any type of help would be appreciated. its late now and cant take pics but i will if it helps us all out. If we get her runnig again you all can name her.

 

[undefined0000]

Welcome to the forums! Glad you were able to make it home safely. Since the battery lost charge while the car was running, that indicates charging system failure. I would say to replace the alt. As for your dipstick situation, you lost the long metal part inside of the tube, correct? I believe that stick is magnetic and you can use a telescopic magnet to get it out and yes, it will spray oil quite a bit and you risk fire because your red-hot exhaust manifold is right there. You should be able to find a guide somewhere within the depths of this website on replacing the alternator. I haven't fully replaced one yet, just had to fix the mounting for it. My guess is that you are on a desktop computer from your extreme use of smilies. Could you try to be more careful with your typing? It took me a bit to error-correct your little aria.

 

[pauleyman]

You've got a few problems but you're trying to fix one of them before you have even diagnosed the problem. So you know the battery is bad, replace it. You do not know if the alternator is bad. You have two choices. If you want to remove it and have it tested that's fine but you seem to be having trouble right off the bat. I would at least get the battery in the car then check the voltage with the car running.
If you find you need to take the alternator off the car then do so. Unhook the battery first. I can't say for sure on a 2g but I've never removed power steering to take an alternator out. Just remove the AC fan. If you must remove power steering turn the motor over by hand to line up the power steering pulley. If you aren't sure how to do what I'vd described you should enlist some knowledgeable help or take it to a shop. What I've described is car mechanics 101. Also do not drive the car with no dipstick. Buy a new one. It's a dealer only item.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

Loosen the alternator belt and the ps pulley will spin freely. Use a 12mm wrench or socket and loosen the nut where the alternator bolts to the engine block. The loosen the adjuster. Then the alternator will move and ps will move easily.

Just line the two holes up in the pulley and remove all the bolts holding the ps pump. Lay ps aside, hook around hood prop. Then remove adjuster bolt, electrical plug and wires bolted to the alternator. MAKE SURE BATT IS UNHOOKED DOING THIS.

Then remove the nut and bolt holding it to the block and remove it. It will be a big help in clearance to remove the a/c fan before trying to remove it.

GET A STICK MAGNET AND GET THAT DIPSTICK OUT NOW! And get a new one. Oil will spew out and oil leaks are one of the biggest things that kill starters and alternators. I doubt the oil will catch fire on the manifold but still, do yourself a favor, get the stick out and get a new one.

 

[whatarook]

heyeveryone, i am responding from a mobile phone and dont have much experience with forums so ill use this post to say i am surprised this forum has so much information coming back so quickly. thank you all. im going to give this project another go before handing the task over. before i do that, ill bring you back pics and look into turnimg the engine over by hand. either way. theres enough encouragment here to get this going. thanks again! cheers!

Loosen the alternator belt and the ps pulley will spin freely. Use a 12mm wrench or socket and loosen the nut where the alternator bolts to the engine block. The loosen the adjuster. Then the alternator will move and ps will move easily.

Just line the two holes up in the pulley and remove all the bolts holding the ps pump. Lay ps aside, hook around hood prop. Then remove adjuster bolt, electrical plug and wires bolted to the alternator. MAKE SURE BATT IS UNHOOKED DOING THIS.

Then remove the nut and bolt holding it to the block and remove it. It will be a big help in clearance to remove the a/c fan before trying to remove it.

GET A STICK MAGNET AND GET THAT DIPSTICK OUT NOW! And get a new one. Oil will spew out and oil leaks are one of the biggest things that kill starters and alternators. I doubt the oil will catch fire on the manifold but still, do yourself a favor, get the stick out and get a new one.

so i went ahead and took some pics to help clarify.. i removed the a/c and green anti freeze spilled everywhere... thats normal right? anyway, i loosend what i believe is the adjuster bolt but that took me no where near pully movement... so i revisited your post and read to loosen the nut where the alternator bolts to the engine block.( in the pic below im pointing to what i believe is that) its attatching a bracket that holds the alternator and the adjuster right? if so it looks like ill need a 12mm wrench to have room for removal. does anyone know how many nuts ill need to unscrew and will i need a car jack to remove the tire with panel to access the alt?

 

[pauleyman]

so i went ahead and took some pics to help clarify.. i removed the a/c and green anti freeze spilled everywhere... thats normal right? anyway, i loosend what i believe is the adjuster bolt but that took me no where near pully movement... so i revisited your post and read to loosen the nut where the alternator bolts to the engine block.( in the pic below im pointing to what i believe is that) its attatching a bracket that holds the alternator and the adjuster right? if so it looks like ill need a 12mm wrench to have room for removal. does anyone know how many nuts ill need to unscrew and will i need a car jack to remove the tire with panel to access the alt?

What do you mean you removed the AC? Nothing you do during this job should have spilled antifreeze. You may have undone something you were not supposed to. The bolt you're pointing to just holds that bracket on. The adjustment part is through that bracket on the alternator. It should be obvious. You need to describe what you've done if you've spilled anti freeze. I'm sorry but it sounds like you're in over your head as this is is a very simple job for anybody who works on cars, even if you've never touched a dsm.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

You were only supposed to loosen the a/c tensioner not the a/c itself. What you spilled if you unhooked a/c lines is the ester oil for the compressor. If your a/c worked before you gonna have to recycle, vacuum, and recharge it.

No your simply pointing to the bolt for the alternator adjuster bracket. I'm talking about the bottom of it. Its a through bolt. One end is square the other is a 12 nut. It can all be done without jacking the car up so no need to remove fender lining. It is right above the oil filter.

The second picture on the bottom left you'll see a bolt that holds a little block on with a long boat that goes through it loosen the through bolt then loosen the long one. Now you should be able to move your alternator. Remove the adjuster piece.

Whence the alternator is loose you should be able to move your power steering pulley freely

 

[whatarook]

What do you mean you removed the AC? Nothing you do during this job should have spilled antifreeze. You may have undone something you were not supposed to. The bolt you're pointing to just holds that bracket on. The adjustment part is through that bracket on the alternator. It should be obvious. You need to describe what you've done if you've spilled anti freeze. I'm sorry but it sounds like you're in over your head as this is is a very simple job for anybody who works on cars, even if you've never touched a dsm.

iin front of the engine is two fans. i unplugged all of that and removed it to have space to work and make a better inspection of the alternator and power steerig system( ive never seen it before) once i removed a large tube connecting to the bottow and top of the fans there was green liquid flushing out. there was a cap near the engine that the top tube connected to and was filled flush whih also connects to the plastic container that has more of that liquid. so when i unplugged all of that for more room it drained out... btw is this the point where i get a water house and flush it out one my car ruNs again? ive never worked on cars, dont know a mechanic, and have alot of free time to bring justice to the reading of forums, tips, with this hands in experience.

You were only supposed to loosen the a/c tensioner not the a/c itself. What you spilled if you unhooked a/c lines is the ester oil for the compressor. If your a/c worked before you gonna have to recycle, vacuum, and recharge it.

No your simply pointing to the bolt for the alternator adjuster bracket. I'm talking about the bottom of it. Its a through bolt. One end is square the other is a 12 nut. It can all be done without jacking the car up so no need to remove fender lining. It is right above the oil filter.

The second picture on the bottom left you'll see a bolt that holds a little block on with a long boat that goes through it loosen the through bolt then loosen the long one. Now you should be able to move your alternator. Remove the adjuster piece.

Whence the alternator is loose you should be able to move your power steering pulley freely

ill need to go buy a 12 mm wrench to loosen the through bolt. would you know how many bolts i need to remove for the alternator to cone off?

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

Ill try and get you some pictures to bet help you when i get off work.

You did not need to remove the radiator hoses. You will need to fill it back up with antifreeze when you put those back on. Fill it through the hole that the coolant system cap goes on.the alternator has the through bolt and nut on the bottom, the short and long bolt on the adjuster piece in the lower left of your last pic, one plug and two. Nut on the back of it holding wires.

 

[whatarook]

Ill try and get you some pictures to bet help you when i get off work.

You did not need to remove the radiator hoses. You will need to fill it back up with antifreeze when you put those back on. Fill it through the hole that the coolant system cap goes on.the alternator has the through bolt and nut on the bottom, the short and long bolt on the adjuster piece in the lower left of your last pic, one plug and two. Nut on the back of it holding wires.

that would be dope!!
my a/c never worked anyway even though the fans did operate. i heard dsm a/c werent the best. ok yehah i removed the nut and removed the wires. loosened the long bolt on the adjuster but cant do nothing about the 12mm small bolt the long bolt threads into cause i still need a 12mm combo wrench for that. 15 bux for a ratchet Wrench! im goig to try and borrownone. if not buy one at autozone tomorrow.

 

[pauleyman]

15 bux for a ratchet Wrench! im goig to try and borrownone.

I don't care if this sounds harsh but you're in for a world of hurt if you think that's expensive. You've purchased a high performance high maintenance car that is 15 years old. You've already demonstrated you don't know what you're doing. Undoing anything when you don't even know what it is (radiator hose for example) is a good way to get yourself hurt. Not this time maybe but some time down the road. We all have to start somewhere but a word of caution, find out a little more before you just jump in there. Even if you don't break something some areas of the car can become unsafe if you're "fixing" things in the haphazard manner in which you are doing. And we all share the same roads as you also.

 

[whatarook]

I don't care if this sounds harsh but you're in for a world of hurt if you think that's expensive. You've purchased a high performance high maintenance car that is 15 years old. You've already demonstrated you don't know what you're doing. Undoing anything when you don't even know what it is (radiator hose for example) is a good way to get yourself hurt. Not this time maybe but some time down the road. We all have to start somewhere but a word of caution, find out a little more before you just jump in there. Even if you don't break something some areas of the car can become unsafe if you're "fixing" things in the haphazard manner in which you are doing. And we all share the same roads as you also.

I guess i have a sense of humor that doesnt belong on forums...
thanks for the encouragement concerned citizen but do not worry or stress yourself. this car is far from running on the road anytime soon. my advancements with this current project is based on a general relief budget until i score a job. then ill pay a mechanic and an emt to work with me when its time to play with fire.look,you dont have to trust me or get to know me. just understand we share a common interest to break these cars down and build it back up with a stronger foundation. shes my responsibility and My next skill developer.so your help is appreciated.

 

[pauleyman]

Now that is the proper attitude. Honestly with starting at grond zero as you seem to be doing I think you're best purchase wold be a factory service manual. The mitsubishi manuals are actaully quite good compared to many I've seen. I've completed many jobs with nothing more than the manual. Forums didn't exist 20 years ago.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

that would be dope!!
my a/c never worked anyway even though the fans did operate. i heard dsm a/c werent the best. ok yehah i removed the nut and removed the wires. loosened the long bolt on the adjuster but cant do nothing about the 12mm small bolt the long bolt threads into cause i still need a 12mm combo wrench for that. 15 bux for a ratchet Wrench! im goig to try and borrownone. if not buy one at autozone tomorrow.

I don't see what you need a ratchet for. I can do it all with a regular 12 mm wrench.

 

[4G Power]

Just a tip, I'd pick up a metric wrench set, a 3/8 rathet set, and a 1/2 ratchet with atleast 17/19/21mm sockets. You should be able to do most tasks with just those tools and you can get that all pretty cheap

 

[laserspeeddemon]

After reading some of your posts. My very honest opinion is for you to find someone knowledgeable about these cars and have them tutor you.

 

[seejakob94]

^^^ Amen

 

[whatarook]

I don't see what you need a ratchet for. I can do it all with a regular 12 mm wrench.

yeah thats what i shouldve started with. im a big fisted dude built fromconncrete jobs. a ratchet felt right at the time. i just cant get enough space for the next bolt.

After reading some of your posts. My very honest opinion is for you to find someone knowledgeable about these cars and have them tutor you.

hahaha yeah man me too.


ive been looking at alot of you tube videos and noticed repeated socket measure called out wih a couple biggef sizes. thanks for the tips.

next would be a manual for sure

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

yeah thats what i shouldve started with. im a big fisted dude built fromconncrete jobs. a ratchet felt right at the time. i just cant get enough space for the next bolt.



hahaha yeah man me too.


ive been looking at alot of you tube videos and noticed repeated socket measure called out wih a couple biggef sizes. thanks for the tips.

next would be a manual for sure

I only meant that if your broke. A socket wrench or ratchet wrench always makes things easier. I will try and make a vid to help you with this. I have to find some parts anyways.

 

[pauleyman]

10,12, 14, 17 will get you through a lot on these vehicles. I worked on them for years with nothing more than an 80 piece set from sears. Honestly I don't think I needed anything more. Other tools just made jobs easier/faster. There are some specialty items that I wouldn't want to go without but it's all in what you "need".