How do I remove my alternator - please help!

I'm trying to remove the alternator from my Clipper cabriolet, it's a 1990 1.8, but I can't seem to find any images / guidance / youtube vids anywhere online…can anyone help me? I haven't got very far on my own!
Thanks 

theres the 13mm adjuster bolt on top, plus another at the end of the adjuster bar. at the bottom pivot theres an allen bolt, be sure to clean the head out nice and get a decent allen bit tapped fully home otherwise it can easily round out.

apart from that coupel wires and thats it, simples

You might need to remove the top cam cover to gain access to the Allen bolt, as rubjonny says be careful with the head as that's the bolt that can seaze, mine has and you need to remove a lot more stuff to remove the bracket holding it on.
its all in Haynes manual if you have one if not well worth getting one.

thanks guys…it's a bit dark to go messing now so I'll have a look in the morning. Incidentally, do you know which Haynes manual I should get? I have no. 1081 but it's not always relevant?
Thanks once again! 

brown one is the best

Like this.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Haynes-Manual-VW-MK1-Golf-Jetta-Scirocco-GTi-1-5-1-6-1-8-Convertible-1974-1985-/380918842016?pt=UK_CarParts_Vehicles_Manuals_Litterature_ET&hash=item58b08842a0

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mk1-Golf-Haynes-Manual-/181428785929?pt=UK_CarParts_Vehicles_Manuals_Litterature_ET&hash=item2a3dff9309

 

Grr missed both of those but I've got my eye on another one…and I really need it!

Good news, I managed to finally get the alternator out tonight, with a bit of extra grunt from my husband to get the allen bolt loose!!
The problem I have now is my local car parts shop are struggling to work out which replacement to order. i think they mainly do Lucas brand , but there are loads listed on their system. They've asked me to take the old one in, but from what I can see there's no number on that either!
I've looked on the Lucas website, but that's just as confusing. Would it help to have my engine code? I have only the engine part number at the moment…

Do you have an electric roof and/or electric windows?
I ask because it seems cars with them seem to have a larger alternator.

Why do you need to remove the alternator?

If it's not charging the battery very well might be worth looking at the bushes, there is 2 screws holding it on and easy to remove, clean the connections and if the bushes are worn replace it.
Looks like this and alot cheaper than a new alternator.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-GOLF-MK1-MK2-SCIROCCO-VOLTAGE-REGULATOR-C694-/191164781869?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c824f152d
 

Basically, my battery keeps going flat! For a few months before the end of last year, the car was struggling to start despite having had a new starter motor. I put a new battery in about 3 months ago ; it lasted about  6 weeks and then it too started to go flat. I took out the old stereo as it was faulty and i wondered if it was draining power, but that didn't work.
I'm now at the point where my 3 month old battery won't even charge overnight, so I had to assume the alternator was faulty. Do you have any suggestions?
I would be grateful for any input!
Oh, and no electric windows but the roof is…

What make and amps is your battery and how many years guarantee does it come with? If you know what code it is eg (063 or 075)

http://www.eurocarparts.com/car-battery

As I said in my last post take the regulator out of the alternator and have a look at the bushes, if the alternator looks like the original one then the bushes will be at then end of there life. The regulator is fitted to the back of the alternator and only held on with 2 screws.

If you do have a multimeter you can also check what charge you battery is getting when the car is running by putting the multimeter across the + and -, you should be getting about 14v with the car running and 12v with the car off and every thing electrical off.
 

does the battery light come on with ignition then go out? if not the blue wire to alternator D+ has become disconnected somewhere if this happens the battery wont charge. it runs to a spade plug near the battery +

I don't think the battery light stays on…it's been so long since it's started I can't really remember!
I've checked the regulator…bushes look nice and clean, but I got a second opinion anyway, A bloke I know (but see very infrequently but is very knowledgable) said it looked perfectly ok and reckons my battery could be faulty.
So, today I've put the alternator back in, and tomorrow I'm going to take the battery back and exchange it.
On a slightly separate note, I've been nosing around under the bonnet at other things, and noticed a few wires which are not connected to anything. If I post up a couple of photos  on this thread, would you mind looking at them to see if you know what they should be connected to?!  

sure thing! if the battery light doesnt come on the blue wire to the alternator is disconnected somewhere or the dash bulb has blown. this means your alternator wont charge properly and could be the reason for everything

trace the blue wire from pin D+ on the alternator, it should run across to a spade near the battery +ve

Ok, so I've now got a brand new battery (Me - I've brought this battery back because it's gone flat and won't charge; I think it's faulty. Man behind counter - have you tried charging it up? (translates as 'you're just a female and therefore wouldn't know one end of a car from the other') me - yes, that's how I know it won't charge (translates as 'you ignorant donkeys backend!' cf_emoticons__BangHead: ) I put everything back together,checked the wiring (esp. the blue wire!) and still nothing. Starter motor doesn't even click now when I turn the key. The battery light on the dash comes on and stays on. I don't know what to do next. Please help me!!!!

ok next step is remove and clean up all the battery, starter and alternator cablign make sure the contact points are all shiny, a small wire brush or finish grit sandpaper will do for this just lightly buff the ends and where they bolt to. also disconnect the red/black wire to the starter and clean the spade and plug as above, also if the spade feels a bit loose give it a light squeeze in some pliers to close it up a bit so it has a nice tight fit.

if the above didnt help next unplug the red/black spade from starter and run a chunky wire from the battery + to the starter spade (make sure its not in gear!) if it cranks over then look at the starter wire and the ignition switch next. Follow the wire as best you can looking for dodgyness, then move inside the car. To start with take the lower plastic off the ignition housing and unplug the ignition switch, then bridge the red to the red/black with chunky wire. if it cranks over replace the ignition switch, if not trace the wire back as best you can. you'll probably find an old alarm or immobiliser tapped into it.

if jumping the red/black doesnt help next run a jump lead from battery -ve to one of the bolts holding the starter on, if that helps then you have an earth issue. a common problem is corrosion builds up between the gearbox and upper bracket, if you can get this off buff the inside of the bracket and the top of the gearbox to fix. another solution to this is upgrade to mk3 battery cables, using the re-designed earth point which runs to  stud on the end of the bolt holding the gearbox to the engine. You may have to make a short cable from the chassis leg to the mk3 starter, I used another mk3 earth for this with the battery end chopped off leaving me with a length of cables with 2 earth rings on.

Hope that helps!

When I wanted to remove the alternator, the long bolt with the allen key head was all rounded off. I bought a great tool from Halfords that allows rounded bolts to be extracted. I then bought another bolt but went for a bolt that I can open with a ratchet which is a lot better!
Next time you go and speak to a man behind a counter, ask for something simple and see if they try to intimidate you. If they do, find out  (and be an expert in it) prior to going there,something that is so technical that they are likely to look lost when you ask for it. That will shut them up! Thats what I do when they look at me and think I have just come off the banana boat!

mark1gls said

Do you have an electric roof and/or electric windows?
I ask because it seems cars with them seem to have a larger alternator.

Why do you need to remove the alternator?

If it's not charging the battery very well might be worth looking at the bushes, there is 2 screws holding it on and easy to remove, clean the connections and if the bushes are worn replace it.
Looks like this and alot cheaper than a new alternator.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-GOLF-MK1-MK2-SCIROCCO-VOLTAGE-REGULATOR-C694-/191164781869?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c824f152d
 

Sorry quick question, what does the regulator do? Can it cause battery not to charge whilst engine is on? Started car the other day and saw smoke come from engine, popped hood quickly and saw it was coming from alternator. Since then, battery will barely hold a charge and when I fire it up (after charging) the volts measured via volt meter on battery terminals don't increase? (Google tells me it should) : (

My alternator went the night before I was driving from Manchester to Glasgow, I rode my bike in the pouring Manchester rain 10 miles to get a new one, to drive for 3 hours, that bolt was almost the deciding part of me not going for a while!

You're in good hands with Jonny though!

the regulator is responsible for keeping the voltage, well, regular as you can see its also got the brushes on it  so regardless of anything else its worth just taking it off fort a look. make sure brushes are ok and the 2 contact pads are clean:

Cheers John,

Mine was badly worn and seemed to have a fair bit of corrosion on it! I've ordered a replacement as per the link in this thread as its only a tenner!

So not sure what next really? My car starts just fine, but the battery light stays on and as I said in my earlier post - the battery voltage doesn't increase when the engine is running (which apparently it should?)