1992 Dodge Grand Caravan Alternator removal

Anybody lend a hand?

This is a '92 Grand Caravan with a 3.3L engine. What's the easiest way to
remove the alternator from this thing?

 

I had a '95 with 3.3. Remove from underneath. May have to loosen motor
mount to pry engine forward with a 2 by 4 for clearance. The book fails
to mention that part. It's a PITA job, no easy way.

 

You'll have to remove it from below, but you'll probably have to remove
the power steering pump and move it
out of the way to have enough room.

 

I paid $150 for the van. They're giving $200 for scrap cars...

 

Here is the procedure that someone sent me years ago, when I was going
to do it. I am not sure why they called it a "generator" instead of an
"alternator."

(1) Disconnect battery negative cable.
(2) Remove generator drive belt,
(3) Loosen, but do not remove the nut on the support bracket at
exhaust manifold.
(4) Remove the generator tensioner power steering bracket bolt.
(5) Remove the tensioner stud nut and the tensioner.
(6) Remove the generator mounting bolts.
(7) Remove and position the power steering reservoir from the
generator mounting bracket. Do not remove the hoses from the
reservoir.
(8) Remove the three generator support bracket bolts.
(9) Remove intake plenum-to-generator mounting bracket bolt.
(10) Remove generator support bracket.
(11) Position generator and remove generator wiring.
(12) Remove generator.

KM

 

Thanks. I was looking this over again last night and from what I THINK I
saw, the bracket is attached at the bottom to one of the bolts from the
motor mount!

Did you do this and get it off OK? I'll have to print this out and take it
with me...

 

I didn't end up having to remove it. The problem turned out to be with
the BCM integrated regulator. It was never energizing the field
circuit.

KM

 

BCM? I thought the V-Reg was in the SBEC?

 

These things use a Denso (Toyota, since Denso is about 51% owned by
Toyota) alternator. I recognized it as soon as I looked at it.

The regulator in this one is built off the housing.

 

I had a '92 Dynasty 3.3 and have a '95 Grand Caravan 3.3 and trust me the
voltage regulator in the SBEC (single board engine controller) It is that
black thing in the driver's front corner by the battery that the air filter
box is attached to. There is even a fault code for "alternator field
circuit open or shorted" which is code 41 IIRC, Allpar's site would tell for
sure. The Dynasty threw that code when the brushes in the alt wore out.
Had a local rebuilder (Fowler-Rowland) do brushes and bearings and it was
good as new again.

AFAIK there are 3 versions of the Denso alt. the Dynasty had the 90 amp, my
van has the 120 amp and a friend's '01 Ram 1500 has the 130 amp.

 

I bought a used one for $20. I wanted to check it out before pressing it
into service, and I figured rightly that the brushes were gone. About 3/4.
So I got some new ones from the local NOT off-the-rack parts store for a
whopping $4.85, already mounted in the holder (no soldering!!! )but I
could NOT get the cases apart!

On my Toyotas, I have no problem splitting the cases. This one would not
come apart!

How much was the rebuild, do you remember?

 

Less than $50 IIRC. It was more for a Ford 3G large case but it required a
new front housing also.

On the Chrysler Denso's I have seen (the one from the Dynasty is partially
disassembled sitting on my kitchen floor) brush access is a simple matter of
removing the sheet metal cover on the back of the alt. The screws are really
tight though.

 

It's about the same as on my Yotas. I rebuilt the one in my '85
"Hachiroku" in 1992 and it went up until 2002. THen the bearings I didn't
replace in '92 seized...

They're all about the same, but the Toyota version cracked open like an
egg. After 20 mins banging on it with a cold chisel, I gave up on the
Chrysler one...