[Outdated, please look at pinned post] Casual Conversation

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My car defeated me today. (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/casualconversation

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The alternator on my car went kaput. Nowhere in my area would do the job for less than $800-something, and most places were quoting $900-$1k.

So I looked up how-tos on YouTube and it looked like something I, a woman with zero experience or knowledge of working on cars, could do.

I got a remanufactured alternator for $180 and got to work following the tutorials I'd found.

It certainly did not go smoothly, but I managed it. It took me 6 hours to get the alternator out, mainly because every goddamn bolt holding the parts in place were basically cemented in. I had to use my foot to stomp one loose because I didn't have the strength in my arms.

Today I spent another 4 hours trying to put in the new one and all the parts back in place. And I did it!!

Except for the power steering belt. That fucker would not go into place, and trying to force the belt tensioner back took every ounce of strength I could muster.

All that work. All that time and effort and THE VERY LAST STEP to get my car up and running defeated me today. I had to get a task rabbit guy. He's coming tomorrow to get my belt back on.

On one hand I feel proud that I made it this far. On the other I feel like a complete failure because it turns out I couldn't complete the task myself.

Anyway, how was your weekend?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hey, thank you so much! Yeah, the mechanic that's coming tomorrow is paid by the hour, so I'm going to have him check all the bolts for me, cause yeah, I am a bit worried the vibration from driving every day will loosen the bolts if it's just my strength that's tightened them.

Thanks for the words of encouragement, I appreciate it.

[–] Nastybutler 2 points 1 year ago

All bolts in a vehicle have a torque spec from the manufacturer. You can find these in the service manual that you may be able to buy from a dealership, or in a Chilton or Haynes manual for your car. Once you know the torque spec you can use a torque wrench (you should be able to rent one from an auto parts store) to make sure the bolts are tightened down just right.

Also next time I'd suggest using blue LocTite on the threads of your bolts. This acts as a mild "glue" to keep bolts from backing out. That can be found in any hardware or auto parts store as well