So I hop and start up my 200 Tdi Defender and hear an annoying sharp rattling sound. It was less loud when turning the steering wheel, but still there.
Shut her down and get into the wifes Commodore....running late, no time to inspect.
Get home tonight and have a look. The PAS belt is loose, so is the PAS/Alternator mount - not much but enough.
Grab the tools and it begins.
One PAS/Alternator mounting bolt is missing, the other is loose. Okay, lets tighten that.....its broken....hmmm.....I can feel our post Christmas trip down south slipping away here
Without going into the details, I had to remove the alternator while it was fitted to the PAS mount as the bolt head was beginning to round off (I had removed the PAS pump mind you). The 80mm (?) bolt that is fitted to this bracket is also broken - thread left in the bracket. Really now!
I finally get the alternator and bracket out, and my dilemma is, how do I get the broken bolt out of the female end on the engine side and the bracket?
If anyone can guide me on the best course of action, that would be appreciated. Nigel isn't drivable now and I've never used (and to be honest, I'm not confident enough) to use left hand drill bits as the area is not that easy to get too. Attached are two photos of where the PAS/Alternator bracket mounts to - the lower hole has the broken bolt, but both threaded holes have been damaged.
And can anyone tell me the part numbers for:
(1) the 80mm (?) bolt
(2) the two 10mm (?) bolts that secure the alternator to the bracket; and
(3) the two bolts that secure the PAS/Alternator bracket to the engine?
What are your thoughts - how should I tackle this? Is there someone here in Perth that is mobile and able to help get us back on the road?
Can I salvage the hope of an extended camping trip on the south coast of WA yet?
I notice a bolt head in first photo, to the left of broken bolts. In general terms is it possible to unbolt that part of the block?
Not sure how much room you have. If you want to do the job in situ and its tight for room my guess is you will need a power drill and right angle chuck from hardware store. Possibly even a flexible shaft between drill and right angle chuck. And a set of easy outs, drill bits and tile drill bits. Extra set of hands would also help.
Looks like the break points on the bolts are dished or are at least flat, so you may not have too much trouble centering your drill bit. To start, would suggest a drill bit about half to two thirds the diameter of the bolt.
Once your first hole is established you will have two choices. If you think the hole is wide enough and deep enough then try the easy out, gently. Or go on to bigger and bigger drills until what is left of the broken bolt is just a thin malleable shell that you can bend out with a simple probe point - need to judge that you are not going to go too big a drill and take out your bolt hole thread as well!
If you're unfortunate enough to break the drill bit or easy out, and you are unable to extract it, then you will need to resort to carbide tipped drill - used to drill holes in things like ceramic tiles - about $12 each from the hardware shop.
Can't tell you the part number, but once you get the two halves of one bolt you should be able to get a match from an auto shop, bolt supplier or possibly hardware shop.
Given that I wasn't confident with trying to extract this bolt myself, Steve @ LifeStyle 4WD has made himself available and yet again, got me back on the road - if only to get the car into the workshop where I'm hoping he'll be able to get the broken bolt out.
Can't thank you enough Steve for making yourself available at no notice - and then showing me how to get the easier one out.
Dropped what he was doing when I brought the PAS bracket round to his workshop, got one bolt out and sorted replacement bolts for the broken bolts and a few that were starting to round off. And today, has taken my car while I go back to work and will drill out the broken off bolt, re thread if necessary and have it ready for when I get back. All before Christmas and while the workshop is flat out with prebooked work.
If you want customer service, you'll get it with Steve.
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