Replacing the alternator on a 1987 Honda Accord LXI is always an interesting adventure in manual dexterity. It is tucked away on the drivers side near the firewall and just above the oil pan. Because of the lack of room between the alternator pulley and subframe, the top bolt and adjuster must be removed from above the fender while the lower bolt must be removed from the bottom. The short shaft must be removed from the steering knuckle to gain room to remove it from under the hood.
Instructions
- 1
Loosen the lug nuts on the drivers front wheel using the lug wrench. Turn each lug nut a half turn. Remove the center cap or wheel cover, whichever is present. Remove the cotter pin forward of the spindle nut and loosen the nut but do not remove it yet.
2Open the hood and disconnect the negative terminal on the battery using a wrench. Raise the car and place jack stands under the sub-frame. Lower the car onto the stands. Continue removing the tire.
3Remove the lower splash shield from under the front of the car using a socket. Pull the electrical plug out of the back of the alternator. Using a wrench, remove the nut on the rear of the alternator containing the white battery plus wire and remove the wire.
4Locate the top hole in the alternator and loosen the bolt that passes through the adjuster using a wrench. Loosen the nut on the lower through bolt using a socket. Lift the alternator belt off the pulley. Remove the lower bolt.
5Remove the CV axle nut in the center of the rotor using a socket. Remove the lower ball joint cotter pin and nut using a wrench. Remove the sway bar link lower nut using a wrench and release the sway bar from the control arm. Remove the upper pinch bolt on the damper and the lower bolt as well.
6Insert the ball joint separator tool between the knuckle and the ball joint and strike the tool with a hammer until the two separate. Using the rotor, turn the knuckle all the way out or to the left on the drivers side and the opposite on the passengers side. The reason is to give more room to extract the CV short shaft splined end from the hub bearing. Push the CV axle out of the hub and allow it to lie on the lower control arm. This will give room to remove the alternator between the sub-frame and CV shaft.
7Pull the alternator out and insert the new one. Place the new alternator on the mounting bracket and insert the lower bolt and nut. Leave it loose for the moment. Tip the top of the alternator up so the top tang aligns with the mounting bracket hole and adjusters himes joint end. Place the adjuster bolt through the adjuster himes joint and continue through the mounting bracket. Loosely install the nut.
8Install the belt over the alternator pulley. Turn the nut on the end of the adjuster bolt until the belt tension is so the belt can only be twisted 45 degrees. Tighten the lower through-bolt and nut to 33 foot-pounds of torque and the upper bolt through the adjuster to 17 foot-pounds of torque.
9Install the white battery wire to the rear of the alternator and tighten the nut snugly. Push in the electrical connector. Push the CV shaft through the hub bearing. Install the washer and CV nut. Lift the knuckle and lower the lower ball joint stud into the knuckle. Install the nut and torque it to 40 foot-pounds.
10Install the sway bar link bushings, washer and nut. Torque the nut to 16 foot-pounds. Install the damper to the upper part of the knuckle. Insert the damper bolt and torque it to 47 foot-pounds. Install the pinch bolt in the damper and torque it to 32 foot-pounds.
11Install the lower splash shield. Install the tire and wheel assembly and torque the lug nuts to 78 foot-pounds of torque. Lower the car. Torque the spindle nut to its final torque of 134 foot-pounds. Install the center cap or wheel cover. Install the negative terminal on the battery and tighten it firmly with a wrench.
