Am I screwed???

[B-Doon]

I took off the alternator so I could change water pump hose beneath it. It was leaking profusely onto the block....So I went to put the alt back on and 2 things...there was a wire going from the outer casing to a bolt on the timing cover??? and 2, when I put the wires back on I put them on the wrong prong...when I put the Pos cable back on the alt, the voltage reg, and the hella light thingy next to it all started smoking...I immediately took it off, and did it again...they only smoked for 2-3 seconds each time....did I do any permanent damage? I then realized the problem....

How bad is this? SHould I attempt to reconnect the battery?

Brian

[Guest Anonymous]

You may want to look at your situation as an opportunity to upgrade to an E21 alternator.

The wire from the casing to the timing cover is a ground wire. Replace with new & make sure it is attached.

The Hella thingy that was smoking was probably your voltage regulator as they are external on our cars. If you fried it they are pretty cheap.

Check out Zenon's site on an upgrade or look at finding the short you created before reconnecting the battery.

[heinrich]

If you eventually find out that your fried the regulator, I have a new one that I bought recently and didn't need. It cost me $34, and I'll give it to you for $25 including shipping.

[B-Doon]

I attempted to start it....it starts, but squeels when a rev it...does this mean the fan belt is too loose or tight???

BTW, what size fan belt does the standard 02 require... I bought a spare from bav auto, but it came saying it was for a 320i 10x975? Any thoughts?

thanks,

Brian

72 inka getting ready for midwest fest...only 21 more things to do to get road worthy!!!

[heinrich]

The belt is probably a bit loose. Tighten it up a bit, just until it doesn't squeal. Also check the mounting bushings. If you can move the alternator from side to side when it's all bolted down, your bushings have probably disintegrated, and you won't get a constant belt tension.

Your belt is probably the right one. The alternator from the early 320i is the same shape as the 02 unit--that's why the upgrade described in the FAQ is so easy--so the belt would also be the same.

[SteveJ]

Once the smoke gets out of those components, it is kind of hard to get it back in there. Just ask anyone here with a British car.

Really,

It sounds like you fried some of the stuff. Don't take it too bad, even us experienced hacks do that sometimes. Time to do some upgrades and to get a (cheap)multimeter and learn a little electronics.

One rule I like to use is to make sure the battery ground is always lifted when I start working around the starter or alternator.