richardevan@gmail.com wrote in news:fd681f08-d94a-44bb-99e5-
553facefb6cd@s37g2000prg.googlegroups.com:

I think there are 2 bolts(pivot bolts) on the bottom needing to be undone.

use PB Blaster penetrating oil,not WD-40. (Water Displacement formula #40)

on 2/21/2008 3:33 PM richardevan@gmail.com said the following:

Use a penetrating oil like Liquid Wrench. Let it sit for a while and tap
the bolt with a hammer.
I fit doesn't budge, repeat as necessary.
The top bolt is just an adjustment for the belt tension. The lower is
the actual attachment bolt.

    I changed the alternator on my '92 Sentra XE with the 1.6L
engine back in Jan. I was fortunate in that it was about 50F when
I did it- it took me about 3 hours. What follows applies to you
to the best of my knowledge- I am not a mechanic or Nissan expert.

    Yes, you will need to remove the lower bolt to remove the
alternator. It has a nut on the end of it.

    I put the car up on ramps so I could get underneath it. The head
of the bolt is better accessed from below, while the nut  is
hidden by the AC compressor and is better reached from above. I
used....hmmm...I think a palm ratchet on it. No, I had to put a
regular 1/2" drive ratchet and loosened/tightened it one click at
a time. Very tight clearance-wise. I made more room by removing
the Coolant Overflow Reservoir. Disconnect the hose, then tug the
thing straight up. Well, it worked for me.

    Once I got the alternator disconnected, I found there was not
room to remove it. I pulled the passenger side fan assembly off,
unplug the wiring harness, remove two or so screws from the fan
unit,  then loosen the other fan unit which overlaps the first.
Then you can rotate the alternator and pull it out. Somebody else
posted that they removed the top radiator hose, so that it
probably an option

    Next, you will try and jockey the new alternator into position,
which was tedious and annoying. Finally, after much profanity,
you will position the new alternator correctly and slide the
lower bolt into place. Then tighten the top bolt enough to keep
it in place while you replace the nut and snug it up a bit.

    The alternator belt is on the inner side of the other
belt/belts, so you won't be able to easily remove it. While you
are wrestling with various Satanic fasteners, the belt will be
experimenting with "alternative" lifestyles and you will have to
set it back on the Path Of Righteousness or it will break when
you start the engine. Make sure the belt is positioned
correctly,adjust the tension- say, about 1/2" deflection when
poked firmly in the run from the top of the alt pully- and
tighten the top and bottom bolts. Then, re-connect the wires
making sure they are clean and the connectors seal properly.

    It took me about 2.5 hours longer to do the Nissan over my last
car, '85 Camry. However, at least nothing *broke* on the Nissan
during this repair. I bought a rebuilt alt from autozone for $100
plus $50 core. Somebody just posted they paid $500CA to have the
alternator done in a different Nissan. I would do it again to
save $200-300, but I would pay $100 labor rather than do it
outside in freezing weather.

By the way, get Braille Auto battery - save gas, it's a 9 or 15Lbs battery
that performs like 32Lbs regular one, I hope you undertsand th ebenefit oif
shaving 20 pounds from your hood?