Well, yesterday I reached a new plate(plat toe) in mechanical things-------The alternator went out on Robin's 2003 Chev Trailblazer inline 6 cylinder----garage is full so it is a drive way project--------to remove this alternator was much more difficult than anything I have run across in doing mechanical things back to helping my Dad when I was maybe 6 or 7 years old (72 now)
I have been fed up with the engineering on GM vehicles for decades as it always seems that you gotta remove overlapping/interfering objects/components to get to about anything other than the gas cap!!!!!!!!!! In the alternator case, there are brackets holding brackets holding wires and hoses for the entire wiring loom, radiator hoses, a/c hoses, etc and wires are hooked to back of alternator that are so short that you can't move it far enough to remove them so that you can move hoses/wire looms/brackets to get to the alternator!!!!!!!!!!!!The only bright glimmer in the whole deal is that the alternator needs to be removed to change the thermostat and temp sensor underneath it so I can change them while the alt is off----------I've had the therm and sensor most of summer and did not change them when I did the fan coupler because I was pretty up set about just needing to remove the alter plus working thru the wheel well--------------If I could da got ahold of my friend at Ford , she'd have a new car today-------------