MG Maestro Turbo Alternator Question.

[Andy]

Hi, my alternator seems to have packed in. Well its smoking and the battery light is on! I have just ordered a A127/65 from the local motor factors to pick up tomorrow. He was struggling with the part numbers for my car and I found the one mentioned by Google'ing fits a 2.0 efi. Am I right in presuming they are the same? Cant read the writing on mine no more.
Also could anyone be kind enough to explain the process of changing one, I would like to have ago myself. I did change the alternator on the 1.3 Ledbury I had a few years ago but this looks harder to get to. Had a look in with the torch and there appears to be just two bolts holding it in and the bolt for the belt tensioner and the electrical plug. An idiots guide to changing it and anything else of mention would be greatly appreciated. I hope it comes fitted with the pulley as well, will that be easy enough to change if it doesn't? Thanks Andy

[Doctordiesel77]

It will be exactly the same job as on the Ledbury, just in a worse place! New one is unlikely to have pulley fitted tho'..plan a) if you have a spanner that fits the nut holding the pulley on, use this BEFORE you loosen the drive belt, the nut might loosen with a sharp blow to the spanner.....if not... plan b) take alternator off, take it to a friendly tyre shop/garage & get them to take it off with an impact wrench, using stout rope & great care to hold the pulley. Once the nut is off the pulley should wiggle off by hand.

[Jeff Turbo]

Hi, my alternator seems to have packed in. Well its smoking and the battery light is on! I have just ordered a A127/65 from the local motor factors to pick up tomorrow. He was struggling with the part numbers for my car and I found the one mentioned by Google'ing fits a 2.0 efi. Am I right in presuming they are the same? Cant read the writing on mine no more.
Also could anyone be kind enough to explain the process of changing one, I would like to have ago myself. I did change the alternator on the 1.3 Ledbury I had a few years ago but this looks harder to get to. Had a look in with the torch and there appears to be just two bolts holding it in and the bolt for the belt tensioner and the electrical plug. An idiots guide to changing it and anything else of mention would be greatly appreciated. I hope it comes fitted with the pulley as well, will that be easy enough to change if it doesn't? Thanks Andy

It's sometimes the right pulley and wrong deflector. Disconnect the battery and unclip the electrical connections stay bar and pull off the connection, you may have to lever this off with a flat screwdriver. You'll need to loosen the adjuster and bracket on the top, 10mm bolts, then loosen the bottom nuts and bolts, 10mm bolts and 13mm nuts, push towards the engine to remove the belt. Once bolts are undone lower to the bottom, bit tricky and the bottom bracket may also need to be removed to lower it. As Jonny guru said above, if you cant remove the pulley nut take the alternator to either an engineering company or in my case my local kwikfit as they have the correct tools to swop the pulleys over for a small fee.

[Doctordiesel77]

It's sometimes the right pulley and wrong deflector. Disconnect the battery and unclip the electrical connections stay bar and pull off the connection, you may have to lever this off with a flat screwdriver. You'll need to loosen the adjuster and bracket on the top, 10mm bolts, then loosen the bottom nuts and bolts, 10mm bolts and 13mm nuts, push towards the engine to remove the belt. Once bolts are undone lower to the bottom, bit tricky and the bottom bracket may also need to be removed to lower it. As Jonny guru said above, if you cant remove the pulley nut take the alternator to either an engineering company or in my case my local kwikfit as they have the correct tools to swop the pulleys over for a small fee.

A genuine guru would know which way the alternater comes out of the engine bay, I just knew it was a bit less accessible than all the others

[Jeff Turbo]

A genuine guru would know which way the alternater comes out of the engine bay, I just knew it was a bit less accessible than all the others

You mean a mean on the details

[Andy]

Ok thanks for the help. Looking again access seems to be better from underneath via the drivers side arch than above for the bottom bolts.
Going to remove it tomorrow but one last possibly daft question. The even though I asked for a 65amp alternator they have given me a 75amp one. Will this have any adverse effects?
To be honest I dont even think the mounting holes are in the right place. So it might be going back anyway. Will become clear once the original is off.

[Doctordiesel77]

Ok thanks for the help. Looking again access seems to be better from underneath via the drivers side arch than above for the bottom bolts.
Going to remove it tomorrow but one last possibly daft question. The even though I asked for a 65amp alternator they have given me a 75amp one. Will this have any adverse effects?
To be honest I dont even think the mounting holes are in the right place. So it might be going back anyway. Will become clear once the original is off.

75A one will be fine, it will only put 75A out if you are using vast amounts of power anyway. If the mounting holes are wrong in the way the top and second alternators on this list https://www.paddockspares.com/catalo...127+alternator are different, then it is fairly easy to change, but if they've sent the wrong one probably best to get them to sort it out. If all else fails there are often a lot for sale on ebay.

[Andy]

Well its on. Went ok till the last step which you would have thought was the easiest. Can't get the electrical plug to fit! It looks like it should fit and goes in mabies 3-4mm. But thats no good. Fall off when I start the engine. Its just loose. I imagined it should be just push fit and you shouldn't be tapping plugs on with anything but your fingers? Am I missing something? Don't want to damage the plug, that would be a pain.

[Doctordiesel77]

Well its on. Went ok till the last step which you would have thought was the easiest. Can't get the electrical plug to fit! It looks like it should fit and goes in mabies 3-4mm. But thats no good. Fall off when I start the engine. Its just loose. I imagined it should be just push fit and you shouldn't be tapping plugs on with anything but your fingers? Am I missing something? Don't want to damage the plug, that would be a pain.

is it the right way round? and no, I'm not accusing you of carelessness..I'm just remembering what I have done on more than one occasion ha ha ha! Other possibility is that one of the three spades on the alternator may have become bent and stopping it going in..They are sometimes quite tight, but good shove, rather than smack with hammer tight. The least likely (but one I've seen!) is that the small pin on your old alternator was corroded and has snapped off in the plug, if this is what has happened, best to disconnect the battery before trying to get it out as it may be bit of a fight!

[Andy]

Had a poke around the plug with a small flat bladed screw driver, sounded very crusty, and applyed a bit (lot) more pressure and finally got it on. Everything was mega tight tbf. Not like the Ledbury, that was a breeze. No more battery light or smoke, been for a short drive everything is fine Thanks very much for the help.

[Doctordiesel77]

No problem, I know what a nightmare they can be when you can't really see right in...even when you've done a few of them!