It may well be very tight. Don't be tempted to use a BFH here.
I used my pivot-type ball joint breaker to retract it:


...just pop a bolt through the bush so the breaker arm has something flat to push on.

Alternatively, you can do it with a long bolt, a few washers and a 1/2" drive socket as a cup if you don't have the above.

 

I use that long bolt that holds the alternator. Put the bolt in from the rear to the front, put the nut onto the bolt. Hold the bolt end with one wrench, and using a ratcheting combination wrench, crank the nut down. The sleeve will retract until flush with the bracket ear.

 

I've not had the time to go to the car until today but it's still fighting me, I've put the bolt through where the Alternator should go then placed a large washer/spacer and then using a spanner one end and a ratchet the other tighted it up.

It got really tight and then easy to turn, when I turn the ratchet the bolt still moves unless I hold it in place with a spanner so its still biting but it won't lose off and just keeps turning.



Any advice to remove the bolt would be much appreciated?

Annoyingly the sleave has still not retracted either.

 

Is that a bolt with a nut on the end? In which case I don't understand why you can simply remove the nut and extract the bolt. Or is it a bolt into a threaded bracket, in which case have you stripped the bracket as it's only aluminium so you can't apply too much torque. If it is stripped it should still back out although you might need to gently knock it through from the threaded end.

Richard

 

It's literally a nut on to a bolt. I also don't understand why as turning the nut is turning to bolt the nut just doesn't undo eventually.

Could the washer/spacer be influencing things?

 

When you are turning the nut with a spanner are you also holding the head of the bolt with another spanner? If you're holding the head of the bolt with a spanner it cannot be turning.

Richard

 

You're on the right track. But you must hold the head of the bolt with one wrench, and turn the nut with the other. This forces the nut against the sleeve and forces the sleeve towards the bolt head, until the sleeve is flush with the bracket. At that point remove the bolt/nut, put the alternator there, and run in the long bolt to support it.

 

I'm holding one spanner in place (not turning it) while turning the other spanner but even though there is a bite the nut just will not come off the bolt.

What I'm saying makes no sense but I am where I am, could the tread of the bolt have broken causing this?

 

It sound as if you have stripped the bolt thread right under the nut so the nut is spinning around freely and the damaged threads at either side mean that the nut cannot get any purchase on the bolt. It's not that uncommon.

What you have to do is force a flat screwdriver into the gap between the nut and the bracket or between the bolt head and the bracket and lever the nut or head outwards whilst turning one end and holding the other. This will force the nut to re-engage with the damaged threads on the bolt. Once it engages with the good threads it should come off.

Richard

 

May be the angle of your pic., but I can't see anything under the nut on the LHS to allow the bush to slide into (e.g. a socket with a large enough internal diameter to accommodate it).

It looks like you're just tightening the bolt/nut down around the bush itself?

 

It's a very good point and the fact that he has already stripped the bolt thread suggests you could well be right, but surely if the bushing were already flush with the lefthand side of the bracket before he started, it would be obvious to Phil that he is not going to be able to press in the bushing on the righthand side simply by tightening a nut and bolt through it?

Richard

 

Double post.

 

After a bit of a fight and some shouting I freed the bolt, as you can see from the pic the thread on the bolt was a mess.



I've used a couple of new bolts and nuts to make the insert retract but it's straps the tread every time, I need hand vice small enough to fit in the space or something similar.

I'm hoping someone has a cleaver solution?

thanks

 

Your correct Michael there is nothing on the LHS, I thought it would retract internally otherwise there is nowhere for it to move in to?

 

Have you checked, possibly with a small mirror, that the bushing is not already flush with the lefthand side? A nut and bolt will exert a huge amount of pressure and certainly sufficient for this purpose so the fact that you are stripping threads sounds as if it is already flush. This is likely as it has to stand proud if the actual alternator fixing bolt is to tension the bushing against the alternator when fitted.

All you need to do is use a large nut or thick washer/s as a spacer on the LHS before you tighten the bolt. The internal diameter of the hole in the nut or washer/s needs to be a little greater than the external diameter of the bushing/sleeve so that the sleeve can slide into the nut/washer/s.

Richard

 

I dont have a pic of the left side so I'll post one tomorrow but the left side looks very similar to the right as in the bushing sticks out a little.

 

While you're at it, test fit the alternator. You may have retracted the sleeve sufficiently for the alternator to slide into the bracket.

 

But if the LHS sticks out a little like the RHS, I don't understand how you thought that putting a nut and bolt through the bushing would ever pull it over to the left? All you're doing is clamping the bushing until the bolt threads strip. The bushing will not have moved unless you've hit it with a hammer.

Use the large loose nut / suitable spacer/washers trick I describe above on the LHS and you will see the bushing disappear into the bracket on the RHS.

Richard

 

I've just found this YouTube video.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...sleeve-266879/

Will give this ago, I've fixed the link now too.

 

I thought I would update this thread to say thanks for all the help and update any future readers.

Using the method in the link above helped me retract the sleave which I think Richard was also explaining, once that problem was overcome I was able to reverse the removal process to put the car back together.

You can probably tell I'm no mechanic but I was able to change an Alternator, in the end.