Goodevening, this is my first thread in this forum. You all helped me so much with my beloved Felicia 1.3 MPI Comfort GLX, 136M engine with power steering.
I was dealing with a low output alternator.
The first symphtom was a faintly dashboard battery light that increases its brghtness depending on the electrical load (i.e. headlights, foglights, rear defroster, blower etc.
The second symphtom was that headlights and, in general, every bulb of the car decrease their brightness on low revs or if I, for example, turn on the blower. 

The battery is brand new and I have tested it also with another good known battery, both of them are from a reputable brand.
I have measured the output at the battery and it is:

• Idle, no electrical loads: 12.7 V
• Idle, with headlights and blower: 12.3 V
• At 3000 rpm, no loads: 13.1 V
• At 3000 rpm, with headlights and blower: 12.9V

The problem got worse gradually in two years. I had a good known working voltage regulator but it didn't solve the problem so this morning I have checked the wirings: the live connection on the rear of the alternator was totally destroyed and corroded, so I decided to unscrew it to clean it.
And this is how my nightmare begins:
When I have tried to gently unscrew the live wire, the alternator live stud broke inside, it was entirely rusted. I have tried to follow some other threads in this forum for removing the alternator, but I had no luck releasing the tension on the belt. I have tried to unbolt the alternator but the bolt on the bottom seems to spin freely and removing the upper bolt seems useless because the alternator doesn't move at all.
What could I do? I have done some minor jobs to this car and I have some basic tools. I have the Haynes Manual but this type of alternator is not well covered. 
Here is some photos: is the last one the tensioner release bolt?

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/3082/IyjeS6.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/9689/qJbCWZ.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/2113/GJXYdm.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/1600/5Baw2z.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/22/Vrjgrx.jpg 

Thanks to all in advance and sorry if I made some grammar mistakes, I'm italian. Here Felicia are somewhat rare, I have seen three in my entire life. Mine is from 2000, it was my girlfriend's grandfather car and unfortunately he did not treat it very well.

19 hours ago, danilob said:

Here is some photos: is the last one the tensioner release bolt?

 

The rest is a classic fight with seized bolts due to rust. I don't envy you. It is a pig of a job with no proper tools and no ramp.

Edited 24 January, 20224 yr by RicardoM

Thank you so much Ricardo, unfortunately rust is all over the paint with tiny little superficial rust dots, the car sat outside for its entire life so it got ice, snow, salt, rain and direct sun. Anyway, judging from your photo it should definitely be the tensioner bolt, my goal is to replace the alternator without dealing too much with the aux belt 💪

Welcome @danilob.

 

From the info on the on the sticker, your alternator is a HELLA CA1626IR. Which is a 14V 90A unit. Also, I think"remanufactured" means, that alternator had been renovated before.

By judging from alternator's voltage output and overall condition, it needs another renovation.

My suggestion is; don't buy a new alternator if you can't find a good one from a reputable brand.

 

The corroded and broken bolt is a part of the diode array. Which is a replaceable part.

Depending on their condition, new bearings could be needed. If you can remove the alternator yourself and take it to a machine shop, which has a bearing press, the overall cost will be minimum.

The slip rings look like mine before renovation. Cleaning them with no:1000 sand paper should be enough.

 

There are at least two physically different diode array models for our cars. First difference to observe is the diode array's bolt count. Your model looks like a 4+1. (4 earth + 1 live) There are 3+1 bolt diode arrays too. Like mine.

 

I've heard that, some alternator brands make their models not compatible with standard internal parts. I'm not %100 sure but some Bosh alternators might not be compatible with standard alternator parts. I don't know about Hella.

 

Dealing with rusted bolts is a headache. Apply some GT-85 or WD-40 and wait. When applying force, be careful for your hands. Expect a sudden release.

---------------------------------------------

I also saw oil leak in front of the engine. That's usually from the oil cap, cam cover seal (047103727) or engine head cover seal (047103483). Good news, these seals are cheap and very easy to replace.

Edited 25 January, 20224 yr by R_Blue
Oil leak

3 hours ago, R_Blue said:

My suggestion is; don't buy a new alternator if you can't find a good one from a reputable brand.

I have found AS-PL alternators for about 100€ (product number A9034) from Germany and they look pretty much identical to mine with external voltage regulator too, plus the brand seems ok. They differ only by an extra wire coming from the voltage regulator that goes to the live stud.

 

3 hours ago, R_Blue said:

If you can remove the alternator yourself and take it to a machine shop, which has a bearing press, the overall cost will be minimum.

I would replace the entire unit because I am pretty confident that I can do it by myself. In my area mechanics are insanely expensive, for example, they made me an estimate of about 400€ for replacing the fuel pump and when they see my poor Felicia they always tell me to junk it and buy a new car like a Fiat Punto or Panda or a modern VW. Because of this I don't really trust any mechanic here. 

 

3 hours ago, R_Blue said:

Dealing with rusted bolts is a headache. Apply some GT-85 or WD-40 and wait. When applying force, be careful for your hands. Expect a sudden release.

---------------------------------------------

I also saw oil leak in front of the engine. That's usually from the oil cap, cam cover seal (047103727) or engine head cover seal (047103483). Good news, these seals are cheap and very easy to replace.

I have sprayed some rust penentrant WD-40 (not the regular one) and I let it sat for hours but it didn't help. The oil leak is from the previous owner and it was from the oil cap and the cam cover seal, I have already replaced both but I haven't clean the leak yet and unfortunately it goes all the way down to the oil sump and the bottom engine guard

Thank you for the diode array bolts info! I have never noticed that

2 hours ago, danilob said:

and when they see my poor Felicia they always tell me to junk it and buy a new car like a Fiat Punto or Panda or a modern VW.

 

You are not the only one, i visited few years ago a repair-shop for the hanger rubber of the muffler, one of the employees (which back in his country didn't allowed for the civilians to have cars and now he became a ''mechanic") told me with grimace to don't bother any more with Felicia and buy a new model.

Immediately i glare at him, ''do you have 15.000 euro to buy a new car?" ''Hm...No way" ''So why you tell me to do this?" ,wrathful i left and went to the next exhaust repair-shop and for 15 years now i am a customer of them.

Buy a Haynes Manual from ebay, has step-by step photos for many DIY tasks and this will save you time and money.

7 hours ago, danilob said:

I have sprayed some rust penentrant WD-40 (not the regular one) and I let it sat for hours but it didn't help.

The last solution is the RED wrench. That means to apply heat to the side you want to expand then unscrew the bolt.

Update: I have managed to remove the old alternator, I had to find a short enough 14 mm open-end wrench because the radiator was in the way while releasing the tension of the belt. The alternator was stuck in its mounting bracket, I had to gently hammer it until it came loose.

An advice for those who want to remove an alternator in a 1.3 Felicia with PAS or AC (I don't know if it's the same on other models): pay attention to the bottom radiator coolant hose and the power steering pump, the alternator was way heavier than expected and could fell down.

Anyway, the old alternator seems quite worn: corroded connections and screws, sound of loose tiny wires inside while the rotor is rotating and very stiff and noisy bearing. The new part is on its way, it should arrive next Thursday.
 

On 25/01/2022 at 18:12, D.FYLAKTOS said:

Buy a Haynes Manual from ebay, has step-by step photos for many DIY tasks and this will save you time and money.

 

 

I already have the Haynes Manual and it helped me a lot (not always), but replacing alternator in a Felicia with PAS or AC is not well documented. 

Update: I have installed the new alternator, AS-PL model A9034. In my case It was more difficult than expected, definitely a four hands job. The most difficult part was putting the belt on the alternator pulley because the belt was still a bit tight, despite the tensioner was loose, and at the same time you have to pay attention to the belt on the PAS pump pulley.
Then it was just a matter of aligning the bolts holes of the alternator to the holes on the bracket, I put the upper bolt first just enough to hold the alternator in place, then I have released the tension again to align the bottom holes. I have also carefully cleaned the ring terminal of the live wire and checked for any shorts.
The new alternator came with a testing certificate, voltage regulator already installed and metal bushings ready to be pressed in, while screwing the bolts.

Now the car has a steady 14.3V with all sort of electrical load and even the engine sounds healthier and is more powerful, I think that the spark was not strong enough before and most of the fuel remained unburned.

Now I have to sort a pinging problem that occurs when the engine is in operating temperature, but I will start another thread. Thanks to everyone for the help!

1 hour ago, danilob said:

I have to sort a pinging problem that occurs when the engine is in operating temperature, but I will start another thread.

When you do, try to describe the noise, and the circumstances in which it occurs. I have a theory, but I need more information and don't want to say anything that might affect your description.

9 hours ago, KenONeill said:

When you do, try to describe the noise, and the circumstances in which it occurs. I have a theory, but I need more information and don't want to say anything that might affect your description.

I have just created the thread, I have tried to describe it at my best and I have included also some info that could be useful, let me know what you think, thank you

1 hour ago, danilob said:

I have just created the thread, I have tried to describe it at my best and I have included also some info that could be useful, let me know what you think, thank you

Cool. I'm pleased you appreciate the point that I want information not biased by my pre-existing theory.