I spent Friday doing a bit of work on my beloved's vehicle. She was stranded the night before when the engine died out on her. Thanks for family who went to her rescue and got her (and the vehicle) home.
Anyway, the job involved replacing the battery and the alternator. Not really a big deal. The battery was simple, the alternator looked simple. The alternator was held by three bolts tightened to 47n/M. Easily enough removed. Should have taken 10-15 minutes.
Should have. In removing the alternator I discovered I had to release the tension on the serpentine belt and slide it off the alternator pulley. No worries, right? Not so fast. Having never done this before I automatically came to the conclusion that if I loosened the belt tensioner bolt the arm would swing counter-clockwise and release tension. Sounds reasonable right? It doesn't work that way, believe me, never loosen a bolt without knowing what you are doing. I almost lost the whole tensioner and that would have been a major repair.
Next, I looked at the tension arm and saw a small hole. Push with a screwdriver, thinks I. Doesn't work. Now I'm baffled.
At this stage I finally download a manual. I discovered that it takes a 3/8" ratched drive to release the tension. Just insert into the tensioner, push down, and voila the belt is released. 30 seconds later the belt was off, and 10 minutes later the job was done. Easy.
Lesson? It always helps to have a manual to give instruction. For a Benedictine there are two: Scripture and the Holy Rule.
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