2001 Mazda Tribute

Hi CarNoRunny,

Here are the procedures.

Removal & Installation (Tribute 3.0L)
Disconnect negative battery cable.
Remove right intermediate axle shaft. ( You need not remove the complete drive axles, just enough to get the intermediate shaft out of position to gain the space required to get the alternator out. Disconnecting the lower arm ball joint is required but not necessary to remove the complete shaft)
Remove right lower splash shield screws.
Remove drive belt from generator.
Remove upper generator mounting bolts, then remove generator lower mounting bolts.
Remove generator mounting bracket bolts, then remove mounting bracket.
Disconnect generator electrical connectors.
Remove generator.
To install, reverse removal procedure.

Thanks for the reply. I have the axle and lower joint parts out of the way. how the heck do i get those top generator bolts. Thanks again

That is the problem with Japanese cars, you need a pair of flexible hands. Wonder if the Japanese have them?

Disconnecting the engine mount and with the aid of a floor jack to lift or lower the engine should buy you some extra space.

Ok the job is completely done and it it went pretty smooth for the most part. BUT now, even with the replacement generator, the battery is still not getting a charge. it is at about 12.5 volts while ilding or revving. What can the real problem be? I have checked fuses but not any fusible links. I found one engine ground strap and it seemed ok.

Update: Old alternator tested at autozone 3 times and it works!? So the issue is not the alternator after all (wow that was a lot of work).

Please Help!!!

Wow, after so much hard work for nothing.

Did you test the voltage at the alternator? If the main wire from the alternator is bad or the it would not charge the battery.

With engine off, test the alternator main post for battery voltage. It should be similar with a slight difference allowed.

Any problem with the harmonic balancer? It tends to go bad and causes slipping of the outer pulley ring. When this occurs, the charging would be low as the aternator would be turning below required speed. Symptoms would be belting noises.

I never tested the voltage at the alternator. There is no belt noise. I am wondering if you know of anything else I can try before ripping the car apart again to test the alternator connection? And, again, Thanks a bunch.

Which of these conditions are true?

1. Charging System Warning Indicator Is ON
With Engine Running (3.0L)

2. Charging System Overcharges Battery (3.0L)

3. Charging System Warning Indicator Is ON &
Engine Is Running (3.0L)

4. Charging System Warning Indicator Is OFF &
Ignition Switch Is In RUN Position With Engine OFF. (3.0L)

5. Charging System Warning Indicator Flickers
(3.0L)

6. Generator Is Noisy

7. Radio Interference

1. Charging System Warning Indicator Is ON
With Engine Running (3.0L)

3. Charging System Warning Indicator Is ON &
Engine Is Running (3.0L)

Thanks

Test A: Charging System Warning Indicator Is On With Engine Running (3.0L) 1.Using DVOM, measure voltage between generator terminal X-102b (Yellow/White wire) and ground. If battery voltage is measured, go to next step. If battery voltage is not present, repair Yellow/White circuit, then retest system. 2.Disconnect generator connector X-102a. See Fig. 10 . Measure voltage between generator connector terminal No. 3 (Black/Yellow wire) and ground. If battery voltage is present, go to next step. If battery voltage is not present, repair Black/Yellow wire. Retest system for normal operation. 3.Turn engine off, then move ignition switch to RUN position. Measure voltage between generator connector terminal No. 1 (Light Green/Red wire) and ground. If measured voltage is equal to battery voltage, go to next step. If battery voltage is not present, repair Light Green/Red wire. Retest system for normal operation. 4.Reconnect generator connector X-102a. Start engine. Measure voltage drop between generator connector X-102b and battery positive (+) terminal. If voltage drop is less then .5 volts, replacegenerator. If voltage drop is more than .5 volts, repair high resistance in Yellow/White wire. Retest system for normal operation.

Test E: Charging System Warning Indicator Is On With Engine Running (3.0L) Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Disconnect generator connector X-102a. See Fig. 10 . Turn ignition switch to ON position. With ignition switch in RUN position, observe charging system warning indicator light. If charging system warning indicator illuminates, repair Light Green/Red wire circuit. Retest system for normal operation. If charging system warning indicator does not illuminate, replace generator.

I really appreciate all of your help. But before I tear this thing down again to check the connections at the generator I have a couple questions. I noticed while checking the fuses inside the cab that every slot is corroded. I have never seen this before on any car. The fuses still seem to be completing a circuit but I am wondering if the overall condition of the fuse panel could be hampering the charging system? Thanks again

It is possible for bad electricla connections to cause a charging fault. That is the reason you need to test the alternator charging and wiring circuit. If any of the power supply etc is not good, the charging rate would be affected.

Where corrosions are concerned, they are usually due to moisture in the air or contamination due to external sources such as rain water.