Take the alternator, for instance. My charge warning light was coming on and I figured I should probably get my alternator looked at before it completely crapped out and left me stranded somewhere. I've been dreading getting back down to the alternator. The last time I only had to loosen the belt to get to the timing belts. This time, I would have to completely remove it. I put the car on jackstands again and pulled off the right rear wheel and wheelwell liner. Deep down in the bowels, nestled next to the fuel tank was my nemesis. The darned alternator.
Working on this car is like the "knee bone's connected to the leg bone" song. To get access to the alternator, the aluminum coolant pipe needs to be partially disconnected and swung out of the way. Well, in order to do that, the coolant has to be partially drained through a petcock in the rear cylinder bank. After that, the pipe needed to be unhooked from the thermostat housing. And where is that, do you ask? Why, it's under the air cleaner snorkel! Which means loosening up the engine cover to get to the air cleaner, then removing the carb trumpets, then...then...then...urgh!
Finally, after draining over a gallon of coolant and making a ruddy mess, I get to the point of loosening the alternator mounting bolts. I thought I was so smart last time in reversing the top mounting bolt so I could get to it easier the next time. Well, all the bolts loosened easily. I started to drive the lower pivot bolt through when...it would move no more. Huh? I stuck my hand back there to see what was going on and I could not believe it. It seems that the dipstick tube is keeping the bolt from sliding all the way out of the alternator mounting hole. What the heck?
That's when I called it a night. I can just see it now -- two old Italians hanging out in a cafe in Italy. "Hey, Giuseppe what fun we had putting those Ferrari engines together! Just wait til some stupid American tries to work on it! Hah!"
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