Tools required:
Rachet
8mm wrench
10mm deep socket
13mm deep socket
15mm shallow socket
15mm Deep socket
Piece of steel wool
Small amount of lubricant (oil/vasoline/grease)
Catch basin for coolant
Dorman 47065/Napa 660-1736/GM Dealer (Coolant Elbows)
This is written for a 99+ W body or 00+ C/H/G body, if your car is a Series II motor and before these years, please see the note at bottom of writeup.
Unhook the negative terminal of the battery 8mm
Untension the accessory belt shallow 15mm
Move the coolant overflow and lay it on the front of the motor.
Remove the alternator from the tensioner bracket 13mm/15mm
Remove three bolts holding the tensioner bracket to the cylinder head (see picture)
Wiggle the bracket and it will come off. (See note if you have an earlier year, this is important)
Remove any pieces of elbow stuck in the LIM, timing cover or the tensioner bracket.
Use the steel wool to clean the old elbow's ridge out of those areas.
Lubricate all o-rings on the new elbows
Install the elbow with equal sized ends in the top hole of the tensioner and the other into the bottom hole.
Line up the elbows and wiggle the tensioner into place
Start all three bolts to hold the tensioner to the head
Tighten the bolts a little at a time and gently wiggle the upper elbow as you do this until the bolts are tight and the upper elbow still wiggle slightly.
Reinstall the alternator
Reinstall the belt
Reinstall coolant overflow
Hook up battery
Fill with coolant and bleed system.
Note: If your car is 96-99 for the bodies listed in the important note, then your alternator bracket has a metal lower coolant elbow cast as part of the assembly. This is important because you can break the timing cover if you pull it from driver side to passenger side. To remove the alt bracket you want to wiggle it front to back in the engine bay only. This will feel like it takes forever. Do not give up and if your upper coolant elbow (plastic) breaks, that is fine. Wiggle and remove as gently as possible. This will keep you from breaking a timing cover.
Easy
