alternator,starter and thermostat access panel

[spider 1]

nice job and good pics makes life easier martin

[tyc 25]

So I want to do myself.

So simple, not good. It should be reinforced cutting by welding a flat bar frame.

The cap also welded a frame. Catching cover chassis 6mm bolt, from 10 to 10 cm (4 in 4 inch). A flat rubber gasket / sanitary silicone is required.

All this for keeping structure of resistance.

That cap with clamps, salt any blow up! (A big bump at high speed?)

Edited February 28, 2015 by tyc

[tolsen 630]

OP has only cut a hole in a soft plate. No need to strengthen this access opening. I agree the only way to seal it in its present state is by using a suitable sealant. I suggested window mastic earlier. A polyurathane sealant like PU40 (commonly used in motor homes and caravans) is probably better.

Edited February 28, 2015 by tolsen

[tyc 25]

PU40 is a better variant sealing.

Anyway be sealed if you do not want water at his feet. The electrical parts, water damage ... we look forward questions like 'why not reverse couples?'

What can happen if water comes to pedals ...? Smart has a good technical assistance service, and when the billed and he remembers it's Mercedes.

When a colleague during transport food (for a holiday), been spilled soup in the trunk (40l). Since then, the car (Volvo S60) cockpit stops at 1 ... 3 min after the first engine start and works as cars headlights intervention (eg police) - water and its effects!

The repair is $ 2200 + ... 2004 car. Probably why are not configured Smart's with this hatch.

[shcubbebah 6]

from my understanding by reviewing the tridion. please see second picture on my first post on this thread. the two support bars going width of the car highlighted in red are the main supports for the car in this portion of the vehicle as well as the side pillars. i did not interfer with either of these. the only purpose of the soft plate is to seal engine from cabin and also assist delfection of engine to the underside of car in the even of a rear end collison as previously mentioned by another user. however plate has been rebolted back in and doesnt cover the entire width of powertrain and will suffer little loss in strength in terms of deflection in that region the lower main support is formed into a t shape(in picture mentioned above) which will prevent engine from entering cabin anyways in the event my access hole should fail occupaints will not be affected as the t-support is still behind the seats. Therfore i dont see a reinforcement being necassary.

[tolsen 630]

No worries mate but perhaps you should knock out a new man hole cover and have it bolted on. Should be fairly easy with rivnuts.

[tyc 25]

An umbrella without canvas has no resistance.

Canvas without support ... it soft?

In analogy, the canvas is sheet and umbrella spokes are pillars / rollbar .

Are probably more suitable analogies regarding the structures of resistance,

but now it is evening (here's 10:41 p.m.).

[shcubbebah 6]

An umbrella without canvas has no resistance.

Canvas without support ... it soft?

In analogy, the canvas is sheet and umbrella spokes are pillars / rollbar .

Are probably more suitable analogies regarding the structures of resistance,

but now it is evening (here's 10:41 p.m.).

i like that. thats definately a way to look at it. i am just cutting a hole in the canvas so i can peek at the clouds

[tyc 25]

Canvas with door not know. Smart's have all doors.

However, we opted for panoramic roof ...

Agree idea (the hatch) require a technical hatch ,but made so as not modified TRIDON's resistance.

Probably from that pack R&D Daimler know they do.

[foxrider 1]

That mod is awesome. Had my smart for 3 days and spent 2 of them laying under it doing the alternator. Would have killed for access like that.

[shcubbebah 6]

If anyone else decides to go ahead with this mod, please let me know. I am curious if this sparks the attention of the "heavy smart do it yourselfer"

[Francesco 71]

That mod is awesome. Had my smart for 3 days and spent 2 of them laying under it doing the alternator. Would have killed for access like that.

Did you follow the tutorial on Evilution? Even without dropping the engine cradle there is no "laying under it".

[tolsen 630]

I admit I struggled when first removing alternator on my 450 Cabrio. This was in 2007 and there were no suitable guides at that time.

[foxrider 1]

How do you drop the engine and access the connections on the back of the alternator without getting underneath the car?

[tolsen 630]

Not much is accessible from underneath. Connections at back of alternator can only be accessed from the top with engine dropped or from the side by turning alternator around.

[foxrider 1]

I couldn't get at mine at all from the top. There was no way to spin the alternator with the connections still attached. Doesn't matter much now. Hopefully I never have to do it again

[tyc 25]

It is accessible from underneath if:

- Remove the oil pan

- You change operation monkey - (long hands?)

- You have the unlimited time .

Hope dies last.

Edited March 5, 2015 by tyc

[shcubbebah 6]

I couldn't get at mine at all from the top. There was no way to spin the alternator with the connections still attached. Doesn't matter much now. Hopefully I never have to do it again

This is the one thing I didn't understand that smart did. Why would they make it a standard procedure of dropping the motor to access these components I would then need to purchase the lowering bolts from what I hear are 70-80$$. Just didnt make sense so i decided to invest a few hours of my time and only $15 in cutting disks and hardware to perform the mod. Then I don't have to worry about access on the fly so if I happen to blow an alternator on the side of the road I can do a quick swap instead of paying the tow bill buying alternator lowering engine busting up my hands and then replacing it. Just made sense to me. I can now replace it in estimated 20 minutes now (mb dealer for parts is local in town aswell)

Edited March 5, 2015 by shcubbebah

[Francesco 71]

You carry a spare alternator? These don't exactly blow up on the side of the road.

[MikeT 744]

Right you are. In 335,000 km of smart 450 motoring, I have yet to experience any alternator or starter motor issue. I would only expect to have such problems once in half a million km on any given car. Cut a smart open? Never!

Also, as Francesco and others have shown, the lowering bolts are quite easy to use.

[CANMAN 23]

Mike,

You live in Vancouver, unlike the rest of Canada you don't have to deal with road salt.

The salt eats the aluminum of the alternator frame and the copper of the wires and slip rings.

Alternator "rust" where the rotor and stator seize togeter after a week or two of not driving the car is common.

I have had to replace 3 alternators on my "fleet" of 4 smart cars, and have had to put a socket on the pulley nut a couple of times to break the alternator rust free a couple of times.

Personally I wouldn't do this firewall mod because of the risk of fire cutting the access hole and as I have stated previously I don't think the benefits outweigh the risks and the amount of work involved.

I created the alternator replacement wiki, you don't require lowering bolts to replace the alternator, and can probably do the entire job in approximately 3 hours ( I have never timed myself).

I wish the rest of us could enjoy your trouble free smart ownership experience, of my fleet, only 2 are on the road, one of the "broken" ones need a new clutch fork ( second time I have had to do this job, perhaps I will make another wiki ) and unfortunately I had an accident with my cabriolet which I hope to have time to repair this summer.

Canman

[Francesco 71]

Climate is certainly part of it. I had my first alternator replaced right before the end of my warranty four years ago. The second one is now squealing during cold starts, and my headlamps and dash lights flicker while driving, four years and 57000 km later. But this problem is gradual. An alternator that blows up while driving has certainly had problems ignored for a long, long time.

Also, I'll believe that access to the alternator, starter and thermostat through this panel on the smart is easier when I actually see an account of someone attempting to replace these parts through such a hole. I just can't visualize adequate access for tools and instruments, and room to manipulate the tools and parts to get them out or in.

Finally, I can't see cutting an access port in a firewall as a great idea. There are many transverse-engine "normal" cars that require all sorts of black magic to access spark plugs, injectors, etc. and none of these cars have access panels in their firewalls. The firewall is part of the occupant protection systems, and in the smart -- a car that already puts occupants much closer to the outside world than any other -- it is simply a poor idea considering the number of times these buried components are replaced and the relatively easy method the manufacturer has conceived to do it.

[MikeT 744]

Actually I don't live in Vancouver and they do use a lot of salty brine on the roads here in the winter, which my first smart was extensively exposed to. But it is definitely not as bad as it is in some other parts of Canada. My white car is not driven in the salt brine. Though it does live 60 metres from the ocean...

[Jerzy 8]

I couldn't get at mine at all from the top. There was no way to spin the alternator with the connections still attached. Doesn't matter much now. Hopefully I never have to do it again

This is the one thing I didn't understand that smart did. Why would they make it a standard procedure of dropping the motor to access these components I would then need to purchase the lowering bolts from what I hear are 70-80$$. Just didnt make sense so i decided to invest a few hours of my time and only $15 in cutting disks and hardware to perform the mod. Then I don't have to worry about access on the fly so if I happen to blow an alternator on the side of the road I can do a quick swap instead of paying the tow bill buying alternator lowering engine busting up my hands and then replacing it. Just made sense to me. I can now replace it in estimated 20 minutes now (mb dealer for parts is local in town aswell)

Don't be discouraged Shcubbebah by any comments because you are thinking out of the box. For some you are an "inspiration". I will do this mod when it gets a bit wormer in Toronto despite all concerns. If it takes three hours to cut the hole - it is three hours of my pleasure working on my SMART. If I will ever use it, I don't know but I intend to keep the car for a long time. Eventually things brake or need a maintenance.

[tolsen 630]

Most cars these days are much worse than our 450 as far as ease of maintenance is concerned. I bet the new 453 is the worst of the lot. Designed by Renault so access to components should be totally impossible.