While adding oil to the engine today I noticed the main pivot bolt on the alternator had come out. Thinking, OK I'll just bolt that back in, that was not to be. It just came out and the end had snapped off in the bracket.
Oh joy, I get to take off the giant bracket to drill out the snapped end. I had previously tried to take off the bracket but gave up after I realised how many bolts were holding it on and how hard they are to get at with a socket wrench.
So I continue to locate the 3 bolts and 2 nuts on the block that hold it in place. I removed the alternator first, relatively easy job as I've done it twice before about 6 years ago. This is where today's drama all started.
Turns out using all my extensions going up in front of the muffler and over the cross member is an easy way to get at the 2 nuts and 3rd bolt. Took out the bracket and drilled out the end of the pivot bolt. That came out easy which was nice. Then I proceeded to clean up the bracket and alternator itself. The bolt I have is still long enough to go back in but it's only a temp fix until I can find/buy another bolt.
Now here why I spent the afternoon under the MR2.
It all started not long after I bought the car, it was all going well and then the dash lights lit up. Must have been the alternator so limped home on a dying battery. Pulled it out and found the bushes were toast and so was the shaft. Got a great deal on a rebuilt version from Repco (great having family members working there at the time) and I put that in. Was working well until about a month later when the same symptoms arise. Dash lights on and low idle. Limped home again and pulled it out. Sent it back and got a new one. Turns out the capacitor went pop.
After that everything was fine until I realised I lost the pivot bolt while driving around at some point which means I hadn't tightened it up properly. Searched through my spare bolts and the only thing that would fit was a head bolt from my old 2E Corolla. I thought, great, it fits and left it at that.
Fast forward 6 years or so to today and that bolt had snapped halfway down the thread of the bracket. I thought, how odd, why after 6 years has it snapped when it fit fine when installed. Turns out a 2E head bolt is M9x1.25 where a proper bolt for this situation is an M10x1.25. M9 seems odd but it threads in still where an M8 won't hook up on the bracket thread at all. The bolt being that tiny bit smaller allowed for movement and eventually it gave up.
Broken bolt
Dirty bracket and alternator
Clean(er) alternator
until I restarted it this morning from cold. Back to low struggling cold idle. 
. 
