Hi all,

I am a new mechanic getting into wrenching as a hobby! I know little to nothing but read somewhere that one of the best ways to learn is to buy a "cheap" fixer upper and start, well, fixing it. That led me to the purchase of a 2004 Alero off of my local classifieds. It runs and drives but obviously needs some love.

My question for you all is special tools, for example (based off an internet post in another forum: https://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34648) they were detailing the steps to replace an output shaft seal. In it, it specifies special tools to use. I looked up said tools and they are expensive! In that same post some of the comments indicated that they were necessary but I wanted to ask to get a second opinion as I am new to all of this and don't know any better.

Thank you!

 

First, in many cases the Kent-Moore tools are not 100% necessary. They DO make the job easier, but often there are work-arounds. Second, if you have the Kent-Moore tool numbers, you can frequently find them used on ebay for pennies on the dollar. When all the GM dealerships when out of business 20 years ago, I grabbed all the K-M tools I could find that applied to the cars I own (or plan to own). Third, in a lot of cases, companies like Lisle and K-D sell generic versions of the special factory tools, again at a discount. Fourth, forums that specialize in the particular car often have members who have either developed work-arounds or have the tools you need. Unfortunately that Alero is too new for my tastes so I don't have any specific info beyond that.

 

I am on Aleromod, not much in the past 5 years or so. The knowledge over there is not to be taken lightly. I have been trying to find a good price on the factory service manuals for 2004 They are 4 times what 99-2001 ones go for. I have a 04 Alero GLS coupe, but it's a pristine 15k mile that I have owned since day one. I have gave it a can of 134a and last year or so was giving a lean bank one CEL. That was a dirty MAF sensor. My advice is to use OEM parts whenever possible. There is a guy on a FB group must have 2500 into parts to realize that OE was speaking better to all of the computers. But his parts cannon was well used IMO.

Pat

 

Thanks for the reply. I'll look into all of that!