On a 96 Sable with 3.0 duretec? Just bpought the car today. I was told be the seller it needs an alternator. I se it is buried and might be a tough job. But while driving it home about 20 miles it started leaking coolant out of what appears to be the water pump area. Is this a very difficult back yard mechanic fix? If so any ball park figures of how much a shop will charge to fix these teo things? Thanks in advance for any advise.

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Edited by: rstrunk

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The alternator is pricey, but get a rebuilt one. The hardest part of changing it out is getting the belt off. It takes a 15 mm which are hard to find. Might want to change the idler pulley bearing while you have it off. Mine froze up and broke the belt.
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