I think if the front wheels are holding the car up (car on ground, or up on ramps), the front wheels are pushed up and the axle will be in the way. You need to lift the car so the left front wheel is hanging down free.

 

right. either jack the car up at the front of the car or put it on a jackstand.

 

Um, not OR put it on a jack stand
PUT IT ON A JACK STAND
never workon a carthat is just jacked up

 

My bad. I normally work with it up on hydraulic jack in the front and jackstands on both sides.

 

So I brought it to the shop and guess what happened. (This is why I hate shops.) They said that I also needed new struts, tires (they said the tread was fine, but they were loud so i needed new ones), fuel filter, a couple other things i can't remember right now, and they comented on my aftermarket headlights saying that they could have put a load on my alternator causing it to malfunction even though they tested the headlights and said they were within the oem specs! They ran up an estimation and not including the alternator it was over $2000.
I told them I was on a tight budget and couldn't afford it.

 

"excuse me sir your tires are too loud we have to replace them" WTF??? I would not go to that shop agian. If I try a new shop I like to see how they react when I tell them that I only want the problem fixed that I came in about, and that I will take a printed quote on the "extras" they are trying to sell...some ppl get pretty upset about it hahaha

 

that's a bunch of baloney. did they confirm that it was the alt that is going bad? this is why i prefer going to an autoparts store like autozone or oreillys since they have no reason to look at anything else.

if it is your alt, then go get one, around $130 with a lifetime warranty.

 

Crap! i didn't even think about that! I'll bet that's why some can get it out and some can't. I've got it on ramps and of course that would mean that the axle is pushed up a bit. Got the bolts and mount out with little to no problem. Thank God I had to work today and didn't go ahead and pull the axle. I'm not gonna rule that out but what you say makes sense. I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

Do you think I could just leave the passenger wheel on the ramp and jack the driver's where it is or should I take it off the ramps and jack the driver's side only?

 

It's not safe to jack up a car that's already on ramps. Secure the alternator and push the car off the ramps then lift the left side. Of course be sure to securely support it before getting underneath.

 

Ya they did a diagnosis which cost me $50, but they fixed it and my car is all better. Not worth $650 though.