alternator removal

[grasmere59]

After my alternator gave up last week i've managed to find a good used unit,it looks a bit of a pig to change but is there anything special i should look out for or is there a way to/way not to do it? I'm going to change the belt and pulleys while i'm at it and might even do the bottom pulley as i've a new one in the garage.

[paulm]

Its pretty straight forward,i disconnected the battery,15mm spanner on the belt tensioner to get the belt off or undo the adjustable tensioner if you prefer,undo and remove the electrical connections,i also removed the power steering pump to make getting at the alternator bolts easier,i think the bolts have 16mm heads,undo and remove the bolts and lift it out from above,job done.Hope this helps.

Paul

[Doggy]

+1

...and there's a hole for a locking pin to hold the tensioner while you remove / replace the belt.

pays to memorise the route round the pulleys before you take the belt off, as it's not specially intuitive to put back on.

[trem1]

assuming here that yours is the RHS engine with aircon, this is the belt route

[grasmere59]

Cheers for that,it looks about right.All i need is a bucket of enthusiasm now!

[grasmere59]

Well i found a bucket of enthusiasm but the weather beat me i better put the bucket back in the shed untill a dry day!

[Doggy]

Did you put it right at the back of the shed, (where I store my get-up-and-go)?

[grasmere59]

Right at the back but i think the bucket had a hole in it so it might be all gone when i go to get it again !

[grasmere59]

Well finally got round to changing the alternator,as sod's law would have it when i started the car to reposition it on the drive the old alternator was charging!,anyway changed the alternator,belt,idler,and tensioner.I thought while i was at it i would change the bottom pulley as i had a new one in the garage,put the car in gear and got my neighbour to hold the brake pedal down and a long extension and a 2 foot breaker bar---------------nada i couldn't budge the bolt,it was twisting the extension and bending the breaker bar,didn't fancy the crank the starter method so there it stayed! Back on the road now anyway.

[jasper5]

Well finally got round to changing the alternator,as sod's law would have it when i started the car to reposition it on the drive the old alternator was charging!,anyway changed the alternator,belt,idler,and tensioner.I thought while i was at it i would change the bottom pulley as i had a new one in the garage,put the car in gear and got my neighbour to hold the brake pedal down and a long extension and a 2 foot breaker bar---------------nada i couldn't budge the bolt,it was twisting the extension and bending the breaker bar,didn't fancy the crank the starter method so there it stayed! Back on the road now anyway.

The starter cranking method is so simple, those who have seen me do it first hand will testify.

[grasmere59]

I was worried to do the crank undo as i thought if it's not going to shift with a 2ft breaker bar i might shear the bolt off cranking it.

[Doggy]

Glad to hear you've got the alternator sorted, shame about the pulley.

[grasmere59]

I had ordered a Clarke 240v impact wrench which should have been here by Saturday but didn't turn up so that would have probably shifted it,i haven't got a 6 sided 22mm socket and was worried about rounding the bolt head with only the standard socket i had.I'll have another go at it when the impact wrench arrives.