DIY: Alternator Removal Writeup and Video

[sam o nela]

Alternator Removal Replacement DIY

This DIY will walk you through the process of the removal of the alternator.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=aIY26Hye4kM

Materials needed:

~ Ratchet
~ Breaker Bar
~ 10mm, 12mm, 14mm sockets
~ Rubber mallet
~ Di-electric grease

1. First and foremost DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE FROM THE BATTERY. Never service any electrical component with the battery connected.

2. Remove this plastic belt cover by removing the three 10mm nuts holding it in place.




3. Remove the harness plug and the power wire from the alternator.




4. Loosen up the power steering pump by breaking loose its 14mm bolt and 12mm adjustment bolt. This will allow it to move out of your way.




5. Remove this engine hoist bracket to allow for greater accessibility.




6. The alternator is held in at these two points. A 14mm bolt and a 12mm nut. Break these two loose. They may be on pretty tight so use the breaker bar instead of the ratchet. Also, the 12mm nut is located behind the belts and near the motor mount, so it is a bit awkward to get at. Just BE SURE to keep the socket flush and try not to strip the nut!!




7. Now that these two points are loose, you can give the alternator enough slack to slip off the belt.





8. Now with the belt off, go ahead and remove the 14mm bolt, 12mm nut (be VERY careful not to drop it!) and pivot the alternator to the very top of its travel path. Now you may remove the adjuster bolt from behind.




9. Now with all of the hardware removed, pivot the alternator up and down until it releases from its mount.




10. Before installation, be sure to apply some di-electric grease to these terminals to prevent corrosion in the future.




11. Place the new alternator into the mount (where it pivots). Some cars will by lucky and it will just glide right in. However, if it gives you any trouble, gently tap it with the rubber mallet to get it to go into its mount. Repeat this process until you can easily insert and thread the 14mm bolt.



12. Now the installation is simply the reverse of the removal.

[bubzbeats]

Ur the man!!! Thnx! made thing so much easier this time!

[LegendaryAffinity]

Thanks Gabe for the great write up and video. They saved me so much time. I have never taken out an alternator and was able to do it in about 20min because of this DIY.

Although I didn't have to do anything with the PS pump or engine hoist bracket.

[Zureal]

thank you for posting this, made replacing my alternator that much easier and faster. the only thing i was unsure about was how much to retighten the ajuster, as i have no way to gauge belt tension. So i had to judge it by feel, :/ anyways, thx

[AcuraLegend55k1990]

Thanks I used this and mine worked from the first try ever on any car just glad it was a legend!