Couldn't find a write up before doing my alternator replacement so I thought I'd type one up. Unfortunately I didn't think to take any pictures whilst doing it but I'll do my best to describe all the steps. If someone comes up with a way to keep the coolant from pouring out please do mention it in the comments. The whole coolant part might not be necessary, but I found it easiest to just disconnect the lower coolant hose from the engine to fit tools where necessary. Here's a pic of my engine bay with the ruined alternator, the pulley broke off' the axle and created that lovely red tint in the engine bay, the correct route for the serpentine belt can also be seen from this.
Tools needed:
- E10 torx socket
- E12 torx socket
- 13 mm socket
- 8 mm socket
- T30 torx bit (short as possible, preferably on a ratchet)
- 17 mm star socket
- container for coolant
- hose clamp tool or 7mm socket
Parts and consumables
- alternator
- serpentine belt (not necessary is yours is in good nick, but why not whilst you're at it)
- replacement coolant (would be a good idea to do a flush and refill whilst doing this)
Time needed: 2-3ish hours depending on skill level, I was closer to the 3 mark.
Difficulty: 5/10,
1. Raise the front of the vehicle. Remove the bottom panel, there are six 8 mm screws holding it on, once the screws are out slide it backwards, lower the front end and slide the panel out.
2. Remove the plastic engine panel on the top of the engine, this just pops out.
From under the car:
3. Disconnect the negative battery lead. Remove the electrical connections at the base of the alternator. The battery cable is fastened with a 13mm nut that has a plastic cover on it, pop the plastic cover off, remove the nut and disconnect the lead. The other connection is a plastic plug that has a simple clip holding it on. Be careful not to break this, the clip is on the lead end and the "hook" is on the alternator end.
4. Remove the lower two bolts off' the alternator (E12).
5. That should be all that needs doing from the bottom of the car. Before you can get to most of the other fastners you'll need to remove some stuff that will be in your way. Remove the following:
- air inlet hose, attached from both ends with plastic push and pull tabs.
- turbo inlet hose (from filter to turbo inlet) Disconnect the engine's oil breather and sensor cable from the hose also. The turbo inlet hose is connected using a hose clamp to the filter box and at the turbo inlet.
- Disconnect the boost hose from the turbo end, this is fastened with an E10 bolt at the turbo end. The turbo mounting bracket is also connected to the alternator with two E10 bolts, remove these also.
5. As you'll be able to see now, getting to the upper 2 bolts of the alternator is damn near impossible with the lower radiator hose connected, I elected to remove this from the engine, but being the idiot that I am I didn't give enough thought the coolant in the engine. Sure I clamped off the hose going to the rad and at the top of the engine, but that didn't do much good. Instead of being an idiot like me, drain some or all of the fluid out before disconnecting the hose. I ended up putting 4 liters back into the system so that would be the amount to drain before this. I wont do a write up on how to drain the engine because I haven't had time to look into it. One option if to simply disconnect the hose as I did, and catch the fluid into a suitable container, as I said, about 4 liters will come out.
6. Next up the will be the removal of the serpentine belt. Remove this by using a 17 mm star stocket or wrench to ease off the pre-tensioner. Apply counter-clockwise pressure to the pretensioner and slip off the belt. I took a picture of mine before removal to help get it back on right when replacing.
7. Now it's time to remove the upper 2 bolts holding the alternator on. These are also E12 bolts, but getting to the one at the rear can be tricky. The on at the front will come off easier, the one at the rear can be loosened with a ratchet, but once it come loose it may be easier to remove with a 10 mm star spanner, atleast I found. I would suggest undoing the rear one first so that the one at the front will hold the alternator in place, making it easier to undo the bolt with your fingers.
8. The only thing holding the alternator in place now is a bracket with 3 screws, one mounted at the top to the car and 2 at the alternator. I found it easiest to swing the alternator forward and remove the 2 T30 torx screws with the alternator swung forward. It was a fiddly job but doable. Once these screws are out the alternator is freed.
9. Unless you remove the anti-roll bar at the bottom, the alternator must be removed from the top. It was fiddly as all hell, but doable. I found the best way was to shift the alternator, with the pulley facing forward, to about the middle of the engine bay and slip the pulley in between the fan blades, then I lifted it up whilst rotating the fan, being careful not to do any damage. With a bit of wrestling it will come out.
10... The next steps will simply be to pop the new alternator back in the reverse order. If there aren't any screws, nuts or bolts left behind you should be good to go. A few tips:
- Lower the new alternator using the same route/technique as when you removed the old one.
- Connect the bracket with the T30 torx screws first, this will help with mounting the alternators bigger bolts.
- Start from the lower two bolts, it will be easier to push the alternator into position from the bottom as opposed to pulling from the top. Also, once on the bracket, pop the E12 mounting bolts into the alternator, as getting them in afterwards will be a pain.
- Before reconnecting the battery lead make sure your key isn't in the car, incase it locks the doors for whatever reason.
11. Refill and burp the cooling system. Basically start filling it up when cold, set the air conditioning off' auto, turn on full heat, low fan and start the engine. Let it heat up to operating temperature and fill up the system as it burps. Take the car for a spin and fill the reservoir to the correct level. Taking care when opening the reservoir! General advice is to wait until cooled but if you're careful when opening it and release the pressure, you should be fine to open it when hot.
Hope this will help someone who wants to give this a try.
Tools needed:
- E10 torx socket
- E12 torx socket
- 13 mm socket
- 8 mm socket
- T30 torx bit (short as possible, preferably on a ratchet)
- 17 mm star socket
- container for coolant
- hose clamp tool or 7mm socket
Parts and consumables
- alternator
- serpentine belt (not necessary is yours is in good nick, but why not whilst you're at it)
- replacement coolant (would be a good idea to do a flush and refill whilst doing this)
Time needed: 2-3ish hours depending on skill level, I was closer to the 3 mark.
Difficulty: 5/10,
1. Raise the front of the vehicle. Remove the bottom panel, there are six 8 mm screws holding it on, once the screws are out slide it backwards, lower the front end and slide the panel out.
2. Remove the plastic engine panel on the top of the engine, this just pops out.
From under the car:
3. Disconnect the negative battery lead. Remove the electrical connections at the base of the alternator. The battery cable is fastened with a 13mm nut that has a plastic cover on it, pop the plastic cover off, remove the nut and disconnect the lead. The other connection is a plastic plug that has a simple clip holding it on. Be careful not to break this, the clip is on the lead end and the "hook" is on the alternator end.
4. Remove the lower two bolts off' the alternator (E12).
5. That should be all that needs doing from the bottom of the car. Before you can get to most of the other fastners you'll need to remove some stuff that will be in your way. Remove the following:
- air inlet hose, attached from both ends with plastic push and pull tabs.
- turbo inlet hose (from filter to turbo inlet) Disconnect the engine's oil breather and sensor cable from the hose also. The turbo inlet hose is connected using a hose clamp to the filter box and at the turbo inlet.
- Disconnect the boost hose from the turbo end, this is fastened with an E10 bolt at the turbo end. The turbo mounting bracket is also connected to the alternator with two E10 bolts, remove these also.
5. As you'll be able to see now, getting to the upper 2 bolts of the alternator is damn near impossible with the lower radiator hose connected, I elected to remove this from the engine, but being the idiot that I am I didn't give enough thought the coolant in the engine. Sure I clamped off the hose going to the rad and at the top of the engine, but that didn't do much good. Instead of being an idiot like me, drain some or all of the fluid out before disconnecting the hose. I ended up putting 4 liters back into the system so that would be the amount to drain before this. I wont do a write up on how to drain the engine because I haven't had time to look into it. One option if to simply disconnect the hose as I did, and catch the fluid into a suitable container, as I said, about 4 liters will come out.
6. Next up the will be the removal of the serpentine belt. Remove this by using a 17 mm star stocket or wrench to ease off the pre-tensioner. Apply counter-clockwise pressure to the pretensioner and slip off the belt. I took a picture of mine before removal to help get it back on right when replacing.
7. Now it's time to remove the upper 2 bolts holding the alternator on. These are also E12 bolts, but getting to the one at the rear can be tricky. The on at the front will come off easier, the one at the rear can be loosened with a ratchet, but once it come loose it may be easier to remove with a 10 mm star spanner, atleast I found. I would suggest undoing the rear one first so that the one at the front will hold the alternator in place, making it easier to undo the bolt with your fingers.
8. The only thing holding the alternator in place now is a bracket with 3 screws, one mounted at the top to the car and 2 at the alternator. I found it easiest to swing the alternator forward and remove the 2 T30 torx screws with the alternator swung forward. It was a fiddly job but doable. Once these screws are out the alternator is freed.
9. Unless you remove the anti-roll bar at the bottom, the alternator must be removed from the top. It was fiddly as all hell, but doable. I found the best way was to shift the alternator, with the pulley facing forward, to about the middle of the engine bay and slip the pulley in between the fan blades, then I lifted it up whilst rotating the fan, being careful not to do any damage. With a bit of wrestling it will come out.
10... The next steps will simply be to pop the new alternator back in the reverse order. If there aren't any screws, nuts or bolts left behind you should be good to go. A few tips:
- Lower the new alternator using the same route/technique as when you removed the old one.
- Connect the bracket with the T30 torx screws first, this will help with mounting the alternators bigger bolts.
- Start from the lower two bolts, it will be easier to push the alternator into position from the bottom as opposed to pulling from the top. Also, once on the bracket, pop the E12 mounting bolts into the alternator, as getting them in afterwards will be a pain.
- Before reconnecting the battery lead make sure your key isn't in the car, incase it locks the doors for whatever reason.
11. Refill and burp the cooling system. Basically start filling it up when cold, set the air conditioning off' auto, turn on full heat, low fan and start the engine. Let it heat up to operating temperature and fill up the system as it burps. Take the car for a spin and fill the reservoir to the correct level. Taking care when opening the reservoir! General advice is to wait until cooled but if you're careful when opening it and release the pressure, you should be fine to open it when hot.
Hope this will help someone who wants to give this a try.
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