How do you replace the alternator?

Replacing an Alternator

To start, REMOVE YOUR NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL.

Well first off if you have the shield under your car then you will have to remove that, 2 screws under the car, 2 screws and 1 popout clip in the front passenger side wheel well(you have to remove the wheel to get to it). Once you have that off you will be able to see the alternator from under the car. Start at the top under the hood, remove your plastic piece that covers the front of your engine bay, once that is off unplug the connectors to the alternator(one is visible and the other is under a black cap you have to pop off and unscrew), there is also a clip holding the wire to the alternator on the shield piece of it(pointing toward the engine, you will see it, it pops out with a bit of force). Once all connections have been removed you will have to slip your alternator belt off the alternator(if replacing belt as well, which I do recomment you just loosen the tensioner and pull it off of all the pullies) then there is 1 bolt holding the alternator in at the top (tough to get to but what I did was stick my arm down the side with a 10mm and wrap it around infront of the alternator and take it off. Once that is removed go back under the car and there is 1 bolt holding it in that you have to remove before it comes out freely. After that your home free :)

Manual

look into getting a hayes repair manual or similar book for your cars make, model and year. It should tell you how to install the alternator. Your local library may also have a general auto repair manual to give you a general idea. Hope this helps :) also if you have a friend or a friend of a friend that is a mechanic, maybe they can help

General

I can give you general information on changing an alternator because I've done it twice on my 1991 Chevy Cavalier. Before you get dirty and take your car apart, test it to make sure the alternator is really bad. If you have a voltmeter, measure the voltage at the battery with the engine off. For a fully charged battery, it should be 12.6 volts or higher. Start the engine and check voltage again, now it should be 13.5 to 14.5 volts, indicating that the alternator is charging. Auto parts stores can also test the battery and alternator both on and off the car. First of all, to avoid any short circuits, disconnect the negative battery cable before working on any part of the electrical system. I once forgot to do this while working on my car. The alternator wire brushed against the mounting bracket and made some pretty good fireworks under the hood. SAFETY FIRST!!! Once the electricity is off, take off the drive belt. If your car uses regular V-belts, there will be a curved metal arm above the alternator. Loosen this bolt so you can move the alternator to take the tension off. Note: You might as well replace the belt too if it's in bad shape. If your car has a serpentine belt (one belt drives everything) there is a spring-loaded tensioner wheel. Most auto parts places sell a special tool for releasing the tension. If there is enough room, vise grips will work as well for serpentine belts. Once the belt is off, disconnect the electrical wiring from the back of the alternator. There will usually be a connector plug that snaps in as well as the "battery" wire, a red wire secured to a post on the back marked "B+". Once the wiring is disconnected, remove the mounting bolts that hold the alternator on (usually two or three bolts), and remove the alternator from the mounting bracket (Don't lose the bolts!!!). Save the old alternator, odds are you will need it to return as a core to get your core fee back when you buy the new alternator. When you buy the new alternator, you will need to tell the parts guy what make, year, model, and motor size when you buy the replacement unit. Installation is simply a reverse of removal.

80's Honda

on some late 80's honda's you have to remove the splash pan and the left side cv axle to get it out.

Me firt

Read Me First!!!! I have just completed the changind of an alternator on a 1987 Honda Accord. I did NOT remove the front left axel! That is the good news. The bad news is i did some grinding around one of the engine mounts(harmless, I assure you) The car was designed where is you have to remove the axil, but let me tell you, i explored that possibility and from what i read, i tried my way and it actually did work. If you have gotten to this point 1) Car is jacked up and you have located and loosened the alternator (if you are this far, you see what i mean) Its not coming out nomatter how you turn it, pull it.. i tried it all...believe me, its not happening.... If your this far...go get you a grinder and grind on the mount for a while. It will come out and it beats removing the axil and whatever goes along with that ie..grease spillage or ? If you know what you are doing than go ahead, odds are you are not reading this page anyway, but if your like me than take my advice..GRIND IT! ,,,It works

Check out Autozones website. They have the Chifton manuels for most cars on the site. It will point you in the right direction.

Try this

before you remove your alternator, try this; turn your car on, open the hood, disconnect a battery terminal; if the alternator is working fine, the car should keep on running, if the car turns off, then you know you should change the alternator, I tell you this because I changed the alternator twice before I found the problem on my car.

Manual

This is a very involved procedure, that is too complex to post here. Go to any auto parts store and purchase a repair manual for you ride. There you will find detailed instructions. Cost around $12

Simple

Disconnect the positive terminal from the battery. Disconnect the alternator's feed and secure it as to not make contact with anything. Unbolt the alt. and replace it (belt may be difficult to put back on...don't use a screwdriver though...could cause damage to the belt). Check the belt tension as per recommended tension. Reconnect alt's. feed and, then, the battery's positve.

• Note:

Answer

You should only have to take out 2 bolts and take off a belt. When replacing an alternator you usually want to replace the belt to.

Answer

It depends in large part on what kind of car you have.

On most American cars, the alternator's on top--you unhook the battery, remove two bolts and the belt, disconnect the wires, take out the old alternator and put in a new one, then reconnect everything you disconnected. The other end of the spectrum is the four-cylinder Honda engine, where the alternator is behind the engine and you need to be a contortionist to get it out.

First answer by ID1171855830. Last edit by Jmowreader. Contributor trust: 86 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 636 [recommend question]