Alternator Renewal (How I Did It)

[Arctic]

This is how i went about fitting my faulty alternator on my Rover 75 Tourer diesel, in all this was carried out over two days as i had a few interruptions from family visits etc so a basic two hour job took me two days :roll: mind this included the photo sessions.

First i started with taking the engine cover off three bolts 8mm to give me more light and access if needed later on when working under the car as i intended to take the alternator off from below with out removing the front bumper.
Fig 1/2/3 remove the engine cover.
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My next step was to drive the tourer up onto the ramps the reason for this was to give me the extra height you may have to use axle stands only if you do not have ramps, once on the ramps handbrake on full and chock the rear wheels both sides extra precaution, now remove the neg battery cable from the battery.
I then jacked up the drivers side of the cat with the sissor jack using my timber pad for extra height so i could put an axle stand under the car and remove the front wheel to gain access to the wheel arch liner which needs to be either removed completely or in my case peeled back, this gives you access to the A/C pump belt and tensioner.
Car jacked up axle stand in place as is the jack also Fig 4
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Wheel arch liner peeled back giving the access to the A/C tensioner and main pulley Fig 5
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I now marked the tensioner adjuster release nut with a permanent marker as reference when refiting the A/C belt which i was also changing Fig 6
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Once i had undone the adjuster nut a little using 10mm, i then used a 22mm socket to turn the the tensioner clockwise to take the tension off the belt ready for removing. Fig7/8
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With the air conditioning compressor drivebelt manoeuvred off the pulley i set about removing the main drive belt using a 24mm ring spanner and another spanner for leverage on the tensioner nut above the main pulley i also used a cable tie round the lever spanner and the front sub frame these were then joined together with another cable tie Fig9
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The purpose of this is to close the cable tie in the middle as i pull on the tensioner nut which will hold it in place for me Fig 10
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The belt canthen be removed easy while the tensioner is held back by the spanner and cable ties Fig 11
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From the engine bay remove the belt from the power steering pump pulley Fig 12
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with the belt removed i cut the middle cable tie and released the tensioner back to its postion and replaced it with another cable tie fully open as i would be working in that area later removing the A/C compressor which in below the faulty alternator. Fig 13
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The compressor thta needs to be lowered down and set to one side under the car Fig 14
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Before that can be undertaken i need to set back the coolant pipe metal to rubber hose.
Bolt one below and to the left of the main pully 8mm there are Four in total Fig15
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Bolt two in the coolant pipe line is below the A/C pulley tensioner Fig 16
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Bolt three on the line is above the compressor its self Fig 17
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Bolt four is fixed to the rubber hose to the left lying on your back looking up at the radiator Fig 18
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So working first from inside the wheel arch we have bolt one Figs 19/20/21/22
Bolt 1 main pulley
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Bolt 2 A/C pully
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Bolt 3 above compressor
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Bolt 4 fixed to front sub frame in front of the rad
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Now the coolant pipe is loose set it back under the sump out of the way Fig 23
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We now need to lower the A/C compressor with out removing any of the pipes or hoses this consists of four bolts size 10mm one & two are at the rear of the compressor together is at the front Fig 24

No 1 fixed to the sump just needs to be undone a little and not removed
24

No two can be removed this is fixed to the compressor
No 3 is at the front and in a tight place next to the front sub frame again i used 10mm socket to release the used a 10mm rachet ring spanner much easier undo but not completely out so it support the compressor for now Fig 25/26/27
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No 3 bolts almost undone but holding on by a few threads, note the red wire going to the compressor this will have to be unpluged & removed later Fig 28
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The red wire unpluged Fig 29
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No 4 bolt at the rear of the compressor release but again do not undo completely Fig 30
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Now with some mole grips you need to pull down on the bracket which is used for the petrol engine metal coolant pipes on the 2.0 and 2.5 V6 as this is in the way of the compressor as it is lowered down and set to the left to rest on the front sub frame as you will see in a later photo, Fig 31/32
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There is another one to the left of the above bracket and this also needs to be bent down to help the compressor move down and away from the alternator.
With both brackest now bent down undo the two bolts which are just about taking the weight of the compressor and lower the compressor down and to the left with you lying under the car looking up it will rest on the jacking point at the front of the car Fig 33
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You now need to remove the seperating plate between the compressor and the alternator three 10mm bolts Fig 34/35/36
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With that removed you can now remove the 13mm nut hold the battery cable to the alternator Fig 37
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Now loosen the lower bolts to the alternator Fig 38/
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Note i have removed the right lower bolt from the alternator while the left one is still in place but loosened Fig 39
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You now need to remove the top bolt from the alternator just above the belt pulley looking up in this photo Fig 40
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The alternator will now rotate dwon towards you on the bolt that is still in place again resting in the front sub frame remove the electric cable and the last bolt and manovre the alternator out from the car Fig 41
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Replace with the new one refitting is the reverse of removing as i say i did this over a period on two days due to interuptions i would estimate that this job could be undertaken and completed comfortably taking a few coffee breaks within 2.5 hours please remember if you tackle this your self please take note of how the main auxiliary belt is routed correctly as here below Fig 42
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Cheers Arctic

[brianw]

Excellent how to Steve and good pictures of the process.
How did we ever manage with the blurry black and white images and misleading text that seems to be the order of the day with some of the Haynes manuals nowadays.

[Mike Noc]

Superb set of pics Steve. If you are dismantling your old alternator can you do me a favour - measure the length of the slip ring brushes and have a guess at how long they were from the start, and post up the mileage covered?

My alternator is original at 328k miles and I'm wondering how much life is left in the brushes, and whether it is worth having it apart and changing them as a precautionary measure.

Thanks.

[Arctic]

Originally Posted by brianw

Excellent how to Steve and good pictures of the process.
How did we ever manage with the blurry black and white images and misleading text that seems to be the order of the day with some of the Haynes manuals nowadays.

Hi Brian.
I know you would have tought Haynes knew about colour pics by now or at least in the 1999 onwards cheers Arctic

Originally Posted by Mike Noc

Superb set of pics Steve. If you are dismantling your old alternator can you do me a favour - measure the length of the slip ring brushes and have a guess at how long they were from the start, and post up the mileage covered?

My alternator is original at 328k miles and I'm wondering how much life is left in the brushes, and whether it is worth having it apart and changing them as a precautionary measure.

Thanks.

Hi Mike will do over the next day or so and get back to you cheers Arctic

[sworks]

An excellent guide and photos as per usual

[stocktake]

Hi Steve, saw the title and who it was by, made myself a cuppa and sat down for a good read, Wasn't disappointed. Top Man

[KernowRover]

Is it just me or are there any pictures in this post, as all I am getting is numbers and very small squares?
Tom

[Mike Noc]

Must be you Tom - they look fine to me.

[Arctic]

Originally Posted by stocktake

Hi Steve, saw the title and who it was by, made myself a cuppa and sat down for a good read, Wasn't disappointed. Top Man

Hi Dave
Appreciated from such a knowledgable man also thank you.

Originally Posted by TommyD

Is it just me or are there any pictures in this post, as all I am getting is numbers and very small squares?
Tom

Photo's should be there Tom maybe your processor is slow and not bringing them up

Originally Posted by Mike Noc

Must be you Tom - they look fine to me.

Hi Mike
I managed to take off what i think is the slip ring and will sometime to day have a go at taking it apart please confirm from pics below Arctic.

[Mike Noc]

Originally Posted by Arctic

Hi Mike
I managed to take off what i think is the slip ring and will sometime to day have a go at taking it apart please confirm from pics below Arctic.

Quick update: Having read Matt's last post that isn't the brush I'm after. Thought it looked a bit different but must admit I haven't had an alternator apart recently.

Not that it matters, but you have the freewheel pulley and the tensioner pulley mixed up on your belt diagram in the last photo. Good idea to note the belt run - when I first changed my serpentine belt I had a foot or more spare as I hadn't routed it correctly.