"How To" Change an Alternator (V70 P2)
I thought I would do a “How To Change The Alternator on a P2 V70”, seeing it was a headache for me, anyone I can help out even with my limited experience would be a bonus. I’ve not exactly got step-by-step photos but I have managed to include some to help you visualise the job. I hope someone finds this useful at some point. To note, this is largely written in a "How I did it" format hence the past tense alot of thge time. I've tried adding the "How To" element to it as well....
Tools
- 7. 10, 12, 13mm socket set spanners with small handle wrench.
- 14mm ring spanner with extra long handle (12 inch + handle if you can get it, mine is a Sealey one I brought off fleabay for less than a tenner)
- Various Extension pieces for the wrench/socket set
- Lots of Fair Liquid to wash your hands (they will get dirty)
REMOVAL
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- Opened the bonnet, removed the radiator fan and cowling, top air hose that runs along the top of the engine, the rubber air hose on the drivers side of the car that it connects to, the top air feed pipe for the air filter, the air filter housing (and filter), disconnecting all the electrical connections as I went. There are 2 x Torx 20 screws holding an electrical harness to the radiator housing, they will need to be removed in order to take the radiator fan out. The 7mm socket set/spanner piece is what I used to loosen the jubilee clips as it’s better than the screw driver.
- Removed the black plastic Intercooler to ETM pipe, again using the 7mm socket to loosen the jubilee clips and also disconnected the two electrical connectors (breaking the wires on one in the process) for the IAT and MAP sensors. (see photos)
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Intercooler pipe detached from the ETM....
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- Using a 12mm socket spanner for the large bolt and a 10mm socket spanner for the two side nuts, I removed the ‘L’ shape mount to the left hand side of the gear box, this then allowed me to release the wiring harness for the ETM. I then disconnected the ETM electrical (grey) connector.
- Next, using the 10mm socket spanner and the socket tool, I removed the 4 bolts from the ETM (underside) and then removed the ETM from the engine bay. This was a bit of a fiddle as when you do this you’re working blind and at a bit of an angle. It’s all in the feeling although a mirror and a torch are also useful.
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- Next, I removed the nut holding the large red (positive) cable from the side of the Alternator and then took the cable off. I also unplugged the little flat headed electrical connector from the side if the unit.
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- Before I loosened the Power Assisted Steering (PAS) pump, I needed to take off the Serpentine/Auxiliary Belt which was a lot easier to get off than it was to get back on and I sketched a diagram of the belt layout so when I reinstalled it, it was easier to put on correctly. To do this, I used my long 14mm ring spanner and then found what looks like a 14mm bolt on one of the middle pulleys. What you have to do to slacken the belt is to attach the spanner to this ‘bolt’ and then pull the spanner towards the front of the car and then hold it down, this then lifts slackens the belt so it can be removed. I just pulled the belt off one pulley at a time and then it came free from the engine bay.
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- Now it was time to loosen the PAS pump which is located directly above the Alternator (as seen in the top photo), on the drivers side of the engine bay next to the inlet manifold. Firstly I separated the dark grey electrical connector on the top of the pump and moved the two parts out of the way. There are 3 bolts 12mm bolts holding the pump on and another that holds the bracket/retainer for the PAS fluid pipe in place, this retainer is bolted to the side of the PAS pump uisnga short 12mm bolt. The easiest way to remove these bolts was to turn the pulley wheel around and line the holes up with the bolts. I had difficulty finding the bolts initially as they were covered in engine grease so the technique I used here was to put my finger in the holes in the pulley and turn the wheel until I felt the bolt head. That way it was lined up and I was able to remove the bolts as well as find them. You could leave the green hose retainer in place but I found it was better to remove it as otherwise it was one of those things you just end up catching yourself on. Once the main 3 bolts were removed, I was able to move the PAS pump aside giving me a better view of the top of the Alternator.
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- Now I removed the oil dipstick holder and dipstick as this was a bit ‘in the way’, nice simple job - just removed the one nut and it pulled straight out from the engine bay, dipstick included.
- Now, finally it was time to remove the Alternator unit itself. To do this there are 3 bolts I had to remove and another 2 to loosen. The top bolt is located at around an 8 o’clock position (ish), from the top pulley wheel (PAS pulley). The other two bolts are located at the bottom of the Alternator unit and also double as the top bolts for the A/C compressor. I removed these using a 12mm socket spanner and loosened (don’t remove!), the bottom A/C Compressor bolts. The reason I loosened the bottom bolts was to allow the compressor to move forward slightly so I could wiggle the Alternator free. Now all these bolts have been removed or loosened accordingly, the Alternator can be wiggled free and taken along the front of the engine bay and out from the passenger side (a tip from ShadeTek - thank you!). It was heavier than I thought however, so something to consider if you try this job yourself.
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That’s it, the Alternator is out and now it’s time to refit with a new or repaired unit (I recommend new for peace of mind). The refitting is basically the reverse of removal with some stuff to keep in mind and some tips too (read on)…
FITTING NEW ALTERNATOR
- I took the new Alternator and moved it in to position in the exact reverse of how I took the old one out. Now, the hard part here is getting the bolt holes to line up when the new unit is in place, this took a lot of patience and experimenting but in the end I found it easier to get the bottom (long) bolts in first as trying to put the top one in first just seemed to push the Alternator sideways and nothing seemed to line up properly. Once the first bolt is in the rest are easy. Finally then, I tightened up the bottom two bolts to the A/C compressor (something I knew I shouldn’t forget to do), and the unit is basically back in place.
- Then I reconnected the red cable and the flat electrical connector to the side of the unit.
- Next, it was the dreaded task of reinstalling the Serpentine/Auxiliary Belt and this was a pain to do. I found it best to work it on to the lower back pulley first and then up and around the other pulley wheels (using my diagram to help me), finishing with the top (PAS) pulley. Leaving the PAS pump loose whist reinstalling the belt made life easier as it gave just that little bit more slack to the belt. This was hard work and I needed to make sure the belt grooves were lined up properly with the pulley grooves and the belt was dead centre on every wheel. By the way, trying to install the belt by finishing with the bottom front pulley does not work, or didn't in my case because there is simply not enough room to work the belt on to the pulley down there, hence I finished at the top (just a little tip). If/when you come to do it you'll see exactly what I mean.
By the way, here is a 'computerised' version of my drawing that I've quickly made up for you in case you forget to do the drawing yourself. The tension release pulley is drawn in grey, this lifts up with the use of the 14mm ring spanner, and thus slackens the belt as you can work out from looking at the sketch. (Please forgive the 'rough and ready' appearance of the drawing by the way).....
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- The obvious problem that faced me next was that the tension of the belt was pulling the top pulley downwards slightly, preventing the bolt holes for the PAS pump from lining up properly. My technique was to get the front lower bolt in first and then slacken the belt again using the spanner (as before). Then I wedged a flat headed screw driver in between the back of the PAS pump and the metal coolant pipe mounting (diamond shaped thing), and kept the pressure applied with it to keep the holes lined up, whilst releasing the spanner and then putting the next (top) bolt in and tightening it up. This was the hard bit done because the other bolt (lower back) went in much more easily because by this point everything was realigned. I reattached the holder for the PAS fluid pipe and then I reconnected the dark grey electrical connector. That part of the car was now reassembled.
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- The later part of the refitting was a lot easier, it involved the reinstallation of the ETM and all the radiator cowling plus the air pipes and filter and of course the dipstick holder and dipstick (do I really need to tell you how I did that?)
- To reinstall the ETM which I had taken the opportunity to clean by the way, I found it best to get the front two bolts in first but not to tighten them up fully as this made aligning the holes for the back bolts difficult. Also to note at this point that the gasket needed to be reapplied to the ETM before inserting the bolts. Once all the bolts were in place, I tightened them all up using the 10mm socket spanner.
- One thing I forgot to do before putting the ETM back in position was to refit the ‘L’ shaped mount to the left of the gearbox, and this holds one half of the ETM wiring harness back out of the way. So I ended up reinstalling this metal plate later on after I’d reattached the ETM to intercooler pipe.
- The rest of the refitting was basically relatively straight forward although by this point in the job I was pretty much knackered, very tired and cold so it did take me a while especially as it was getting dark by which point I was working by torch light. However, it involved the refitting of the radiator fan and cowling, all the air pipes, the air filter and filter housing including the top air feed and connecting up all the electrical connectors as I went, remembering to screw back in to place that electrical junction holder with the Torx 20 screws to the radiator cowling.
Anyway, I’ve included what pictures I can including some from the ETM change back last summer and some of the areas discussed post-completion, for reference in case it helps. Any questions, please ask. :B_thumb:
Regards
James
