diesel9119

does anyone know.... using the steps that i found doing a search on alternator changing (thanks Daniel B. Martin), how long approximately this job takes? I'm pretty sure mine died last night....not cool at all!! also, anyone who has done this or may have any insight on this job.. it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Randy


Replacing the alternator is a job which may be done by the home mechanic. It is not especially difficult but will be time consuming. You will need a floor jack, a set of sturdy jackstands, and an assortment of common hand tools.

1) Make a written record of the radio station presets.

2) Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery.

3) Raise the vehicle and support it on jackstands.

4) Remove the two plastic splash shields which interfere with access to the alternator.

5) Loosen the drive belt idler (tensioner) pulley and then remove the drive belt.

6) Remove the A/C compressor mounting bolts. There are four of these bolts.

7) Remove the cooling fan and fan shroud.

8) Slide the A/C compressor forward.

9) Disconnect the alternator harness connector.

10) Remove the alternator upper bolt and lower bolt.

11) Remove the alternator from the vehicle.

Installation is the reverse of the removal procedure. As the final step, use the notes made in step 1 to restore the radio station presets. Set the clock to the correct time.


__________________
Daniel B. Martin
Nissan owner and D-I-Y mechanic

SmoothMax

iTrader: (2)

Depends on the person really. I suggest you take our time so you don't mess up anything or forget to put something back on.

diesel9119

smoothmax.. have you done it on your 4th gen?? is it that difficult?? any advise / tricks that you could give me??

Thanks,
-Randy

Daniel B. Martin

Many auto parts stores will do a no-cost charging system test. This is done with an electronic tester and takes only two minutes. Please get this test done before condemning your alternator. The alternator is an expensive item and you wouldn't want to replace it only to discover the real problem was elsewhere.

diesel9119

okay, it's definitely the alternator... i had a small fire in my alternator this morning..... not cool at all... regardless... i'm dropping the alternator out right now and am having issues with the idle pulley.. anyone give me some insight on how to loosen this pulley so that i can take the belt off? there's this thing that says "retighten after replacing the belt" but when you loosen it and or retighten it, it seems to do jack ****... anyone know how to loosen the idle pulley? thanks for the help??

-Randy

dch95

You first need to loosen the bolt in the center of the pulley. You can then loosen "adjusting nut" to loosen the tension on the belt. BTW when you reinstall the pulley, put a sheet load of antisieze compound on the threads to insure that the adjusting nut will never corrode/lock up on you.

Pervis Anathema

iTrader: (8)

I could've sworn I posted in this thread this morning. I guess I am the lastest victim of the disappearing thread...

Daniel B. Martin

Go to
http://integra.vtec.net/geeser/mega...0k_service.html
scroll down to Step 7, Belt Replacement. Click on any of the thumbnails for an enlarged image.

diesel9119

thanks everyone.... it's amazing the answers that you can get from this place in a pinch!!...


-Randy