jroegiers

My boss is going to help me replace my alternator in my '97 maxima tomorrow. He's pretty capable, but I want to be able to give him some tips on how to make this change-out go as smooth as possible.

FYI - dealter wanted $380.00. Others wanted $425-$450.00

Buying a new alternator for $170.00 with exchange.

diesel9119

just replaced mine about three wks ago.. it really not that bad... it just seems like you have to take apart the whole front end to get to it.... splashguards, fan, air intake, belt, drop the a/c compressor... etc... just make sure that you have an extension for your socket wrench... there are a lot of tight places that are hard to reach otherwise. also... getting the alternator off and back on to the mounting brackets is a ***** it's a super tight squeeze... if you have any questions feel free to ask... i know EXACTLY what you're going through... and the alternator is expensive for the max ps. i don't know how many miles you have on your max, but it's a convenient to change your serpentine belt too, because you have to take it off in the process of getting the old alternator out...
-Randy

Daniel B. Martin

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

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

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.

jroegiers

Thanks for all the help. What about changing out any belts? Good idea? I have 85,000 miles.

JoesMAX

iTrader: (2)

diesel you took the alternator out from the top???? its easier from the bottom thats how my mechanic did it.. it was like 215 from the dealership with the trade in of my old one

Daniel B. Martin

Sure. There will never be an easier time, and at 85K the original belts are approaching End Of Life.

jroegiers

OK - so there's this serpentine belt. Is it call something else? What are the other belts? Air Conditioner, right?
Any others? Thanks for all your help on this! As you can probably tell, my expertise falls well below the "do-it yourselfer". Lucky for me, my boss is helping and he has done this sort of thing before. Thanks again.

Daniel B. Martin

You are lucky to have that kind of boss.

There are only two belts. One is for power steering and the other for A/C and alternator. For more information about belt replacement go to http://integra.vtec.net/geeser/megamax/60k_service.html and scroll down to Step 7 Belt Replacement. Click on any of the thumbnails for an enlarged image.

JoesMAX

iTrader: (2)

i had them change my alternator belt when they did the alternator... 5 years really put a lot on that belt, there were a lot of little cracks on it

Bearcats

yO DOGG

SiMpLyMaXedOuT

iTrader: (1)

either that or is there any way to perhaps put a mustang alternator that's 200amps in the max/? the reason why im asking is because my stero takes a lot of power...

someone told me that you can have 2 alternators in the car
(would this slow the car down in any way or make it less fuel efficient?)

has any ever installed a higher amp alternator ina 4th gen max? if so how many amps and was it bigger than the stock max alt?

thanks..appreciate all the help u guys can give

jroegiers

Thanks to Diesel and Daniel.

Took 1.5 hours. Your tips were really helpful. We (ie. my boss) decided to try the removal without taking off the fan shroud. It worked. The swap-out went smooth. Getting the new serpentine belt on was probably the most difficult.

Thanks again,

Jim

Daniel B. Martin

Thanks for the success story. Your good experience may encourage other Maxima owners to tackle their own repairs. The man who services his own car ...
- saves money
- learns more about how his car works
- takes pride in his skill and self-reliance

Minimalmaxima

Okay I started taking the alternator out today and I read about some guy whose boss helped him take his out and he didn't have to move the fans. I could not get my ratchet down in there so I realized I needed to move the fan and I just said screw it I'll get back on it tomorrow cause the sun was going down. But anyway, one snag. I took the idle wheel thing off that puts the tension on the belt. I know now that I didn't need to take the hex nut all the way off, but I did. But there was a washer and I can't tell whether it goes on before the wheel or after it and whether it goes between the wheel and the cover or where. What order should I put this stuff back on? Thanks.

CSteelPipe@acipco.com