So I'm driving my maxima and all of sudden the brake and battery light come on. From previous experience I think it's my alternator which has already been replaced and under warranty so no worries. I check the battery and it's fine, and then look over at the alternator and it's not spinning. Well turns out that the bracket that connects it to to timing cover broke off. Hence No tension on the alternator and why my light came on. But looking at the position of things it looks damn near impossible or a real PITA to replace it with the engine in the car. Any suggestions or a write up on replacing a timing cover. Hell if someone lives in the DE area I'll probably pay to have someone help me out.

 

Why can't you just replace the bracket? No need to remove the outer timing cover, let alone the engine.

 

Are you saying that the bracket for the alternator broke, or that the timing cover itself broke? The alternator uses a seperate bracket on the top, which bolts to the timing cover and the alternator, easy to replace.

 

Next time ease off on the belt tension...

 

neither, there is the bracket that the front of the alternator bolts to, and that bolts onto the timing cover, where it does broke off so the front off the alternator isn't mounted to anything hence no tension. The piece that broke off is on the timing cover so, i have no choice but to replace it.

 

a picture is worth a thousand words in this situation.

 

It's not that hard to replace the front cover, hardly 'impossible'.

You want a writeup, have you checked the FSM? Read any VQ35 swap threads?

 

Outer cover is easy to replace. Don't remove the engine to do it, that is WAY more work than what is required.

 

The problem is that the mounting place for the upper alternator bracket is part of the rear timing cover, not the front. Hence, lots more work to replace.

 

Finally someone gets what part I'm talking about, it looks like a real pain taking off the alternator engine mount and evrything thing else and working in that crammed space tying to unbolt everything and get it off......it sucks dude

 

Once you have the outer timing cover off, the inner is not THAT much more work. Remove the timing chain, the four crank pulleys, and pull the inner bolts. I still would not remove the engine to fix this problem.

If the OP feels that strongly about it though, just do it.