Just to pipe in on this to clarify something that screwed me up when I did mine the first time: the tensioner nut (or "Strut Nut", as pointed out in the picture in Post #138 in this thread) must be turned to the LEFT to loosen the belt. If you take it apart, you will see that it is actually reverse-threaded, in order to loosen the belt to the left.

When my tensioner bolt broke (rusted tight, but it probably didn't help that I was trying to turn it to the right to loosen it - which would be the correct direction if it wasn't reverse-threaded), I found another one at a pick-a-part yard. They wouldn't sell me just the bolt and nut - they sold me the whole shebang including the pulley. I got it for 6 bucks, and they gave a 60 or 90 day warranty on the part. The tensioner is the same part for 1995 through at least 2003 Maximas/I-30/I-35'S, and it may very well be the same part on 6th-gen Maximas also - no experience to be able to tell you.

Good thread!

 

Need same advice. I have a nut that is starting to get rounded from my attempts to remove it. It's my own fault that it started to get rounded in the first place. I was working from driver's side of car facing passenger's side and didn't "switch" directions in my head. When I was attempting to turn the nut to the left from my view point, I didn't realize it was turning it to the right until it was too late.

Even vice grips haven't had any luck getting the nut to turn. Is a nut splitter my best option? I need to get the alt replaced tomorrow so that I can make it to work on Monday. Alt was putting out "0" when I got it tested.

 

Kudos to the OP and subsequent contributors.

 

Did you notice the alternator ever making a whining sound?

 

The alternator does make a whining noise. At least that was the case with my car. I had to replace it when it died a couple of months ago and the whining I was hearing, that went along with the RPM's, is gone for good.

 

No whining. I mean no whining from alt.

 

Got the two lights of horror yesterday coming from home, replaced the battery today with a new one and no changes, going to check the connections tomorrow. This will be the second time im changing the Alt within 2 years, so I just read the entire thread to brush up on my knowledge and technique. One thing i can vividly remember is that when i did it previously, i found when the A/C compressor was dropped, I had the HARDEST time getting the alternator out. There just was not enough space for it to slip out and I eventually had to seriously and forcefully yank it out. Any suggestions to possibly omitting this ??? I believe it was completetly lowered to its full extent. Thanks everyone !

 

Thanks to the ORG, I replaced my alternator yesterday. No way was I going to pay a dealer for an alternator replacement

Of course, the threaded rod on my idler pulley tensioner broke from the age/rust. Luckily the dealer did have them in stock, and I was able to just buy the rod and nut.... although it was $30 for both, yet $85 for the WHOLE assembly...

Oh well. Its a done deal.

Yes, I did have a tough time getting enough clearance with the AC compressor unbolted too. I ended up unbolting the metal bracket (towards the front of the Max) which holds a grey plug, with connections going to the alt. and the AC comp. This gave me the slack that I needed in order to get the alt. out. I replaced my belt too, it was pretty cracked up. The whole job took me about 2.5 hours...not including getting the parts.

Its definitely not a 'fun' job, but its well worth saving all that money! Next time it happens I'm sure it'll go much smoother (knock on wood).

And yes, you can hear a whining noise coming from the alternator. This is a good thing.... its working.

Thanks again ORG and all thread contributors!

 

I replaced the alternator on my son's Maxima about 2 weeks ago with an Autozone remanufactured unit that carries a lifetime warranty. I did not see any physical difference in the appearance or fit that someone had mentioned in an earlier post. Also as some other posters have indicated there should not be an issue with the tensioner adjusting nut provided the tensioner pulley nut is loosened first! By the way, I had an easier time getting my hands into position when installing the replacement unit with the tensioner pulley completely removed. Just make sure to make a note on the sequence of parts that come off with it, i.e., washers and spacers, so it can all be put back together in the right sequence. I also found that when installing the replacement unit, getting the top (shorter bolt) into position and engaging it by hand from the top side made it easier to get the bottom bolt engaged and homed in. When testing with a voltmeter take into account its basic accuracy as some can be off by 5-10% unless yours has been professionally calibrated! However, to avoid false indications, measure the battery voltage with the engine off (battery fully charged) and then compare that with the engine running, if the alternator is good, the voltage should read at least 1.5 V above the previous reading. This way you take most of the calibration error out.

Joe

 

I am also trying to replace the alternator on my 2000 Nissan and I am running into an issue. I am unable to get the new alternator past the compressor and back up into it's mounted position. There appears to be very little room and the large hoses get into the way of sliding the alternator past the lowered compressor. Getting the old one out took forever as well.

Is there something obvious that I am overlooking? Do the hoses need to be disconnected? Or, any other cables that are not outlined in any of the steps outlined earlier? Is there a certain way it needs to turned to slide it in?

Help! I am extremely frustrated as everyone seems to make this out to be very easy. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

You have to unbolt the compressor. It is tight but doable. Good luck.

 

I changed my 2000 Maxima's Alt and these were some issues I found:

-Really push the compressor out of the way, pull it down and toward the front of the car. I recommend unclipping the wire connecting into the compressor.

-The nut on the end of the large back bolt for the Alternator on mine has a collar. This can be very tricky to replace w/the new parts, and once I had it all back together I found out the Idler Pulley was being trapped by it. I ended up using a lock washer and a standard nut.

-The wiring harness connected to the alternator was practically frozen onto my old alt, and very difficult to take off with my fingers/screwdriver. This alone drove me to draining the radiator and removing the fan shroud (which btw is very simple, and really frees up a lot of space)

But For future reference:

The DIY section of this site is NOT very helpful:
the "motorvate" writeup that everyone hails hasn't been updated since 2006? and that is still the number 1 DYI/How-to link and it's dead!

 

Im doing this right now, how in the ****ing hell do you remove the wire plug from the alternator. I hate the way Nissan does their connectors.
I could kill everyone of the designers that made them

 

OK I just ****ing broke that silly mother****er. This job took 3 hrs and I am a skilled angry at japs mechanic.

 

lol.... dont be so angry chum...atleast u didnt spend 350 on a high output alty only to replace it 3 months later and have no warranty cause the dood who made em closed up shop..smfh!!

 

You still have that high output unit? i might be able to help you get it fixed i used to rebuild starters and alts for 10 years so i know a few places and where to get parts.

 

today is a new day.....

 

I believe this is a working version of the broken link referred to earlier in this awesome thread:

http://motorvate.ca/node/20

I should note that while I think there are useful tips in the above link, people on this thread are removing the compressor and not taking out the rad.

I also found this to be useful. It deals with the alt belt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJzpTHIky18

Lastly, after doing this miserable job (6 hours, mostly spent on compressor removal and fixing "nut" issue) I feel I should warn about the following:

Nut issue: The long bolt that connects the alternator, goes through a square nut that is wielded to a small L shaped piece of metal. It will fall after removing the long nut. If you consider one side of the L to be a "lip"- be very careful how you replace this, the lip (I believe) has to face downwards and not towards the passenger seat. I had it wrong and it was impossible to move the tensioner as it hit the lip. To fix, drop the compressor again and loosen alternator bolt! Ug.

 

Quick question: I've been able to follow the directions provided by the forum to replace my faulty alternator. But for some reason, my engine won't turn over. I had the 1 week old battery recharged to full at autozone. The engine is trying to turnover but never starts. Is there anything that I could have not reconnected during the alty replacement to make this happen. Also, the battery and the fuel pump have been replaced in the last week or so. Thanks in advance for any help getting me back on the road.

 

Starter? Is it turning or not?

 

If you are referring to me sir, it sounds like the starter is turning and doing what it's supposed to do. The engine sounds like it's trying to start but never turns over, no clicking or scraping like I've heard when my starter has been out. As I mentioned, the fuel pump, as well as the battery and alternater have just been replaced. Getting so frustrated with this car! If I could get it started again, just once, I would drive it into a river somewhere...jk...I think...

 

Who changed your fuel pump? I would look into that first and double check that everything is connected properly. The car should start on the battery alone even if it was the alternator that wasn't hooked up properly (but would drain out eventually). Another way to check for fuel is to check your fuel rail to see if any pressure is there while or immediately after the car is cranked.

 

Yeah I replaced my alternator (PITA but better than paying the dealer$hip)... then a little over 6 months later I had to replace the starter.

Neither job was fun but I'm happy I saved a bunch of money doing it myself.

 

Okay, the onlything im worried about is stripping this tensioner bolt..

someone its reverse threaded.. but said it had to be turned to the left?
if its revers threaded to loosen you would have to turn to the right, right?

any one been successful removing it with out stripping or any ideas?
other than using the box end?

 

Your turn to the left to loosen it. Spray some Liquid Wrench or WD-40 on the idler bolt. From underneath the car use a 14mm 6pt wrench. Dont try to loosen it from the top of the car or you will strip it. Do not try to loosen the idler tensioner before loosening the idler pulley bolt or you will end up putting to much pressure on the pulley bolt.

 

^^... Do loosen the pulley nut BEFORE turning the adjusting tensioner nut.
The bolt is reverse-threaded but you still turn to the left (counter-clockwise) to loosen the belt; that's just how it works. As you turn to the left, the nut pulls the tensioner rod upwards, along with the pulley, releasing the pressure the pulley puts on the belt.

 

Yay the tensioner bolt broke..
and the coolant line from the oilsending unit is rusted to hell

 

OKay so im a dumbass..

due to a lack of time. and want.. I hired some jackass of craigslist.. i told him all the things to wtach out for.. and he claimed he could do it..

now i have a broken tensioner bolt and i the nut that holds the tensioner on well that bolt is jacked i cant get the nut off the bolt just spins...(any ideas?)

he also trashed the harness.. pulled all the wires out and broke it to ****..
am i going to have to go the junkyard for one?

 

wtf!!!!! 155.00 for the alternator clip??

any one have any ideas?? or what other models and years have the same harness? no junk yards seem to have a 00-04 maxima


i fixed the tensinoer

 

What part of the harness did he break, the plastic connector or the wire?

 

To all my fellow 6th gen owners:

I recently had to replace the alt on my 05 max. Just wanted to give this page an update seeing as how there is no write up for us 6genners (that I could find). You absolutely MUST remove fan shroud and radiator in order to remove the alternator. In fact you don't even have to touch the A/C compressor to do this job on the 05. Simply remove your alt wiring, remove fan shroud and radiator, remove alt bolts and yank that sucker out. Also your GODSEND tool is going to be the universal swivel joint/socket. You need it to loosen the tensioner bolt and in a few other spots it comes in VERY handy. I just completed this job so if anyone has any questions on the 6th gen i'll be happy to respond.

Good luck to everyone. This can be a PIA.

 

Can anyone answer a few questions for me? I had someone replace my 2nd alternator for me. He took off the idle pulley. My friend and I put them back the way we thought it would go. Long spacer, Back plate ( black with hole in it ), pulley, washer, the front plate, and hat nut. After replacement, car was running but the belt begun to squeal. We tightened down the pulley strut bolt and the squeal went away until I pulled into my driveway. I let my car sit to charge the battery ( that went dead on me ) I went in the house and came back to turn off the car but the car stopped. I forgot that I was out of gas so, I am assuming that was the reason for it to stall. After filling it was some gas tried to start the car and The battery didn't have enough juice to start it. Slow turn with headlights dimming badly. I also notice the battery light was on. I am guessing because it doesn't have enough juice or a bad connection. I replaced one both of the wire connectors at that goes over the post. Does anyone know Why I am having these issues still? The alty was supposed to be a nissan refurb but they sold the one I had ordered so they gave me a new one for the same price. PLEASE HELP ME. TO add the volt meter test indicated that my battery and alty are both working correctly

 

I have a similar issue - but equally perplexing.

I just changed my battery and then when it died again 2 days later, my alternator. After changing my alternator and battery, I am NOW getting a battery light (never got one before).

Everything is put back together correctly, car starts and runs.

I've used a multimeter to test at the battery and it reads around 12 with engine off. It reads the same with engine on. uh oh - not 14 ish.

the connector is attached to the alternator. The metal piece with the black boot (ground?) is attached to the alternator.

The belt is attached and adjusted (not too loose for sure) and the alternator pulley spins properly. Alternator is warm from running.

Any ideas? I read in the manual to "backprobe" the alternator. For the connector it labels one wire S and the other L. From reading, I understand that to backprobe something you stick the multimeter probe in and touch the bare wire. What do I do with the black (neg) probe??

The alternator came from advance auto and was reman. I just can't believe it is bad. Going to have my old one tested. If it turns out the old one is good, then I know the problem was elsewhere. If it was bad, it means either the new one is bad - or I did SOMETHING to cause a new problem.

Any ideas why the battery is still not charging??

Thanks in advance.

 

Well, it turned out that the alternator I bought was BAD.

The moral of the story is: MAKE SURE YOU TEST THE ALTERNATOR AT THE STORE! duh. It took 2 more alternators at the store to find one that worked.

The good part of all of this was I learned how to test most of the system with a multimeter:

a) Test voltage of the battery with the car off by attaching the positive probe to the + terminal and negative probe to the - terminal. Volatage with the motor off should be around 11.6-12 volts. Lower voltage means you have a poorly charged battery.

b) Test voltage at the battery again with the car running. The voltage now should be somewhere around 14 volts - 15 volts. I have an underdrive pulley so I believe my voltage reads lower than it a car without one. By running this test, you can quickly tell if the alternator is dead. If you get the same voltage with the car on as with it off - then the alternator is toast.

c) Test the voltage at the "B" pole of the alternator with the car running. The B pole is the bolt that sticks out of the alternator and through which power comes out. Test the voltage by attaching the positive lead to the B and the negative lead to an unpainted bolt. This number should be about the same as the above test. If it is much higher than the above test (b) - then you are losing voltage somewhere between the alternator and the battery.

d) Another way to test the voltage drop between the alternator and the battery is to do the test above (c) and then with the positive lead still on the B pole, touch the negative lead to the - pole of the battery. The drop should be minimal (I've read no more than .2).

e) Test the S and L poles of the connector. The only connection to the alternator aside from the B pole is the grey plug in connector. With the car off, unclip the connector from the alternator. On my 2 k, there appears to be space for 4 prongs in the connector - but only 2 exist.

One is the S (I believe it is the black). That should always receive full battery voltage when the battery is connected. Take the positive lead of the multimeter and touch it to the S and then the negative to a bolt. If you don't get a reading, try another bolt. If you still don't get a reading, then your problem may be in the wiring from the battery to the alternator.

The other pole is the L (red I believe). Test that with the key in the on position but not started. Again you should get battery voltage there.

A few other things:

- If you think you have an alternator problem, check the fuse in the fuse box under the hood. It is 10A and is labeled alternator.

- This job requires a universal joint. If you don't have one - go buy one.

- A ratcheting 14mm wrench is very helpful for the idler pulley and for one of the bolts on the compressor.

- To get to the long alternator bolt, I used my air ratchet plus a short 3" extention, normal socket and the universal. Worked well but I have headers so I'm guessing I had more room. For the top two compressor bolts, 6" extension and universal.

- Get lots of latex gloves if your valve covers leak.

- The easiest way to adjust the idler pulley is to lay under the car, put the ratcheting wrench on the idler and tighten while pulling the idler down with your other hand.

 

So I swapped my alternator last night. I could not have done it without this write-up. Thanks to the forum!

Two issues - My Max is an '02.

Issue #1 - I missed this part about the wire to the compressor, and seem to have pulled it out from where it was connected when I lowered the compressor. Can anyone guide me as to how to reconnect it? Not sure where it goes.

Issue #2 - The harness connector going into the alternator was brittle and I seem to have snapped the clip/latch part off of the harness connector. I can plug it into the alternator and it seems snug, but I'm worried that it may work it's way out with vibrations. Is it possible to replace that connector on the harness?

thanks.

Ed

 

The the compressor is mounted, there is a blade connector near the top about an inch back from the compressor spindle/clutch assembly. From the front (spindle side) of the compressor, the blade connector is more like a 1 o'clock position iirc.

Most cars don't use a locking clip, so I would not really worry about it. On my '01 the harness from the alternator went back and connected to another connector about 8 inches back, so it's technically a small part, but it would be a dealer item. I actually looked at the diagrams at courtesyparts.com and it looks like the part is actually part of the front wiring harness, sold as a unit, but the diagram is not really clear. Maybe a good dealer parts guy can help you out.

 

homeyclaus - thanks for the reply. That's good news on the connector. Since I can attach it, and it feels snug, I may let it ride for a while.

On that compressor wire - I should have bee more clear. The wire remains attached to the compressor. I seem to have pulled it out from wherever it plugs into on the other end...(Opposite the compressor.) Any ideas?

thanks!

 

OK - so I saw where the compressor wire came loose and reconnected. No worries on that.

I just started my engine for the first time since finishing the replacement....Alternator light is on! (It was not even on when I had my alternator go "bad".) So I pull out my voltmeter...It's pushing 14.98 - 15.01 volts I even had the store bench test this new alternator before bringing it home and I even saw that the testing machine showed "Pass." Now I spent this time to install it, and it seems to be pushing higher voltage than the "Acceptable range." Is it possible that I have something connected wrong? Or do I really have a bad, overachieving alternator? Can I drive the car pushing 15 volts, or do I risk damaging something and have to go thru this swap process once again? (I know it would be faster this time around...I have experience!)

thanks.

Ed

 

Check the three-wire connector that broke, and make sure the connectors are clean. If the voltage is over, it's over, and that's generally a bad thing. It's annoying when you go through all that to install a bad part.

 

Hi all,

I'm now on my third reman alternator in under 2 years The first one lasted about 2 months, second one over a year, but now it's died too. Luckily, it's still on warranty so I don't have to pay, but spending my evenings wrenching that thing out isn't my idea of a good time.

Anyhow, can anyone think of a reason they keep failing? Bad quality? Wrong part? (the alternator they keep giving me is a Bosch AL2389X reman whereas I see on the Courtesy parts site that they say the 23100, but maybe that's just the Hitachi version) Tight belt? (I swear it wasn't that tight or anything)

Also, I'm going to get my old one and new one bench tested at another shop (because the place I got the original can't bench test them apparently). We'll see how that goes!

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
~K