Thread: Oh joy

OK. One last question and the damn alternator will be out. Without removing the fan I might add. I'll document it later and take photos while I'm putting it back in.

The question is - how does the plug on the back of the alternator come out (C0226 in RAVE) ? I can't see for the life of me how it works.

its just a plastic squeeze lock tab

Originally Posted by lyonsy

its just a plastic squeeze lock tab

The damn thing is out at last. Now comes the fun of putting the replacement in. This time there will be no Loctite used anywhere. Especially on the tensioner bold and the torx headed bolt holding the alternator.

The old one should be a goer - the bearings and seals are in good clean condition. It seems that the regulator is the only thing that's cactus.

Finally got it all done on Sunday arvo. All up I suppose it took about three hours or maybe four but I had to do it in short bursts over a few days.
It's awkward and a bit long winded but an alternator change can be done pretty easily without removing the fan.
If you remove the battery, move the ECU out of the way, remove the battery box, remove the intercooler to manifold hose, remove the belt tensioner and serpentine belt and just cut the oil return hose there's enough room to manoeuvre it out after all the electrical connections and hoses are undone.

I'll do a better write up when I get a bit more time.

i must be lucky as the fan on mine is easy to get on and off, spanner and screw driver

Originally Posted by lyonsy

i must be lucky as the fan on mine is easy to get on and off, spanner and screw driver

Ahhh yes but yours probably has a refreshing lack of Loctite holding it on.

I've also discovered that I'm getting Turbo Over Boost faults logged. Never seen that before but I'm guessing it's because I didn't properly tighten the hose clamps on the intercooler to manifold hose. I'll have a look tomorrow if it stops raining here.

I can confirm Marks comments re a loctited fan.
Although my old one is a V8, and I had to chop the fan off to remove the water pump to get 'my fan off' I got back to it a little while later.
Chopped fan, waterump sitting in vice. No matter what we held to spin the fan nut off, the clamped part either slipped, or bent.

That old fan(*) wasn't moving, and the fan spanner wanted to bend(again).
(*) not quite fan looking, as much as it was more like a black ring around the VC hub!

On a V8, a welded on fan isn't going to be a killer, other than some $s for a new pump, and fan and viscous.
But on a Td5, it could be a major issue at some point.

if your fan bearing starts to come loose, or wears to the point of wobbling about, you have to address the issue of the fan loctited on.
As I remember the fan has to come off, to get to the flange to get the bearing out if it ever wears out.

Can't think of other stuff that NEEDs the fan to be removed to fix .. harmonic balancer maybe?

I think the trick is to get some heat into the fan nut, and the heat softens the loctite. Maybe someone can confirm what needs to be done.

Don't ask me.
First time to remove alternator it took seven hours to remove the fan.

I made a tool for the hub bolts out of 20MM angle jammed against the chassis and AFAIR heated the boss gently, and used a made up 34MM open ender that I modified from a 32MM.

After a bit of Neverseize, I now give the fan spanner a couple of thumps with the hammer and off she comes.

My alternator had only worn out the brushes from oil wetting them from the loose rattly front camshaft plug.
I bought a new set of brushes and have the old one as a spare.

Regards Philip A