TDV8 Sport alternator query , one for the gurus I think.

Hi Graeme / Dave,
Am I missing something here? I have read several nightmare reports on getting access to the alternator, however I have started today, removed the small guard at the front and the inner guard plastic protector, and there it is the alternator, see attached pictures. I haven't removed the belt yet I thought I would have a look at the underside first.

In comparison to some of the other jobs I've done this looks deceptively easy, is mine different to others. I was going to remove the really large earth strap to the left to gain better access.

I'll progress more at the weekend..........

Cheers Marty.

Your vehicle doesn't appear to have a pipe running across the top of the alternator then dropping down the back (as shown in the WSM diagram) in front of a bolt that has to be removed. My brother's MY08 has dynamic stabilizer bars so perhaps the pipe is for that feature. Step 12 in the WSM procedure refers to a nut that has to be removed, which my brother thought would not make any difference but once removed, the pipe over the top could be sprung out of the way.

Hi Dave,
For $45 from Rimmer bros for a LR genuine part including postage and delivery I'm getting a new one. Might as well, if the other one is OK I'll keep it as a spare.

Thanks for the info.

Cheers Marty

Hi There,
Unfortunately business sometimes gets in the way of pleasures such as replacing the alternator on "Rex the Sport".

OK following the instructions supplied by all things appear to be going well, no blood drawn yet......

Whilst I have gone this far I thought I would also replace the inner serpentine belt seeing this is the one the dealer sold me, I thought there was only one belt...

Got the outer belt off, no problem at all, the inner belt doesn't appear to be as easy. I have the Rave manual which is 5500 pages and I can't find the right section, this is easier.......

Which pulley releases the inner belt? I have located what I believe to be the nut / bolt that has something to do with the release of the tension however is extremely tight, before I get to strong and break something is this the right bolt to be undoing? Which direction do I turn it? I have assumed to the right to lift the L/H pulley, see picture attached.

As usual any assistance provided greatly appreciated.
Cheers Marty

Hi There,
It's ok figured it out.......... Had to go to "plan B", the tensioner was extremely tight because it had seized in position. Cut belt off, now looking to either fix the tensioner or replace. Have strategically applied some WD40 to the now removed tensioner, after about 15 minutes some movement is now evident, ever hopeful...........

Oh and the serpentine belt supplied was also the wrong one, I'm off to Land Rover to get a replacement. Good job I didn't have that one as a spare........

And it is the lower pulley to the left (in the 1st picture), not the top pulley as I first thought.

Cheers Marty

Hi There,
OK, alternator is off the engine and on the bench. Bit tight and requires a bit of juggling. Tried to lift the bottom out first initially, nearly made it but not quite. Pushed alternator back in again and manipulated the top out first, with a bit of turning and jiggling around finally came out.

The top bolt is tight to squeeze past the bottom hose however it came out fairly easily. The front bolt at the bottom is a plick, this was verging on the hardest bit. Very difficult to squeeze out between the turbo pipe and the coolant pipe, see first picture. I couldn't actually get that bolt out until the alternator was pivoting on the top bolt. My advice would be to leave the top bolt in until everything else has been removed.

What JC said about the 1/4 inch drive socket set is spot on, also get a six point socket and not a multi point, these bolts are quite "soft".

The hydraulic line you can see in the last picture, I cable tied that down out of the way until the alternator was out, then released it again. The live terminal plug and rubber boot is a PITA. I smeared some o-ring grease over the boot so it tended to slip into the right place rather than need pushing.

I'm going to remove the rear air into the turbo pipe to give it a clean, remembering to put it back before the alternator goes back.....

End of the removal stage.

Cheers Marty.

Hi There,
New alternator fitted now on the home stretch. Fitting the alternator on your own can be a challenge especially the lower back bolt. The both has to be in place before the top bolt is located. Every time the alternator was lifted into place the bolt fell out of the hole, of course it did, why didn't that happen when I was taking it out?

My way around that was to install a small o-ring around the bolt and then push the o-ring and the bolt into the hole, the o-ring holds the bolt in place whilst the top bolt is inserted and nipped up.

In another 160k when the alternator is replaced possibly someone will wonder why there is an o-ring around that particular bolt.......

Just waiting for the new belts to arrive, they weren't in stock, of course they weren't...........:)

Job done.

Cheers Marty.

Hi Dave,
My new part arrived today, I was expecting something a bit larger, the picture you posted makes the part look deceptively large. All good, as soon as I've fitted the belts I'll go looking for this part. Thanks again.
Cheers Marty

Hi Sheerluck,
Replaced, mine looked OK and my multimeter told me the old one was the same as the new one, replaced anyway. Getting that gear linkage in place again was a bit of a challenge......... Thanks again for the heads up.

Cheers Marty

Hi There,
Whilst fitting the fan I just happened to notice that one of the blades was cracked, noticing this was just "sheerluck" (scuse the pun), this could have been a bit messy.:o:o Ordered one from TRS waiting for it to arrive, can finish off then.

Cheers Marty