alternator removal

[nivekau]

Hi guys,

I need to remove the alternator from my LR3 4.0 V6 and have a couple of questions;

Is it really necessary to remove the fan to get the accessory drive belt off the alternator pulley?

Does one loosen the belt by pushing the tensioner down?
if so how does one actually push the tensioner down?

Thanks,
Kevin

[nivekau]

okay, answered those two questions.

answers were;

no (you don't need to remove the fan)
yes, you do push the tensioner down/anti clockwise
use a 3/8" drive

but it helps with access if you remove the top part of the fan shroud.

Next question. There's a 3 (or 4) wire connector on the alternator, which has a red retaining clip.

I've pulled the clip up away from the alternator, but I can't budge the connector.

Does it just require more force to pull it off, or is there more too it?

EDIT: Doesn't matter. I've done it. After sliding up the red plastic tab, press on the side of the connector that the tab was covering with a small screwdriver and the connector will come off the alternator without any force at all.

[stevecor]

Hi just saw your thread, how did you go with the removal and replacement?
I had to do it last year and this may help


I found that removing the fan allowed more space to work in, if you remove the fan remember the nut has a left hand thread. I looked on the Disco3 site to see how to release the tension on the belt, pretty straight forward.

Take a picture of the fan belt this helps when putting it back on

Removal of the connectors was pretty straight forward easier if you have small hands (I don't).

I found getting under the car and using a mixture 3/8in sockets and gear spanners to access the lower retaining bolt helped make the job a little easier.

Hope this helps.

[nivekau]

Hi just saw your thread, how did you go with the removal and replacement?
I had to do it last year and this may help

Thanks. I have removed the alternator, just waiting for the replacement to arrive from Sydney. Hopefully tomorrow.

And hopefully I was right about where the noise was coming from (it was accompanied by an electrical burning smell so I'm reasonably confident)

I didn't remove the fan, just the upper part of the shroud, which was a pig to get off until I got a mirror and a torch to see how the clips worked, which are all out of sight from above.

These jobs are so much easier once you know all the little quirks of how clips release.

Couldn't get the air intake tube off the intake manifold, so I just disconnected from the air filter box and swung it up out of the way.

Again, I'm sure there's a knack to getting it off!

The only things that concerns me about putting it back together is getting the belt back on so that's it in it's correct grooves on every pulley

I didn't take a photo, but I have the workshop manual which a diagram of where the belt goes.

You might think this is all easy with the WSM, but it's quite vague when it comes to proprietary knowledge.

[stevecor]

disregard last post wrong engine.

[nivekau]

disregard last post wrong engine.

No worries, I've put it back together now and I am delighted to say the noise has gone

So it was the alternator making the noise (that's a relief).

There's always that nagging concern that when you get it all back together and start the engine the noise will still be there.

My concerns about getting the belt back on were unfounded, I just needed a bigger bar to lever the belt tensioner down while I made sure the belt was on all the pulleys correctly

I have attached some photos that may help others who need to do this job, or anything else to do with the belt drive on the front of the engine.

The photo of the connector shows where to press to release the connector from the alternator - I couldn't press hard enough with my finger so I used a small screwdriver. The connector should slide off the alternator with minimal force.

There's a photo of the underside of the fan shroud which shows the clips which are out of sight and have to be undone blind - again I used a screw driver to push the close the clip so it would come free. There are two clips on each side of the shroud.

I also included a photo of the bar in place on the belt tensioner (it's actually a torque wrench).

Bye the way, the three bolts holding the alternator on are supposed to be torqued to 45nm and they are supposed to be tightened in a particular order.

1st the one nearest the front of the car on the left hand side of the alternator, then the one behind that, and finally the one on the right hand side of the alternator that goes in from the front.

I don't know how critical this is, but the workshop manual says it's important so I thought I would mention it.

I hope this helps someone.

Last but not least, I bought the new alternator, which is a Denso YLE500410 from Karcraft in Sydney 02 9737 9944, for $621 + postage