OK, I’m seriously considering replacing the alternator in my pickup truck myself, as I cannot afford the $400+ repair bill anytime in the next 6 months or so. My truck has already been laid up over 5 months, and I’m getting desperate.
FWIW, it’s a 1995 Nissan XE 4 cylinder. I’ve found a $126.00 refurbished alternator online with a 3-year warranty after a very cursory Google search.
I can get my hands on a repair manual. Hopefully, any special tools I may need will not be particularly pricey. What I’m trying to determine is if this repair is over my head. I am not super handy, but have had success over the years with various mechanical fixes given a good set of instructions.
As a desperate resort, should I attempt replacing the alternator myself? How bad could it be? The main problem I can foresee is being unable to correctly tighten the alternator belt after installation of the alternator.
It’s not that hard. I’ve replaced alternators on a few occassions and I’m no certified mechanic. You won’t need much in the way of tools either, if my experience is any benchmark. Getting the belt tight enough isn’t too much of a problem either. It’s easier with two people (one to push the alternator with all his weight and the other to tighten the restraining bolt.) But even one person can do it. I do recommend you replace the belt while you’re at it.
Yes to all the above. Also, often you can use a screwdriver or other to wedge the alternator so the belt is tight while you tighten the bolts.
You’ll likely find even the manual isn’t required for this task. You should be able to literally unplug the cable, remove the bolts, remove the old one, put the new one in place, plug in the cable, hold the alternator tight while tigtening the bolts. It’s a rarety when the alternator is buried in the engine, so even access shouldn’t be too tough.
As you’re somewhat new to this, it should be asked: you’re sure the alternator is what’s at fault, yes?
What QED said. It’s a pretty simple job. There’s usually one bolt that secures the alternator to a bracket that holds the belt tension, and another, or two, that secures the alternator to the engine. Sometime the bolt secureing the alternator to the engine is a long bolt rather than two shorter bolts. In some cases this long bolt is difficult to slide off.
You’ll need a few metric wrenches and sockets. Some alternators, on US vehicles anyway, have a place on the alternator to insert a breakerbar and apply tension to the belt. Makes it a little easier.
Don’t forget to disconnect the battery. Negative terminal is first off and last on!
I have an 87 nissan truck. You remove the alternator by removing the mounting/adjustment bolts (after removing the wires first, as other said) then simply pull out the alternator. My repair manual devotes all of about 5 lines of text to the removal process, so it’s definately not that complicated. Apparently the only trick is that 1986 and earlier models expect you to remove a plastic panel in the side of the engine compartment and take the alternator out through there. 87 and later models don’t have to do this.
My manual stops at 1991, but I can’t imagine a 95 being all that different.
Compared to a lot of other cars I’ve owned, the nissan is fairly easy to work on and has a decent amount of room to get your hands in and around things. You shouldn’t have any trouble.
You know … if the repair is as straightforward as everyone is saying, then the local AutoZone may install it for me if I buy an alternator from them. They install batteries and some other parts free of charge if purchased in the store, and the alternator installation just might be gratis, too.
If you remove the alternator and take it with you to an auto service center like Pep Boys or even AutoZone or CarQuest, they have a tester they can attach the alternator to and tell whether it is working correctly.
They should not charge you any money to do this, if you bring in the bare alternator. I certainly wouldn’t pay more than $5 or $10 at the very most for this service.
Pep Boys offers lifetime replacement of their parts, like alternators. You don’t have to let them put it on, either, to get the warranty.
You will have to give them the old alternator as a “core exchange” (because they rebuild them, you see. You’re not getting a -new- one, exactly)
You can do this.
Also, with respect to tightening the alternator… if your truck has one big ‘serpentine’ belt, instead of several smaller belts, as many newer models do, you won’t have to struggle against the belt tension to get the alternator on right.
Memorize the belt path or take some photos with your digital camera.
Then remove the belt. It has a tension-arm which corrects the tension.
The Alternator in this kind of setup just bolts in place, without the old pivot and tension gymkhana.
Ditto on replacing the belt. If it’s the serpentine belt, get a spare. You will not go anywhere without one, if it’s ALL the belts.
I wouldn’t count on it. I’ve done it when I worked at NAPA, but it was always for a little old lady who was traveling in a vehicle where the replacement was dead simple.
" You’ll likely find even the manual isn’t required for this task. You should be able to literally unplug the cable, remove the bolts, remove the old one, put the new one in place,"
You might have mentioned disconnecting the battery first, too…
Do get the book on your car at the store. Its usually a Haynes manual & about $17.00 You have to return the old alternator as a core, usually, so save it.
Couple of little lessons learned based on my experiences:
Check to make sure the wheel on the replacement alternator has the same number of teeth as the wheel on the old alternator. If not, you can just have them switched out easily enough.
Check to make sure the electrical connection on the replacement is in the same position as on the old alternator. Again, you can have them “clock” it correctly if this isn’t the case.
I changed the alternator on my Grand Am. I’m prefectly willing to take on simple tasks, but I’m no ASE mechanic by any stretch. My biggest challenge with the alternator was getting the right of tools; I had to buy a set of metric wrenches.
I’ve heard of people paying $300-$400 to get an alternator replaced. This is a ripoff and a half IMO.