Hi folks. My car is a 2004 C5 saloon, 1.8 ltr petrol with numbers VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]. It is LHD with aircon.
The alternator is getting hot and smoking when the battery is connected (even with the ignition off and car not started), so I checked the main earth straps in and around the engine bay for corrosion etc. They appear to be ok, so I am assuming the alternator needs rebuilding or replacing.
The problem I am having is in removing the alternator. I just can't understand how to remove the bolts. One appears to be behind the idler pulley and access is very limited. I have the car on a jack with the wheel arch liner and undertray removed. The job appears to be so impossible that I have started to think I am missing something very, very obvious!
Weirdly I can find very little info about changing a C5 alternator on the internet, so I hope you kind people can throw some light on the issue.
Thanks again
John
C5 Alternator removal
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Gibbo2286
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Re: C5 Alternator removal
Had a look a the Haynes BOL and it does say "On some engines it may be necessary to remove the drive belt idler to get to the nuts and bolts."
Man is, by nature, a lazy beast, he does not need twice encouraging to do nothing.
Re: C5 Alternator removal
Ah, that starts to help a lot and is what I suspected. So I guess it is a case of (a) slacken off/remove the tensioner (b) remove the idler (c) try to get to the alternator bolts. I assume it doesn't mean take off just the idler pulley using its centre bolt - it means remove the whole idler assembly?
Many thanks
John
Many thanks
John