C5 X7 HDi V6 aux belt vibration - Alternator Change

[the-termin8r]

Procedure looks to be something of a nightmare. You have to drain the AC loop and remove the compressor before you can get to the alternator as I understand it. Alternator belt, alternator removal and all torques for the engine are below.

[wurlycorner]

Thanks so much, Rob.
Yep, knew it would be a nightmare. At least if they think it can be removed by dropping out the bottom with the a/c compressor removed, that’s a bonus (don’t need to dismantle the front of the car like I feared!).
Obviously I can’t go removing the a/c compressor from the car - no way of vacuuming the system down - hopefully it can be left connected and just swung clear on the flexible hoses. I shall investigate…

[MattBLancs]

That doesn't sound much fun. I wondered if AC compressor could be loosened and moved slightly on its Flexi hoses (and hence not need refrigerant removed and reinstated) but not many images to be found.

What I did find is the alternator is other side of the block on Land Rover (and I guess jaguar) longitudinal applications

From Wikipedia

[MattBLancs]

In fact I knew that - a pal's Discovery 3 had a failed alternator pulley (From memory his failed in a "no drive" to alternator failure mode) and I can remember it being on the left as you looked at the engine)

[wurlycorner]

Bugger. It’s arrived - that means I have to fit it, tomorrow.

[MattBLancs]

Good luck for tomorrow!

[wurlycorner]

Thanks!

[wurlycorner]

Didn’t get the job finished yesterday (couldn’t start it till mid afternoon).

Nothing technically difficult so far, but access is just a complete arse. It’s just a small number of bolts overall, but everything conspires against you getting at them. So much of it ends up being done ‘blind’ ‘by feel’ reaching through small gaps. Even stupid things make everything take 15 times as long - like the two 10mm bolts that hold the air intake duct to the side of the block. Once loose, they still have sufficient friction on them that you still can’t undo by fingers, while access to swing a spanner or ratchet wrench is minimal, so you only get a 1/16th or 1/8th of a turn each time - and the heads of those bolts are stupidly shallow so the socket doesn’t stay on, but slips off every time…

So many different variations of spanner, socket, ratchet wrench etc needed, to best suit access to each different bolt. Basically it’s just an unpleasant thing to work on.

Unfortunately the air con compressor won’t drop while connected because the front cross member stops the hose manifold from passing. It won’t swing down out of the way either - one of the flexible hoses has enough slack in it that it would, but the other (the one that runs to the condenser) has barely any. Best you can do is lower it slightly. I’m hoping there might still be just about enough room to wriggle the alternator out the side with it like that, but am far from confident.

Not sure if I’ll get back onto it today or it will have to wait until tomorrow - we shall see.

Couple of tips so far with reference to the oem instructions:
- An Allen key works fine as a tool to hold the aux belt tensioner retracted
- to remove the aux belt, the bottom bolt on the aux belt tensioner just needs to be loosened a lot but can be left in place and just the top bolt removed. That avoids the aggro of trying to blindly line up the bottom bolt when you come to refit (top bolt much easier to access)
- I can’t see any good reason to remove the drivers wheel and wheel arch reason, so far
- air intake duct does not need to be removed to replace the aux belt (or to remove the a/c compressor) but I have unbolted it to improve access to the alternator. I can’t see how on earth you are meant to ‘remove it’ from the engine bay though - there’s no ‘path’ to pull it through? Best I’ve managed is to disconnect everywhere and move it back and to the side so it’s clear.
- don’t be tempted to remove the top part of the intake duct (where it attaches to the throttle body), it won’t help. Just stick to the lower part and remove it at the jubilee clip - you will need to completely loosen and slide the jubilee clip down from the coupling point, otherwise the duct won’t expand enough to slide off (can’t just loosen the jubilee clip and leave in place)

[wurlycorner]

Post work tonight, we have an answer:

[MattBLancs]

Hurray! It's a boy, I mean it's an alternator!

Access looks, very much as you described, horrible! What a relief to get that out at last.

Refitting is reverse of removal (which is an absolute lie, for example it's not possible as far as I'm aware to "un-graze" your knuckles!!) good luck with the next bit