Alternator replacement / removal

[Zstien]

Welcome to the Forum Barry.
Anthony was last seen here on June 3, 2020. That was his one and only post. FYI, I believe that only genuine Ford alternators will work.

Peter

Hey all, I’m trying to replace my alternator too but, am having a hard time getting the fans out. They are hung up on something and I can’t figure out for the life of me what it is. Everything seems to be all clear and I try to go up and out and I can only get a little over an inch of play. Am I missing something???

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
I'm sure someone will be along to assist. Several members have changed their alternators. Suggest that you stick with a genuine Ford unit.

Peter

 

[Zstien]

Well, I finally got mine out and replaced. Works great now. I did have to remove more than others say they did.

To get the fan assembly out I needed to remove the upper coolant hose, air intake hoses, and the AC line from the compressor up the the evaporator. Maybe it was just the angle I tried to get it out but, it was not clearing the AC line.

Hopefully others don’t run into that issue.

 

[Pfmanny]

Thanks for the replies! Job is done. Sad that I had to replace the alternator on a '16 with 36,200 miles on it (yes, less than a tank of gas out of warranty). They sure did not skimp on the number of fasteners in that fender splash shield. 3 - 8mm bolts under the front, 7 - smaller hex headed screws, and a pile of screw headed expansion plugs. I did not have to remove the upper radiator hose, but the entire fan assembly did have to come out to make room to replace the alternator. It's held in with a 15mm bolt on the bottom, and a 15mm nut that threads on to the upper stud (8mm, if I recall correctly) to get the stud removed. It's a small consolation that the fan assembly is held in with only two bolts, it took quite a bit of time to get it all removed and replaced. That did appear to address the problem for me however. Before swapping it out, I was getting Check Charging System warnings and chimes, and the battery light would appear on the left side display. Measured voltage while running was only 11.8 volts max.

Thank you! This really helped me out. The stud bolt got me! I ended up removing the alternator from underneath but removed the AC clutch. They were both seized.

 

[peterk9]

^^Welcome to the Forum.
Is the replacement alternator a Ford Motorcraft alternator? A few members have had issues using non Ford units.

Peter

 

[kyjo77]

I haven't found other posts with much detail and I'm running into an issue which is preventing me from removing the alternator.

2011 Explorer Limited 4WD V6

THE ISSUE: The top bolt is actually a nut, which I have removed. But the "stud" or threads is preventing me from removing the alternator. One post in this forum says to remove the "stud" but, .... how do you remove it?? See attached file for a pic of what I'm referring to.
View attachment 176604

So far i have:

1) Removed Air Intake
2) Removed the cooling fans.
3) Removed the tensioner (only because i broke it and needs to be replaced)
4) removed bottom bolt and top nut
5) Removed wire harness and wire.

Everything is disconnected.... this last issue is stopping progress.

You need a 9:30 seconds wrench it'll fit right on the end of that stud and you just screw it out

 

[peterk9]

You need a 9:30 seconds wrench it'll fit right on the end of that stud and you just screw it out

Welcome to the Forum.
Seeing that that post is over 5 years old, I'm guessing the problem was solved. Also, the member was last seen here on November 27, 2021.
However, your post may be of benefit to others.

Peter

 

[JohnelP]

Reviving the thread a little. After disconnecting the alternator nut and bolt, it seems taking it out is a challenge. How did you slide the alternator out? Does the AC line really need to be removed? How did you all fix this?