Replace Alternator D4D 2001

[balster]

Hi All,Im new on here,the forum is very interesting and have just been reading up on the Rav 4...I have just purchased 2001 d4d 2.0 diesel which is very tidy and im happy with but dash lights come on...tested alternator output and its down to 10 volts...Is the alternator simple to replace on this vehicle if so could you give a little advise or am i best putting it in to my local garage..Thanks Bal

[bothwell_buyer]

Welcome to the forum.

On the earlier model RAVs its am easy enough job. We have a small garage here which specialises in repairing/refurbishing starters and alternators who remove and replace whilst you wait. 200 miles is a bit far to travel I guess though! I found their price is very good indeed - far cheaper than any garage. Maybe theres one nearer to you?

[anchorman]

When you say down to 10v, how are you measuring it? That is lower than terminal voltage.

[balster]

Hi all,Thanks for your responce,i used a sealey battery/alternator tester(12 quid)to test both, which no green lights lit when engine running for alternator,battery lights were on red on the tester which said 10v,nice little gadget for the price,highly recommended....

[balster]

Hi again,this is how i got on with replacing my alternator on my 2001 rav 4 2.0 diesel....

1 Disconnect Battery leads

2 Loosen drivers side wheel

3 jack car up at front and put on axle stands 5 inches behind front arm on chassis rail(this gives you a bit of movement underneath).

4 Remove drivers side front wheel

5 Remove drivers side under shield about 6 clips/bolts holding it on

6 Remove pas resvoir from clip then move onto bolt 10mm on bracket for main power steering pipe at back of engine just behind intercooler intake,pas pipe should be free to move a little,this gives access to remove alternator wiring plug(move pipe to the right just out the way so you can see plug)

7 Remove alternator plug(from top of engine)using small flat head screw driver prizing clip(looking in the engine bay its on the right of square plug)outwards while with the other hand a bit of pressure on wiring harness pulling upwards,the plug should come out fairly easy

8 You will see alternator belt tensioner just behind(towards back end of car)main crank pulley(big pulley with 2 belts on it)Put 14mm socket on nut and connect ratchet and prize downwards(towards right)to release alternator belt...you can squeeze belt out from alternator if pull to one side so the belt ribbs are facing sidewards(it will make sense once you start)leave belt hanging down,but just move belt towards frnt of car out of way(It will not come off without removing power steering belt but i was,nt replacing belt(long life)just the alternator)

9 Undo track rod end by removing split pin and 17mm nut(might be worth a good soaking of wd40 on nut)

10 Now from underneath i undid the 10mm nut holding the other wire onto the alternator,remove wire from the top and put wire out of the way...

11 If you look up from the alternator belt tensioner you will see a 14mm bolt holding the alternator onto the engine loosen off with ring spanner 14mm,NOTE this is quite tight and not much room to move,dont remove as yet...

12 At the bottom of the alternator there is a 12mm bolt holding the alternator on,loosen this off

13 Using 14mm ratchet spanner(if you have one,if not a ring spanner will do but takes longer)take out 14mm bolt holding the top of the alternator on,"NOTE..this will only come out as far as the chassis leg,not all the way"

14 Remove 12mm bolt at bottom of alternator,pull on alternator and it should come off mount and down onto sub frame"NOW REMOVE LONG 14MM BOLT FROM TOP OF ALTERNATOR UNIT"

15 "NOW this is where you have to be CAREFUL"Make sure steering wheel is on full lock to the right.Where the track rod end comes through the chasis(side wheel arch)move track arm(where track rod end joins)to back of wheel arch,THIS IS WHERE you have to JAGGLE the alternator out from..IT WILL COME OUT EVEN THOUGH HOLE LOOKS SMALL!!!You may have to slightly turn alt on end to jaggle through the gap be carefull of steering rack boot...

16 Voila!!!There you have it,replace with exchange unit... just follow instructions from no 15 backwards

Total of around 2hours it took me...This looks a long process but dont be frightened(YOU CAN DO IT) its not as bad as it looks(reads)on here.

Hope this helps everyone,Balx

[bothwell_buyer]

well done!

I'm a bit luckier as the engine swaps I had done positioned the alternator at the top of the engine so an alternator change is quick and easy.

[Harry746]

Balster's guide was invaluable and I changed my alternator without too much aggro yesterday. Couple of things... West Lancashire Auto electrics were excellent, next day delivery, and very competitive price.

I found it easier to disconnect the wiring/ plug once the top taper bolt was removed. All work was done from underneath.

Check the new alternator top bracket for width, the aluminium insert needs to be flush with the outside edge to get it to fit between the fixed mounting points.

Otherwise you have to ferret the alternator out again to make sure it fits!

 

[BBDB]

Thanks to Balster for posting such a helpful guide.

My daughter has a scuzzy old 2005 D4D and when she came home it was clear the alternator had failed. For a variety of reasons we decided to do the job ourselves - including finding this guide.

I've not really done much car work since about 1990 and I'm certainly not familiar with more modern cars - or ones with rust and stuck fasteners. Nonetheless we got it done and as Balster says "don't be frightened - you can do it".

A few points:

• Harry 746's point about checking for width is gold dust. I had to tap in the spacer a bit to get to the same dimension as the old alternator.
• Regarding the connections I found it best to have the bottom alternator bolt loosely in place and tip the alternator a little to the rear. This gave good access to the connections from the top.
• Getting the top alternator bolt in was tricky. I found it best to remove the lower bolt completely and wiggle the alternator with one hand whilst getting the top bolt started with the other.
• The track rod end was mighty rusted/stuck. I had to drill out the split pin. To break the taper, I hammered hard on the side of the joint and then it took just a few lighter taps on the balljoint thread to free it. Found this tip online.