The symptoms I had were the battery was not charging and therefore ended up with the usual Christmas tree of lights on the Dashboard.
There was a pre-cursor to this in that the Battery light would come on then occasionally extinguish – this happened for a fair few miles as I was basically too lazy to look into it….
As can be seen there was no charging voltage and the Battery light was on permanently
I was a bit aware that the Alternator is buried nice and deep in the engine bay and is a right royal pain to get out so did a little research on the regulator replacement and took a few in situ photos to see what I was dealing with..
This gave me the details from the back of the Alternator and also the arrangement of the electrical connections. (note the small connector (2 pins) has been removed for clarity and so I could see the arrangement of the pins Trust me there is usually a plug in there!!!)
Whilst looking for a new regulator you need to be wary that you know the arrangement of the pins in the small plug in connector. This is different for different models and as I found you cannot rely on the vehicle details alone. If I had then I would have inadvertently purchased the wrong regulator.
The one that fits mine was listed on a well know online auction site as that fitted to the 3.0i petrol.. So I would recommend you get the details from the alternator plate and use them in your search..
I also considered if I needed to take the alternator out or not… I decided that I’d at least give it a bash whilst it was still in the car. It is achievable and took me 1.5 hours which included taking photos and making it up as I went..
So doing the job…
Tools:-
Flat Screw Driver
Plastic Pin Clip removal tools (pliers / snips / screw driver)
13mm socket and short extension
7mm socket and small ratchet with short extension
Camera (Help you visualise it)
And most importantly a Cup of Tea.
This I would class as 2/10 for difficulty, but then I would, as I class a gearbox strip as a 5!!!
Any reasonably competent bod who can use a spanner should be able to do this..
Firstly you NEED to disconnect the battery as you will have a large cable flapping around. (time to bung it on charge also..)
I would suggest leaving the boot open, or in the least closing the tailgate catch so the boot doesn't shut properly as it makes it easier to reconnect the battery later..
To assist you need a little more space
So remove the air intake by popping out the 4 plastic pin clips and removing from the fuel cooler
Take it off and store it… Then tie back the water pipe to give you a little more arm room.
This is where it gets down and dirty so have a quick slurp of tea..
Remove the small plug from the regulator connector. It has a spring clip on it so press that in and pull it off to the rear.
Then using the 13mm socket remove the power cable. Catch the nut before it falls down as it is a pain to get back.
Tuck the cables out of the way
Now you need to remove the Black Cap from the rear of the alternator.
On mine it is clipped on via 3 studs but no physical fixings. Removal was by prying carefully with a screwdriver to loosen then using your fingers run around the edges to loosen till it comes off.
This is awkward as you cant easily get to the engine side, but it will eventually come off with some wobbling and light cursing.
You can see the 3 Triangular holes that secured it.
This is now an ideal time to have another slurp of your tea a you might have struggled a bit getting that cap off….
Once the cap is off you will uncover the regulator pack.
This is secured by the 2 screws you can see on the left and the stud on the right
Use the 7mm socket to remove them. Again be careful you don’t drop them when you take them out … The stud has a retained washer on it that should come out with the stud.
The bolts are approx. 25mm long
Once the fixings are out pull the regulator (and brush gear) off to the rear.
The next few photos are for info.. This is my old removed regulator and you can see the brushes are next to useless……
Here is a comparison of the old & new. Note the 2 coloured caps that should come with the new regulator..
The Blue cap holds the brushes in whilst you are mounting the regulator, the black is the main cover to protect he brushes in service.
Take another Slurp of tea as you have done the hard part.
Check the slip rings are clean and not too badly worn. You can lightly clean them using a fibre stick or fine glass paper. Don’t use emery cloth (unless as a final resort) as that eaves an oily film on the slip ring that can trap the grit from the emery and then prematurely wear your brushes.
Ensuring the brushes are retracted and held in place with the blue cap fit the regulator pack on the alternator, and screw in place
When it is secure, and only then, remove the blue cap to release the brushes
Then fit the Black cover over to protect the brushes
In true Haynes manual tradition re-assembly is reverse of dis-assembly…
Basically pop the black cap on to the rear of the alternator and ensure it is clipped on properly.
Refit the main cable with the nut and tighten.
Then plug in the small connector – Don’t forget that one……
Take a photo of what you have done and ensure it matches the before photo to ensure all connections are in place properly.
Release the tie back on the water hose and refit the air intake.
Now is the moment of truth, but not before you finish off your cup of tea and order the next..
Reconnect the battery and bung a volt meter on the under bonnet terminals
Start up and watch the Battery light go out… This is the worrying but as it took a few seconds to go out!!
Hey presto now have a fully working charging circuit at the recommended voltage. First time for everything
If you are prepared, and handy, and these instructions are utilised then you should be able to achieve this within an hour, and definitely whilst the tea is still warm. And is definitely a lot easier than taking the alternator out.
Note though that this was the problem in my car. Yours may be different in which case the alternator may need to come out, but as a first port of call, and the cheap option, this is worth a try as little would be lost. Especially when you take into account that the parts cost me £22 delivered rather that more than £100-£400 for alternator replacement.
Hope this helps out
:victory:
Never anthropomorphise computers. They hate that.