I was driving my 2005 crossfire coupe last week and the battery charging indicator on the dashboard never went off after starting the engine. After about 20 minutes of driving the BAS/ESP light came on and the car locked up and shut off the engine. I took it to the Chrysler dealership and they told me that I need to replace the alternator and need a new battery. I was told this was not a hard job to do yourself. I have the parts but looking for some guidance on replacing the alternator. Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

 

1. disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. remove the radiator fan assembly ( 1 wire plug, 2 metal clips and wiggle it up through the hoses )
3. remove the serpentine belt ( 17mm socket for the tensioner extruded 'boss' )
4. remove the plastic belly pan.
5. remove the wiring from the rear of the alternator.
6. remove the bolts mounting the alternator and remove it out the bottom ( you will need a Torx socket set, don't remember the bolt size ).
7. reverse the steps to install the new one.

 

Here is an illustrated How To, it's for an SRT but the NA is similar.

 

jtp1023: Since your alternator went out suddenly, you probably don 't know the answer to this question...I have a sound coming from the engine bay when idleing that resembles a "out of round" sound. It appears to b e coming from the alternator area...perhaps the bearing in the alternator going bad?? What do you think?

 

180. Please refer to the thread I just posted to jtp1023 concerning the alternator...any thoughts or ideas??

 

onehundred80: I have an "out of round" sound coming from the engine bay when idling... sounds like it's coming from the alternator...bearing going bad?? your thoughts...Carl

 

Maybe, tough to call though. Use a stethoscope on all bearing areas, watch your fingers though. Auto stethoscopes have extensions to make it safer.

 

In case you haven't gotten to it yet, be aware that there are two types of altenators that came in our cars - Bosch or Valeo. I made sure to take mine off first before buying another one. Turns out I had a Valeo. Even though I bought a rebuilt one, the plastic piece on the back was slightly different, so my connectors couldn't be attached properly. I wound up swapping out the plastic piece from my original alternator and all connected fine. Total job took me less than an hour.

 

The main thing to keep in mind when replacing an alternator on a Mercedes m112 or m113 is to pull the brass guides (where the e-torx bolts go through) back out towards the front of the car. This can be done by fabricating a puller with a longer bolt, a nut, some washers and an 18mm shallow socket, or by VERY carefully using a large set of channel lock pliers to press back the guides. They only need to move maybe 1/8". If you try and force the alternator back in without doing this, you could potentially damage the alternator support bracket (which is the front cover of the engine). Overall an alternator and a battery is a pretty simple task. You'll need a 17mm for the belt tensioner (to remove the belt, I believe an E12 for the alternator supports, a 12 or 13mm for the b+ on the back of the alternator, a 13mm for the battery hold down and a 10mm for the + and - terminals. Also, a small pry bar to get the alternator out once the bolts have been removed. If you're getting bearing noise, both of the idler pulleys are easy to replace and are likely the culprits. When replacing them, absolutely do not overtorque. Get a torque wrench. I believe the spec is 25nm.

 

Thanks, sicorocco, for the valuable information... appreciate it very much...Carl

 

Refer to post #6 of 12/03/13... I had a mechanic "listen" to the "out of round" sound today and he said it was probably the serpentine belt going bad due to excessive wear... the grooves looked real deep... I show 106,000 miles...Anyone's thoughts?? Carl

 

I'm not quite sure what the "out of round" sound is still. Bearing noise? M-B alternators are pretty tough. When they do fail it's usually the voltage regulator. Depending on how sensitive your hearing is, you may just be hearing engine harmonics. Is it at idle and audible in the cabin? Like a high pitched whirring or fluttering noise?

 

scirocco: the sound I'm referring to is like a fluttering noise , heard clearly at idle...it can be heard in the cabin also. When the rpms are increased (even slightly) I cannot hear it...The sound comes and goes, in other words it's not constant.. One of the parts stores (Advance Auto), said it sounded like a worn serpentine belt... checked the belt and the grooves are rather deep... car has 106,000 miles...regardless, the belt does need changing... This condition has existed for about 4 months, and it does not appear to be getting appreciably worse...Your thoughts?..Carl

 

Does it have a high pitch to it? Like if a bird could purr? (Probably the best description I've ever heard). If so, I'm thinking engine harmonics. If it has a tick noise or you can easily locate the noise to an obvious source in the engine bay with a stethoscope, then it's likely mechanical...belt tensioner perhaps. One thing you can do is put a dab of oil/lubricant on a rag and while the engine is running, lightly touch the small oiled spot of the rag to the outside edge of the belt (facing the front of the car), if the noise goes away or quiets: you're looking at belt, possibly tensioner and idler pulley. Btw...I accept no responsibility for anything should you manage to injure yourself fiddling with moving engine parts.

 

I want to thank all for their input in regards to the "out of round" sound coming from the engine bay... finally found out...it's the alternator...detected it with the use of a engine stethoscope...Thanks again everyone....Carl