1.5 dCi Alternator replaced (with a few photos)

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fozberry
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:52 pm

1.5 dCi Alternator replaced (with a few photos)

Postby fozberry » Mon May 25, 2015 1:39 pm

Hi all.

First time post here. I've lurked here for years looking for help and advice, but never felt the need to post anything. Well, this weekend I've had the dubious pleasure of removing, repairing and refitting my alternator. Since I'd not seen much information on this job, I thought I'd share it with you all.

About me:

Back in the late 1980s I worked as a mechanic for a few years. I don't consider myself to be a particularly highly skilled mechanic, but I can do most jobs. I've got a fairly typical home setup, with no access to shelter and only the most common tools at hand. Basically, if I can do this, just about anyone can.

The car:
2007 Renault Megane estate 1.5 dCI. 145,000 miles on the clock. Used for my 90-miles-a-day commute.

Symptoms:

The BATTERY LOW warning message appeared on my dash a few days ago. I knew my battery was on its way out (it was struggling to produce enough current to start the car in the winter) so I swapped this out first, but the message remained. I figured it was probably a problem with either the alternator or the regulator (which is fitted to the back of the alternator) so I set about removing it.

Notes before starting:

My first point of call was the Renault manual, and I would recommend that anyone doing any job they're not familiar with should read the manual first. In this instance though, I found it rather lacking and it seemed to show the most complicated way to do the job. So, shortly after starting, I resorted to figuring it out by myself.

Removing the alternator:

1. First things first, jack the car up and remove the driver's side front wheel.

2. Remove the wheel arch liner.

3. Remove the bumper. Actually, I'm not sure if this is absolutely necessary, but it probably makes access a little easier so worth spending 5 minutes doing it.

4. Remove the side stiffener.

Image

Note: As you can see, the bolts on mine were quite badly corroded. I had to really take my time here to make sure I didn't shear any off. I started by heating them up with a little kitchen blowtorch and then spraying WD40 on them (CAREFUL - HOT WD40 BURNS VERY WELL!) to penetrate the threads. Took a while, but they all came out fine in the end.

5. Now we need to remove the belt. This is the view you should now have:

Image

Make a note of the belt path - when you put it back on, you'll need to follow the same path. Taking a closer look at the tensioner:

Image

Just above it there's a large hex head (16mm in my case). If you put a socket on this and turn it clockwise, it will pull the tensioner on its spring. This doesn't remove the tensioner, just takes the pressure off the belt enough for you to slip it off.

6. Remove the alternator. I couldn't get any decent photos of this, but it's attached using two 13mm bolts. They're tricky to get at, and I found it best to take the top bolt out from above, and the lower bolt from underneath. Take the top one out first, and the bolt will pull free. The lower bolt won't pull out fully, but you should be able to twist the alternator around and pull it out (there's a slot in the mounting bracket to allow this). Getting the alternator out of the engine bay is also tricky, but go slowly and it should come free.

Fixing the alternator:

The alternator in my car was a Valeo type, and it turned out the brushes were shot. I found this video on YouTube showing the procedure for precisely the same model as my alternator:

    

The brushes cost about £3, and you can find them on eBay. Make sure you measure the width and depth of yours to make sure you get the same ones. You could, of course, just buy a new alternator, but that will set you back over £100.

Putting it back together:

This is simply the reverse of the removal procedure. Do take care getting the belt back on - make sure you follow the correct belt path, and make sure it's fully on the pulleys before releasing the tensioner.

That's about it. All-in-all the job took me about 8 hours to do. If I had to do it again, it would probably take about 3 hours from start to finish.

freelanderuk
Rally Driver
Posts: 1118
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:08 pm
Currently Drives:: Megane convertible 1.9dci 2006

Re: 1.5 dCi Alternator replaced (with a few photos)

Postby freelanderuk » Mon May 25, 2015 5:01 pm

Thank you for a nice clear guide , i am sure that it will help :cool:
Drive it like you stole it

My flickr

gareyt
Learner Driver
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2014 4:08 pm
Currently Drives:: Renault megane mk2 1.5dci dynamique
with a non starter Renault Megane mk2 1.5 authentique for fixing

Re: 1.5 dCi Alternator replaced (with a few photos)

Postby gareyt » Fri May 29, 2015 9:45 am

I too have recently tackled this job.

So far I have only took the alternator out, not put the new one in yet.

In my opinion the hardest part was trying to remove the alternator once the bolts were out. Its quite heavy and awkwardly shaped plus there are some pipes in the way.

More guides like this would be great. Nice one. :-)

Euser002
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:12 pm

Re: 1.5 dCi Alternator replaced (with a few photos)

Postby Euser002 » Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:20 pm

Hi there thanks for the guide. But I'm stuck at lossening the tenisoner to remove the belt. Wondering which tools any of you use to release the tension. The space is too tight and there are fuel lines and air con lines in the way as well. Did any of you used just normal socket/flexi socket/spanner/long spanner with or without ratchet? Is there a space for drive and socket? Any help in which tools please.

triumph2.5man
Advanced Driver
Posts: 296
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:52 pm
Currently Drives:: Mondeo TDCI mk3 2002
Pug 307HDI90 1.6 (family car)
Megane II dynamique 1.5dci 722 engine 2003
Ford Galaxy 115bhp 2002 (family car)
Megane 3 1.5dci 2009 832 engine (family car)

Re: 1.5 dCi Alternator replaced (with a few photos)

Postby triumph2.5man » Thu Jan 12, 2017 7:50 pm

Thanks for that info Fozberry but the ribs of your drive belt look very cracked, or did you change the belt when you did the job? When worn like that they can make a very loud whistling noise. There are two types - yours has six ribs, mine (being a much older model) has 5.

And euser2, perhaps you have the same problem I did - the head has broken off the tensioner - nowhere to put the spanner! No problemo, just used a long screwdriver to ease the tensioner back.
Mike


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