Has your car’s alternator showed signs of failure? Are your headlights dim? Does the starter motor churn a bit slowly? Then it’s time for the alternator to be replaced.
Haynes has developed a range of Thursday Tasklists as an easily downloadable way of guiding you through simple servicing and repair jobs on your vehicle, such as replacing the alternator.
So, all you need to do is visit the page and click to save your own copy of the task you plan to do, and we’ll be with you every step of the way.
Alternator Thursday Tasklist
Why Thursday?
Well, we all tend to work on our vehicles at the weekends, and statistically Thursday is the day when people start to make preparations for the job ahead, by purchasing tools and parts. Our tasklists tell you everything you need to have to hand to carry out the job properly.
Alternator replacement
Your car’s alternator provides power for the electrical systems, and at the same time is recharges the battery.
It is one of the many things driven by your car’s auxiliary drivebelt, and it’s vital to your car’s ability to go from A to B, because without it your battery will not be recharged as your drive along, and will die before long. A good clue to a failing alternator is the battery light lighting up on the dashboard.
Every car is slightly different, so the actual procedure will vary, but the basics are the same in that you remove the auxiliary drivebelt or fanbelt, unplug the alternator and unbolt it.
Thankfully, the alternator is designed to last the life of the car, so if you’re unlucky enough for it to fail, you should only have to do it once.
Click here for our in-depth guide on how to check and replace your car’s alternator.
