detailed description for how to change out the alternator?

[charwest]

can anyone point me in the direction of a detailed written description aimed at car newbies for how to replace the alternator? maybe i am missing a post?

i found one video on youtube that is a little vague and is missing a lot of video. it suggests that you can get the alternator in and out despite skid plates in place. that guy has a ranger sport package with unknown skid plate model.

i found one post here from a guy that burned his alternator out mudding and suggests you need to remove the skid plates. his description is helpful but i would enjoy more detail to try to keep as much skin on my knuckles as possible.

we have a stock fx4 and i want to be able to change the alternator in the field. as far as i know there is no chilton/haynes manual for this truck yet, and i am not anticipating having internet service when its time to get dirty.

if it doesnt exist already, i would love if someone could post op a really detailed description of how to change the alternator out. im sure a few of us would appreciate it!

questions that spring to mind- can this be done without removing the fx4 skid plate? if not, does just dropping the rear bolts of the skid plate give you enough wiggle room to get it out? it looks like i would need to release the lower attachment of the hose from the radiator to have enough room to wriggle the alternator out the bottom. and what fasteners are there? from a glance at my truck it looks like there is a large torx on the tensioner cover and some large hexes on the alternator.

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[gwhalin]

I remember seeing some YouTube video months ago of a young guy changing his out from the top.

 

[Tracy Bowman]

the skid plate is probably the easiest part to remove and it'll give you the best access to the alternator. you sure arent going to go for it from the top.
like would be like a dentist giving you a root canal through your ass.

@AzScorpion …he’s baaack!

 

[AzScorpion]

@AzScorpion …he’s baaack!

I told you! That didn't take long.

 

[gwhalin]

this kid?

who's laying on the ground??

Yeah that was the video. Been a while since had seen it so didn’t remember that well. I guess he did part from the ground but rewatching looked like a lot of work reaching down from the top. Either way doesn’t look like fun.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

can anyone point me in the direction of a detailed written description aimed at car newbies for how to replace the alternator? maybe i am missing a post?

i found one video on youtube that is a little vague and is missing a lot of video. it suggests that you can get the alternator in and out despite skid plates in place. that guy has a ranger sport package with unknown skid plate model.

i found one post here from a guy that burned his alternator out mudding and suggests you need to remove the skid plates. his description is helpful but i would enjoy more detail to try to keep as much skin on my knuckles as possible.

we have a stock fx4 and i want to be able to change the alternator in the field. as far as i know there is no chilton/haynes manual for this truck yet, and i am not anticipating having internet service when its time to get dirty.

if it doesnt exist already, i would love if someone could post op a really detailed description of how to change the alternator out. im sure a few of us would appreciate it!

questions that spring to mind- can this be done without removing the fx4 skid plate? if not, does just dropping the rear bolts of the skid plate give you enough wiggle room to get it out? it looks like i would need to release the lower attachment of the hose from the radiator to have enough room to wriggle the alternator out the bottom. and what fasteners are there? from a glance at my truck it looks like there is a large torx on the tensioner cover and some large hexes on the alternator.

You folks planning to burn out your alternator? Since you overland quite a bit I can see where you might be stranded in BFE...not fun.... Probably good to carry a drive belt too. Since it is unlikely you will be immediately stranded by a bum alternator, you should be able to get to a suitable level piece of ground from which to operate. I had a look see at my FX4 and am of the opinion that the skid plate removal which is only two bolts to remove and just loosen the rear two that it would be much easier to pull the skid plate for access from below as well as from the top. JMO...

Best,
Phil

 

[103]

You folks planning to burn out your alternator? Since you overland quite a bit I can see where you might be stranded in BFE...not fun.... Probably good to carry a drive belt too. Since it is unlikely you will be immediately stranded by a bum alternator, you should be able to get to a suitable level piece of ground from which to operate. I had a look see at my FX4 and am of the opinion that the skid plate removal which is only two bolts to remove and just loosen the rear two that it would be much easier to pull the skid plate for access from below as well as from the top. JMO...

Best,
Phil

My alternator died on the High Water Mark Trail in Arkansas last winter. I was able to drive it 23 miles before things started failing on me. If I had access to an alternator at the time, I could have replaced it.

Long-winded way of saying I agree. The truck isn't just going to die on the spot if the alternator fails. You will have time to drive it to a level or even paved surface. I now have a spare alternator and belts that go with me on any overlanding trip.

 

[Jrel209]

Ohh good thread commenting to monitor And to add to it. Read last week about the ranger being susceptible to getting damaged by water by simply driving fast threw large puddles (which is common in wa dtate), which seems like a bad design imo. Is there any upgrades for an ‘enclosed’ alternators?

 

[103]

Ohh good thread commenting to monitor And to add to it. Read last week about the ranger being susceptible to getting damaged by water by simply driving fast threw large puddles (which is common in wa dtate), which seems like a bad design imo. Is there any upgrades for an ‘enclosed’ alternators?

None that I have found yet. That said, I had issues due to debris/mud in the water I was crossing. And I was crossing way too fast (not as fast as that video). I have driven through a lot of water and have been fine. Just water is not going to kill and alternator unless it sits submerged and running. Alternators get wet all the time. It's the extra stuff in the water (like mud) that is a problem.

 

[Gims04]

None that I have found yet. That said, I had issues due to debris/mud in the water I was crossing. And I was crossing way too fast (not as fast as that video). I have driven through a lot of water and have been fine. Just water is not going to kill and alternator unless it sits submerged and running. Alternators get wet all the time. It's the extra stuff in the water (like mud) that is a problem.

So what your saying is... this will kill an alternator?

 

[LawnMM]

So what your saying is... this will kill an alternator?

can anyone point me in the direction of a detailed written description aimed at car newbies for how to replace the alternator? maybe i am missing a post?

Have you tried the shop manual section of this forum for the install/remove procedure?

 

[Dereku]

So what your saying is... this will kill an alternator?

Probably doesnt do it any favors.

 

[Gims04]

Probably doesnt do it any favors.

It definitely killed it. Searched the entire Austin, TX area for a replacement and only found one at a salvage yard. Ford wanted $660 for one after the CORE - to the hell no!

Keeping in the spirit of this thread, changing the alternator wasn't hard. The only word to the wise is the tensioner pulley cover is bolted on using a torx bit, which i didn't have. The three mounting bolts are easy enough to get to and I would recommend taking out of the bottom, way easier than going topside. The second issue was getting it to actually fit on the retaining rings - ended up working each bolt a little until it popped on the rings. Then away I went tightening them up.

No further problems with the ranger, but need to look at the front diff as I most likely swamped it in water.

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