Has anyone here attempted a replacement of the alternator / generator on a 2005 X-Type 3.0 AWD? My Jag needed a jump yesterday and I took it to a battery shop to check it out. They put a battery tester on while running and it was registering just 12.7 volts and dropped as we watched. They suggested the alternator get tested further. What other tests are performed to check if the alternator has failed? If I need to replace it, has anyone here done it and willing to give some tips or instruction to help it from becoming a nightmare? Most of my wrenching skills were honed on older Hot Rods, Boats and my Harley. I will take a car in if it means saving myself three days of bloody knuckles and other pleasures associated with fixing newer cars. I'm hoping for pictures or drawings or any "must do's" and "avoid this's" that can help. Thanks in advance, Les.

 

Page 2127 of the workshop manual shows you what to do. Appears pretty easy. I myself have not done it...yet but if its this easy I sure will...

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...PDF.%3C%2Fb%3E

I am not totally sure about the ball joint removal issue there...maybe someone else can chime in and see if that is truly necessary

 

Are you SURE it's the alternator and not just the battery. Not many alternators seem to fail on here, but batteries are a different story. Can be working great one day and the next they are dead. There is no warning. If your battery isn't that new that would be the simplest thing to check. Could save your knuckles.

 

specrocz, I would first check the battery. LIke was mentioned, the alternators are pretty bullet proof in these cars and are normally not the culprit for electrical issues.

If you do have to remove the alternator, you may find it easier to remove the front bumper cover to get at the alternator that way. taking off the front bumper cover takes about 30 minutes, but it will save you a lot of cussing about not being able to reach stuff because of other stuff being in the way. From there, pretty straight forward. Just make sure to disconnect the battery before replacing the alternator. hate to see a fireworks show happen under the hood.

 

Thanks so far to all who have replied! No, I'm not sure yet if it is the alternator and I am still checking things out. I put it on a 6 amp charge for about 20 hours. The starter spins fast and she starts right up. No light on the dash for electrical. I let it run for about five minutes and shut it down. Started back up the same as before. I had to shovel the six inches of snow that had fallen and that is as far as I got. I will do more tests tomorrow.

 

specrocz, the check is fairly easy. Open the hood of your car and connect a multimeter across the battery terminals (set to monitor VDC, 20 VDC scale). With the car off, the vehicle should be reading 12.6 VDC. If it is reading anything lower, the battery is not at 100% charge and needs to be charged before anything else.

From here, start the car as you are watching the multimeter. You should see the multimeter drop to around 11.5 to 11.0 VDC. Anything less than 11.0 and you have a battery that is starting to go. Granted, you are saying that it cranks hard. But, if that is right after being on a charger, even a weak battery will crank the car over like that.

Once the engine catches, you should see the multimeter jump up to around 14.4 VDC, hover there for a little bit (30 seconds or so) and then slowly lower to 13.7 VDC, where it will stabilize out at. If you see the mulimeter drop to around 12.7 VDC, then what I want you to try is to turn on both seat heaters on HIGH (red dot showing) and see what the multimeter does. Did the multimeter drop to around 12.4 VDC or so? If yes, then odds are you are somehow overloading the alternator or the alternator has a problem and that needs to be addressed.

When it comes to trying to differentiate between an alternator or wiring issues, that can be difficult where the alternator is located. Granted, it may not be a bad idea to replace the wiring that goes between the battery post and the alternator. The cables are known for going bad and it is possible that the cable has developed a high resistance (only needs to be say around 0.5 ohm or less) to have it really create havoc with your car. The battery cables would be a much more likely thing to fail than your alternator.

If you want to diagnose down to the alternator, let me know and I can tell you what you need to measure and what to expect.

 

It has been a while since I have posted about the Blue Submarine but I have been very happy with the advice from everyone and have been able to avoid blowing the thing up. Since finding this forum, I rather like the Blue girl.

Took her in today for what we thought was replacement of an idler pulley. The tech came back and said it was the bearing in the alternator. Looked at the link for the shop manual and it calls for removal of the AC compressor, complete with recovery of the refrigerant. Unfortunately, just had that replace 2 months ago.

One thing I will do to make surethe shop is steering me straight and it is the alternator is to take the belt off and spin the pulleys.

Is there a better way to R&R the alternator? Otherwise, I think the $5xx the shop wants to do the job might be worth it.

 

Bracester put this link in his reply to my original post.
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...PDF.%3C%2Fb%3E
Download it and start with page 2127. They don't mention removal of the
A/C compressor. They do have you removing the tie rod and stabilizer ends on that side of the car. I'm still diagnosing if I actually will need a replacement or rebuild of the alternator and I can tell it doesn't look like it will be very simple to R&R. That download is extremely helpful with many illustrations showing bolt locations etc. Our weather is just starting to turn for the better and I have been battling the 3rd (maybe 2nd) snowiest winter in Detroit's history. Many issues will be on my radar including the stuttering caused by multiple vacuum leaks and front brakes.

 

It looks like the diesel requires the removal of the tie rod. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "The TDCi Duratorq engines are available in vehicles from Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Mazda vehicles." Looks like the gasoline engines require removal of the AC compressor. Guess my question is can the AC compressor simply be unbolted and pushed to the side or does it need to be fully removed? i.e. recover refrigerant and then recharged?

 

Thermo, got to working on the bearing noise issue. The idler is making a noise but the alternator is making a noise as well although not as bad as the idler. Since I have the belt off, will replace the idler. Machine shop says it is a sealed unit and he cannot work on. If it does not cure the problem and I do have to have the alternator replaced, does removing the bumper cover really help in getting it out without disconnecting the AC compressor? I don't know any home mechanics that have that kind of equipment to do that kind of work.

 

Well today was dry and warm (36*), so I decided to test out the battery and charging system. I put my trusty Harbor Freight Multi-meter to the task as I first set it to 0-20 VDC and touched the leads to either side of the battery. The reading came out to 12.7 VDC before starting. I was unable to view the voltage while cranking, but once started I observed 14.9v right away that seemed to settle down to around 14.6 -14.7 without any accessories turned on. I then turned on the heated seats to high, the headlights and foglights on, and the rear defroster on. The reading dropped slightly to 14.4 -14.5v. I let it run for awhile and the reading fluctuated a little but seemed to stay around 14.5v. All I've done so far is charge the battery for about 20 hours and the car has sat as we have been using the truck. Maybe that's all it took to put a little life back in the electrical system.

 

I have a 2004 X-type, and I am having issues with my charging system. I've put the system in Test mode and monitored the batt voltage. It initially coming up as 14.4 v with no load. After a while the voltage drops to 12.7, can this be due to Alternator or can it be the cables between the battery and alternator?

 

******UPDATE******

Replaced the alt and the Blue Submarine purrrrrs like she should. And yes, in order to get to it, one does need to remove the AC compressor as well. No room to slide it to the side. All work was done in the garage with floor jack and a pair of jack stands. Give yourself plenty of room by also taking off the oil filter. Helped out greatly. In order to access the connections on the back of the alt, had to remove the upper radiator hose. Be careful. It is rubber hose connected to a plastic t-tube that comes up from the thermostat. I didn't see that and snapped it. Had to have a new one next day shipped in.

 

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to add a note. I recently replaced my alternator and I managed to avoid removing the a/c compressor at all. Instead I removed the airbox, intake pipes, upper radiator hose/pipe, and the lower core support. After that I carefully slipped the radiator fan assembly out from the bottom. That gave me just enough room to pull the alternator out through the top. It was still a pain in the *** and you have to drain/fill the coolant but it can be done at home on jack stands with no a/c recovery or recharge necessary.