So I'm pretty sure #6 is what I circled in the picture I took, but obviously on my car it doesn't match up. Like you said maybe it got stripped at one point and someone installed a stud? I will stop by harbor freight to get a female star bolt socket and see if I can unscrew it?

 

You might be able to leave it in place if there's enough room to slide the alternator backwards off it once you have it free of the lower bolt. Try that first, since the stud looks to be a bit off-plumb and might not take too kindly to being removed and refitted.

As fmertz notes, You will most likely have to pry the bottom of the alternator away from the mount. There's a sliding collar on the lower rearmost mount point (you can just see it in the diagram) that tends to nip the alternator quite tightly even once the bolt is removed.

If it does come out with the stud in place, then I recommend you move that collar out a good few mm* otherwise it might be a bear to get the replacement alternator back in.


* You can make up a puller with a length of threaded rod, a couple of nuts & large flat washers and a socket big enough to accommodate the collar. I managed with a ball-joint breaker, but not sure if there's less room on the 4.2L.

 

Spray that bolt with PB Blaster or whatever sauce you have. Then, take a 5/16, 7mm, 8mm, 9mm or whatever fits suggly on the branches of that star bolt, then pray, then look up to the heavens, then make the sign - and all that - bend over the fender and prey that it turns out.

I hate situations like this... Turns a two hour job into who KNOWS what. I can't remember but I THINK it's the bracket end that is threaded. Not sure.

What does the alternator (the new one) look like? The image below is from a used XK alt. I think these guys are correct that if you can free the bottom up, the top may just slide off for you. I'll be sending out positive vibes! Still you'll need that bolt out, I think.

Of course replace this bolt on reassembly...

​​​​​​

 

Okay I got the alternator out!. The bolt that I have pictured above took a E7 female torx socket, I loosened that stud and it turned pretty easily but I couldn't remove it entirely. I then proceed to retighten it. This process did something with the alternator where it aligned and started moving freely, I was then able to slide the alternator off the star stud. Now that the alternator was free, getting it out was what took the longest. Here are some pictures that hopefully might help someone in the future. I'm going to pick up my replacement alternator tomorrow! And work on installing it.

I numbered the picture below to point out some things I had to do to have enough clearance to remove alternator. 1. unclip wire harness. 2. bend the silver tin piece a bit. 3. remove bracket. Also if you look in the middle you will see what I believe it the electric water pump dangling.



Alternator that came off of 2003 XKR (assuming this is factory part.)

Bracket I removed from the top and cooling duct I removed from the bottom to get to the electrical connectors.

 

I see you did it right and used a Birmingham Screwdriver .......Castle Bromwich factory is in Birmingham ,

 

😩 this morning while I was driving to purchase my replacement alternator, 30 minutes into the drive I call the shop and they said they sold it yesterday!! so now I have to wait till my days off next week to work on the car again.

 

Ain't it jus like that sometimes!?

These past days, XJS all in pieces, I was waiting for an electric cooling fan (going electric) and a PWM fan controler... Sure enough, fan came in the mail (I'm stoked) W/O the PWM controller!!! I'm standing there scratching my tuckass... It's just LIKE that sometimes...

Gotta look on the bright side,,, at least I didn't break what I was fixing, yit!

 

Is removing the bracket the key to pulling it from the top?

My alternator came out easily from its moorings, but I couldn't pull it from the top. It looks like there should be enough room, but there isn't.

As I'm working in the driveway, I didn't have my oil change stuff at the house so couldn't remove the oil filter and drop it that way.

I'd prefer to just remove the bracket and pull it from the top, but if more things (transmission hoses) have to be removed, I'll just have to collect my stuff and change the oil in the driveway.

 

Once the airbox is removed (and its bracket), if you have the 'suppression module' still fitted, then that has to come out, along with its mounting bracket, to get from the top. I needed to work from underneath and about 18" of extensions to get to the SM bracket bolts. A bit of a faff.

Definitely looks easier with the oil filter out of the way, but I can't confirm it is.

 

On my wife's 2006 XK8, removing the oil filter made pulling, refurbishing, and reinstalling the alternator so much easier....

 

It take some jiggling, but will come out. Change the orientation of the alt while still down in the space... I don't think I've ever read this BUT the ability to get the alt out from the top just MAY depend on the condition of the motor mounts...????

 

I just installed the refurbed alternator in my car and no more battery light! Now on to the next fix…

I wish I would’ve taken a picture for you all but from my jiggling of the alternator, I was only able to drop it in from the top in one specific orientation. The pulley facing the sky. In this orientation the alternator had just enough room to drop right in from the top.

also I replaced the top bolt with a m8 1.25 x 45mm which was a perfect fit. I’m thinking the star headed bolt that I had on the car might’ve been factory though? Oh well, everything’s back together and working.

 

AWESOME!