wardhill

Does anyone know if there's enough room to remove the alternator by just sliding the lock carrier forward to the service position or do you have to disconnect and drain the radiator and swing the lock carrier away. looks like there are two oil coolant or maybe trans lines(?) in the way at the base of the alternator
I've searched but cant seem to find a full write up on the procedures for the alternator removal on a 2.7t. I'm going to attempt this myself and will try to document
Thanks

Kris Hansen

I just did an alternator on my A6, which obviously doesn't have the boost lines and such, but I had to remove a couple of coolant lines which were very near the alternator. I did it with the lock carrier just in service position.

wardhill

thanks. I recieved a DIY from soeone on QW. the write up shows removing everything and swinging it out of the way. there are two 1/2' lines running along the bottom/ in front of the alternator which I think are the same on the A6. Are those the lines you're referring to?

wardhill

While preparing to under take the task of removing and replacing the alternator I thought it wise just to check everything once over in an attempt to rule out any other possiblities for the voltage drop i.e ground connections , battery load. alternator connections. With the belly pan off i was inspecting what I could of the alternator from underneath and was surprized how quiet and smoth running it was. Got to thinking it might be the brushes getting hung up in the voltage regulator so i gave the housing a whack with my hammer and viola, fully charging system. Next I went and bought a spray can of the electric motor cleaner and dowsed the inside of the alternator best i could through it's breathing holes in the housing, let it dry and started it up.It's been good for a few days now. I only offering this tip as it may help others buys some time before the envitable or if they get stranded somewhere. I'm waitin for the snow to melt in my driveway then i'll get back into the correct repair

jim-bo

I did mine a couple of months back, and I didn't touch the lock carrier at all... just un-clamp those two lines underneath and there's enough room in front to just about squeeze a ratchet in there to take the tension off the belt tensioner and to undo the bolts. The biggest PIA were the wires on the back of the alternator. Top tip: don't drop the alternator on your face, it really hurts.

wardhill

Wow. This would make life easier ( I think). Are there any tricks to doing this from under the car? It does almost look do-able. i had a c4 that I had to take the alternator and starter out and the alternator had to be turned a certain way for it to drop but I could get to the bolts from the top. s this done entirely from bellow?
Jeff

jim-bo

I still wouldn't describe it as "easy" exactly, but it's definitely easier. Just remove belly pan, remove serpentine belt (from above) undo the clips that hold the two rubber/hard line hoses under the alternator, and I think I might have disconnected part of the intercooler duct work to give me more room... Then it's just a bit of a Rubik's cube puzzle to get the alternator out through the hole, but it IS definitely possible. As Hayne's would say, assembly is the reverse of disassembly blah blah blah. Mine was made worse because I bought an aftermarket brand alternator that was about an inch deeper (front-back) than the original, but it only took about a dozen more swear words to get it in. Worth the $140 I saved on the part, I think!

wardhill

Thanks
I think i'll give it a try. I thought I'd pull the old alternator first than look for a match. Still curious if I'm running a 120 amp vs 140.in a 2001. I suppose the 120 would be smaller( hopefully)
Jeff

jim-bo

Mine's an O3 and it's a 140. From everything I've read, you're better off replacing with a 140 anyway. The air compressor has a huge amp draw by itself. I got mine on Amazon for $160 delivered. I can find a link if you can't track it down.

acarney

That's dirt cheap considering the rebuilt Audi ones are only 120 and like $450 (thats AFTER sending back your core...) Happen to know the link still? It doesn't mess with the alignment of the belt since it's a little larger?