This is a tip from a pro. There's a chance you might have a hard time breaking that bottom bolt free -- I think Toyota might be over torqueing them. Don't even think about using a wimpy 3/8" drive or a 12-pt socket. Use a long (14") 1/2" drive wrench or breaker bar and a 6-pt 14 mm socket with convex faces (the faces bulge toward the center) right from the get-go. The 12-pt socket has a high chance of stripping the head. Snap the socket on the wrench and seat the socket on the bolt head. You may have to unsnap the socket, rotate slightly, and repeat to find the optimum angle when using a breaker bar vice a wrench. Now, here's a way to dramatically increase the torque without overstressing your body. Find a large combination wrench. Slide the box-end (closed) over your wrench or breaker bar such that the lip of the box end is facing up and is about 1" from the end (on the knurl). If you've done this correctly, the box end will be higher than the open-end. Now ensure that the socket head is seated properly and that the box-end is level with the floor. Lift up on the combination wrench and that bolt will come loose every time.
Thanks for the c-clamp tip! I watched 4 different videos on how to get the new alternator back in and only one even mentioned it and they said hammer it it. The c-clamp tip worked great!
are the older toyota corolla's easy to put back in. my dad said i need to 12mm for the bolts one to hold the other bolt and one to unscrew the bolt out. also i might need a hammer to put back in. im abit of a newbie when it comes to fixing cars.
yes you might need another wrench to hold down the bolt to remove the other bolt because it might spin. As for a hammer, you can try using a C-clamp to push that metal piece we mentioned in the video to open up room to put the alternator back in.
My wiring harness has an additional wire that has a large eyelet (same size as the large alternator out cable. Is this a ground cable? If I put my meter in in ohm mode, I find that there is 32 0hm difference between the heavy cable and this little cable. The cable was just hanging from the last guy who put a new alt in. I saw somewhere else that there use to be bracket on the top of alternator and it mentions a wire was connected to the bracket. That is what is making me think that the wire is ground.
Awesome videos! Am helping a friend out with their water pump, took out alternator and water pump and reinstalled both, howeveere, what are the torque specs for the alternator bolts and for the water pump bolts?
hey to when i was trying to take my alternator out the bottom bolt that is connected to the other side that you did the sea clam sequence with, it spins at the same time that i try to turn the bolt. i believe that stopper that stops the bolt from moving is broken so any advice??
I wish seen this earlier! This is truly helpful!! I have a huge problem! In trying to change the alternator we accidentally disconnected a wire. We don't know where it goes. We believe it is a fan sensor, but can you help us? Can you refer us to of website?
***** We don't have a website to refer to, the only best thing is to google the part and find a diagram for it. You can also try to look around the area of the wire and see which part is missing a plug or a part to put it in...
Hi! I have to replace mine, would you recommend a good brand? I have three options, bosch, acdelco and denso. all remanufactured. acdelco gives me 2 years/24k miles warranty, but was told it is the same as denso. any thoughts? thanks!
+Hector Prada The Bosch lasted only a year for us when we used it. acdelco isn't as good either. Most vehicles use Denso and its the preferred brand, if all they have is reman then thats all you have. They should have a 1 year warranty if its a reman as well, not sure how long it last.
Battery light might be coming on . Hard sometimes trying to start your car in the mornings . If u run your car and take off the positive battery and the car dies it’s your alternator
i also got a corona and the right side is knocking everytime i drive. but when i turn left it doesnt make the knocking noise. could it be the bearings in the gearbox? or something else
Wow this is so beautiful. Just sold my Nissan Murano for a Corolla and needs an alternator. NOTHING needs to be removed to get to the alternator??? no removing tires??? NO REMOVING THE RADIATOR?
what else would cause low alternator output? my sister's car has new battery,starter and alternator and while running it puts out 9.5 or less volts battery terminals are clean and tight alternator is 2 days old and the old 1 was putting out the same amount of volts, and to start the car it has to get jump started every single time.
I've been trying to remove my alternator for the last two days. I was able to remove the top bolt on the alternator but the bottom pivot bolt is stuck and won't budge. Not only that but the tension bolt is also stuck and won't budge. Any suggestions? I've used PB blast, bar breaker, and the sockets that grip stripped bolts HELP!!!
Hey bro. So I followed all your instructions to replacing the thermostat. Disconnect battery, remove serpentine belt, then alternator, after I installed the new thermostat and put everything back in it place, I started the car, but soon after a rattling or shake started under the hood and then the car just turns off. Any idea why this could be happening? I checked to make sure all the plugs and bolts were back in place correctly and belt is on right but now I'm clueless. Any help please? Thank you
ComeToThySelektor well then, that's a whole new problem for you. Your engine is not getting enough fuel or air and causing it to stall. I would check up on that.
NutzAboutBolts my thermostat housing doesn't have the alternator plug on it I didn't need to touch that plug. I guess that plug is housed somewhere else around the thermostat housing.
NutzAboutBolts The car finally started. I rev the engine until it finally stabilized but when I drove it would stall when I hit the gas but it eventually started running right pressing on the gas.
John Arizona Hey, John. I believe the guy put the video links in the video on the steps you have to do beforehand. I'm on my mobile so the links don't work for me, do they work for you? Cheers!
I appreciate the fact that he has shorter videos focusing on each step. To replace my serpentine belt, I don't need to watch a video on altenator replacement. The short, straight to the point video procedures Nutz About Bolts releases are top notch.
New (reman) alt. comes ready no need to press that nut in to make it flush with the alt. hole. use "DENSO" brand alt. they are the best. . Smart man to mention the disconnect. of Battery terminals in that order. many do not do it and can cause damage to the computer.
We did it! It was a 2 man job. A pry bar worked. You took it out so easily. I noticed my serpentine belt has lots of cracks in it. My brother was doing most of the work and he was a bit impatient. We made 2 trips to the auto parts store and one to Walmart. Had to get a breaker bar after our trip to get the alternator.. It took us about 4 hours! That is counting all the trips. The hardest part was releasing the tension on the serpentine belt. I could not have done it myself. I think it takes an extra person to deal with the belt while another person deals with the tensioner. I will replace the belt after my brother has some time to recover! The belt replacement looks really easy, as long as you get everything looped around right. Thanks for the video!
+Lydia Hubbell yeah once you get down the belt routing, you can put it in really easy. Make sure you have leaverage for the belt so you're not using too much strength, you can you a breaker bar if it fits or you can use the 2 wrench method for leaverage. As for the alternator, pry bar is the easiest to take out and when putting back, you'll need to pinch the alternator sides where the bolt go through to push the metal out so it'll fall into the bracket easier. Hope that helps. Glad you got the hard part done. Time to get the belt in and crank it up :)
I have a new battery, and I thought that was all the problem, but my battery light stayed on and the battery ran down even as I drove it. It is on a charger now. My battery was dead and i wasn't sure if it was okay to jump start it.
we have a dedicated video on how to remove the drive belts, click on that video, this video is for removing the alternator. We broke it into 2 separate video since it’ll be too long to film, watch from the beginning at 0:07 instead of skipping it since we mentioned it in the beginning of the video of what to do and the belt remove video is on there. Or you can check the link in the description box since I linked on how to remove the belt on there as well. Here is the link so it’s easier for you th-cam.com/video/GtHZYNT5mPg/w-d-xo.html
The C-clamp tip at the 5 minute mark. Thank you. I actually had to use a vise, but thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
This is a tip from a pro. There's a chance you might have a hard time breaking that bottom bolt free -- I think Toyota might be over torqueing them. Don't even think about using a wimpy 3/8" drive or a 12-pt socket. Use a long (14") 1/2" drive wrench or breaker bar and a 6-pt 14 mm socket with convex faces (the faces bulge toward the center) right from the get-go. The 12-pt socket has a high chance of stripping the head. Snap the socket on the wrench and seat the socket on the bolt head. You may have to unsnap the socket, rotate slightly, and repeat to find the optimum angle when using a breaker bar vice a wrench. Now, here's a way to dramatically increase the torque without overstressing your body. Find a large combination wrench. Slide the box-end (closed) over your wrench or breaker bar such that the lip of the box end is facing up and is about 1" from the end (on the knurl). If you've done this correctly, the box end will be higher than the open-end. Now ensure that the socket head is seated properly and that the box-end is level with the floor. Lift up on the combination wrench and that bolt will come loose every time.
Thanks. That was pretty descriptive and helpful.
2 years later, and this is still true. Just stripped mine today.. not sure how to fix it. Might have to tow it to a shop...
Thank you! Bolt was really tight! Followed your instructions and it came out fine. Saved my day!
Appreciate the tip. By the way what you’re describing isn’t “stripping”, it’s called rounding the bolt head.
im a newbie and my neighbor is a mechanic and had trouble getting the bottom out too. Very true
Thanks for the c-clamp tip! I watched 4 different videos on how to get the new alternator back in and only one even mentioned it and they said hammer it it. The c-clamp tip worked great!
good work! :)
Thank you for sharing your experience and your video to replaced the water pump and the Alternator replacement....Thank you again...❤❤❤❤
You are welcome!
That pro gamer move at 4:54 saved my bacon. Thanks for telling us about this
Your list of tools is very helpful. Time saver. Greatly appreciated.
What is the sensor that is behind the alternator?
Thank you so much for the tip! Spent hours today trying to get mine back on. Will give it a go in the morning.
👍🏼
You don't have to disconnect positive battery cable; just remove the negative only, this stops any circuit to ground while working the alternator.
are the older toyota corolla's easy to put back in. my dad said i need to 12mm for the bolts one to hold the other bolt and one to unscrew the bolt out. also i might need a hammer to put back in. im abit of a newbie when it comes to fixing cars.
its a carby.
yes you might need another wrench to hold down the bolt to remove the other bolt because it might spin. As for a hammer, you can try using a C-clamp to push that metal piece we mentioned in the video to open up room to put the alternator back in.
+NutzAboutBolts thank you bro
My wiring harness has an additional wire that has a large eyelet (same size as the large alternator out cable. Is this a ground cable? If I put my meter in in ohm mode, I find that there is 32 0hm difference between the heavy cable and this little cable. The cable was just hanging from the last guy who put a new alt in. I saw somewhere else that there use to be bracket on the top of alternator and it mentions a wire was connected to the bracket. That is what is making me think that the wire is ground.
Is it a black cable? Usually loose end wires are ground.
Awesome videos! Am helping a friend out with their water pump, took out alternator and water pump and reinstalled both, howeveere, what are the torque specs for the alternator bolts and for the water pump bolts?
It's in our description box :)
Oh right, my bad :) thank you!
+Danny McInroe np! :D
hey to when i was trying to take my alternator out the bottom bolt that is connected to the other side that you did the sea clam sequence with, it spins at the same time that i try to turn the bolt. i believe that stopper that stops the bolt from moving is broken so any advice??
I wish seen this earlier! This is truly helpful!! I have a huge problem! In trying to change the alternator we accidentally disconnected a wire. We don't know where it goes. We believe it is a fan sensor, but can you help us? Can you refer us to of website?
***** We don't have a website to refer to, the only best thing is to google the part and find a diagram for it. You can also try to look around the area of the wire and see which part is missing a plug or a part to put it in...
Hi! I have to replace mine, would you recommend a good brand? I have three options, bosch, acdelco and denso. all remanufactured. acdelco gives me 2 years/24k miles warranty, but was told it is the same as denso.
any thoughts? thanks!
+Hector Prada go with denso, its oem for toyota.
+NutzAboutBolts even if it is reman? how long should that one last?
+Hector Prada The Bosch lasted only a year for us when we used it. acdelco isn't as good either. Most vehicles use Denso and its the preferred brand, if all they have is reman then thats all you have. They should have a 1 year warranty if its a reman as well, not sure how long it last.
How do you know that the alternator needs to be replaced? Are there any warning and symptoms of a bad alternator?
Car dies and the battery light is on
Battery light might be coming on . Hard sometimes trying to start your car in the mornings . If u run your car and take off the positive battery and the car dies it’s your alternator
my new alternator dose not fit. i can get 1 bolt in but the other will be offset. bought the one you linked.
I can't Squeeze the tabs to get alternator out.What should I do
Great vid! Got the alternator and belt swapped out on my '99. THANKS!!!
How to remove the belt
Stripped bottom bolt trying to loosen it ... looks like pulling out engine will be only way to get alternator now....
i also got a corona and the right side is knocking everytime i drive. but when i turn left it doesnt make the knocking noise. could it be the bearings in the gearbox? or something else
2hunndy You're CV axle is probably the issue.
Wow this is so beautiful. Just sold my Nissan Murano for a Corolla and needs an alternator. NOTHING needs to be removed to get to the alternator??? no removing tires??? NO REMOVING THE RADIATOR?
is this good video for toyota corolla 2001
Matthew martinez-lopez yes
what else would cause low alternator output? my sister's car has new battery,starter and alternator and while running it puts out 9.5 or less volts battery terminals are clean and tight alternator is 2 days old and the old 1 was putting out the same amount of volts, and to start the car it has to get jump started every single time.
Sounds like you have a bad alternator
NutzAboutBolts but the old 1 was putting out the same volts and the test machine on autozone said the alternator passed.
can you put link to belt removal ?
here you go th-cam.com/video/GtHZYNT5mPg/w-d-xo.html
even if its reman? how long should that last?
My 2003 corolla has the timing belt connected to the alternator, so how would I remove the belt?
You are mistaken, no alternators on any Toyota is run off the timing belt.
How much are the tightening torque on 12mm and 14 mm?
Brij b in the description box
This was great! Can you put the link for the belt install in here? The clickable feature on the video doesnt work.
Heres the link to the belt video th-cam.com/video/GtHZYNT5mPg/w-d-xo.html
I've been trying to remove my alternator for the last two days. I was able to remove the top bolt on the alternator but the bottom pivot bolt is stuck and won't budge. Not only that but the tension bolt is also stuck and won't budge. Any suggestions? I've used PB blast, bar breaker, and the sockets that grip stripped bolts HELP!!!
Tommy Williams see if you can find a small screw driver or a punch and use a hammer to hammer the bottom bolt out.
NutzAboutBolts Thanks i'll give that a try.
Nice video...understandable an no bs info...
I’m really confused I already swapped out my ECT sensor but I did the one by the coil packs. I didn’t know there was two
Thank you for this video. It helped me a lot and I was able to remove & replace my alternator this past weekend.
have 97 corolla very helpful 1st x change mine very useful thank you.
Ray Tyson np!
Do I need the c clamp if I’m putting a brand new one in
No
Hey bro. So I followed all your instructions to replacing the thermostat. Disconnect battery, remove serpentine belt, then alternator, after I installed the new thermostat and put everything back in it place, I started the car, but soon after a rattling or shake started under the hood and then the car just turns off. Any idea why this could be happening? I checked to make sure all the plugs and bolts were back in place correctly and belt is on right but now I'm clueless. Any help please? Thank you
ComeToThySelektor did you plug back the alternator?
ComeToThySelektor well then, that's a whole new problem for you. Your engine is not getting enough fuel or air and causing it to stall. I would check up on that.
NutzAboutBolts my thermostat housing doesn't have the alternator plug on it I didn't need to touch that plug. I guess that plug is housed somewhere else around the thermostat housing.
NutzAboutBolts The car finally started. I rev the engine until it finally stabilized but when I drove it would stall when I hit the gas but it eventually started running right pressing on the gas.
NutzAboutBolts do you think it could have been that the radiator fluid just needed to cycle through the hose?
Good job! Great tip about pushing the nut back w/ a C-clamp.
how do i take out alternator "WITH" the belt still in-tact?
as in, is there a tensioner?
Thanks. This was helpful. Only I wish I could get my fingers and a ratchet to work that fast LOL.
+25U4s haha
Why not just show the steps necessary prior to removing the alternator. You cannot remove the alternator without doing that first.
John Arizona Hey, John. I believe the guy put the video links in the video on the steps you have to do beforehand. I'm on my mobile so the links don't work for me, do they work for you? Cheers!
I appreciate the fact that he has shorter videos focusing on each step. To replace my serpentine belt, I don't need to watch a video on altenator replacement.
The short, straight to the point video procedures Nutz About Bolts releases are top notch.
I'm not sure I can handle this...How long does it take?
+Lydia Hubbell about 30-1 hr
New (reman) alt. comes ready no need to press that nut in to make it flush with the alt. hole. use "DENSO" brand alt. they are the best. . Smart man to mention the disconnect. of Battery terminals in that order. many do not do it and can cause damage to the computer.
well done video, too many others have very jumpy shooting. great tips with c clamp.
thanks! :)
Thank you!
How about a toyota Corolla le 2005 car ?
Thanks man you saved my butt
Ibram Istafanous glad to help
First, remove two big bolts
Then turn alternator front side up.
Then unclip the cable holder with flat screwdriver.
two words: freaking awesome
Great video. Thanks.
My bottom bolt is a 17mm
Thanks
For posting helps so much
hector sanchez np, thanks for watching and commenting! :)
Excellent tip. Thank you very much.
+Kirill Menaker np!
Thank you.
showing how you got the belt of would've been nice
chevyedout he posted a link on how to remove the belt
can't pull it out. it wiggles front to back.
+Lydia Hubbell try using a pry bar on top of the alternator and pry it out. It's normal for it to be stuck and when putting it back as well.
We did it! It was a 2 man job. A pry bar worked. You took it out so easily. I noticed my serpentine belt has lots of cracks in it. My brother was doing most of the work and he was a bit impatient. We made 2 trips to the auto parts store and one to Walmart. Had to get a breaker bar after our trip to get the alternator.. It took us about 4 hours! That is counting all the trips. The hardest part was releasing the tension on the serpentine belt. I could not have done it myself. I think it takes an extra person to deal with the belt while another person deals with the tensioner. I will replace the belt after my brother has some time to recover! The belt replacement looks really easy, as long as you get everything looped around right. Thanks for the video!
+Lydia Hubbell yeah once you get down the belt routing, you can put it in really easy. Make sure you have leaverage for the belt so you're not using too much strength, you can you a breaker bar if it fits or you can use the 2 wrench method for leaverage. As for the alternator, pry bar is the easiest to take out and when putting back, you'll need to pinch the alternator sides where the bolt go through to push the metal out so it'll fall into the bracket easier. Hope that helps. Glad you got the hard part done. Time to get the belt in and crank it up :)
Yeah, we got a breaker bar today!
I have a new battery, and I thought that was all the problem, but my battery light stayed on and the battery ran down even as I drove it. It is on a charger now. My battery was dead and i wasn't sure if it was okay to jump start it.
Great job!
thanks!
Clean video work
Thanks!
Is this toby from the office? Lol
WHy would you not show removale of the serpentine belt?
We want to shorten the video time. We already made a video on removing the serpentine belt.
Perhaps put a link to that video in your discription
We made it a clickable link on the video. We’ll add the link in the description later since the video works on desktop only and not on smart phones.
disconnet battery first
You spend the whole video waiting to see how to disconnect the blet, and it doesn't show .. thanks for nothing
we have a dedicated video on how to remove the drive belts, click on that video, this video is for removing the alternator. We broke it into 2 separate video since it’ll be too long to film, watch from the beginning at 0:07 instead of skipping it since we mentioned it in the beginning of the video of what to do and the belt remove video is on there.
Or you can check the link in the description box since I linked on how to remove the belt on there as well. Here is the link so it’s easier for you th-cam.com/video/GtHZYNT5mPg/w-d-xo.html
Use your man voice.
😂😂😂