2011 Nissam Maxima Alternator Removal (Without Moving AC Compressor)

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Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 79

@Lpowers-d1x 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video! Unfortunately I had to do this twice because the 1st new alternator was bad. The second time I was able to get it out in under 2 hours. Practice makes perfect 😂 Video was very helpful

@maxa7749 17 күн бұрын

The alternator on my Altima just started going bad, so I have to do this exact job. Thanks for the video, this definitely helped me out!

@tonyw3523 11 ай бұрын

I can't thank you enough for a VERY HELPFUL video! My alternator gave out without warning, and I had to make this repair while on a road trip. I got it done and then had a smooth 800-mile drive back home without issue, thanks to your help! I watched a few other videos but yours was the only one I found that focused on removing the alternator from the top. I want to share some notes and suggestions from my project. BEFORE you get started, get yourselves an new alternator wire harness, 2 gallons of 50/50 mix antifreeze, plastic protective wrap and high temp electrical tape to cover the wires again when the job is done. You can also save yourself a second trip to the auto parts store just to get your refund of the core charge if you remove the old unit and take it with you when you pick up your new unit. It also is very helpful to have the old and new units lined-up next to each other for comparison before you leave the store! I placed some cardboard over the radiator after I took out the fans and BEFORE I removed the alternator to prevent damaging those very delicate fins while doing this job. This job is going to require some patience, effort and work to remove a few parts to reach the alternator no matter which direction you approach it from but, your method from the top worked well for me! My alternator wire harness literally broke apart while I was removing it because they get brittle with age and heat exposure. I had to get a new alternator wire harness on Amazon (next day shipping...whew...) but it was great quality, a super reasonable price (under $10) and relatively easy to splice and seal the new harness with the included heat shrink splicers. If your viewers are interested in purchasing the same one, I have included my Amazon Affiliate link amzn.to/42JFZmx for the exact harness I used. As a disclaimer. Amazon will share a few cents with me if you purchase any of the items I mention with my link so, thank you in advance! I would also recommend getting some new plastic protective wrap because that stuff gets very brittle and pretty much falls apart just from handling it has you move the wires around. Do yourselves a favor and protect your wiring from moisture, heat and dust plus make the job look super clean and professional. You can use my Amazon Affiliate link amzn.to/487uNkH to purchase some or go to your local Harbor Freight to get some before you start the job. This stuff is relatively cheap at less than $10 and very good to have for future projects. I really didn't want to loosen the subframe or take down the AC compressor or remove/disconnect any AC lines to pull the alternator out from the passenger wheel well. I replaced my radiator, AC compressor and recharged the system just a few months ago and did not want to have to repeat any of those processes! There were a few steps that were challenging like getting the long bolt that sits behind the tensioner out of the back of the alternator after removing the nut and then getting it back in when installing the replacement unit. This was a great place to have someone with smaller hands maneuver the bolt in. My wife helped me with my project. I used a telescoping magnet amzn.to/42rD6Gu to help push the long bolt up from the passenger wheel well, while she pushed it through from the top. It was also VERY HELPFUL when I dropped a bolt that I couldn't reach LOL! I noticed that you didn't mention draining the radiator before getting started but I did so your reply to another person confirming you did. It may be helpful to let your viewers know that so they can be prepared with a catch pan to drain and then refill with about 1.5 to 2 gallons of antifreeze after the job is done. Antifreeze at AutoZone is a great deal and the 50/50 mix is ready to use and less than $12 a gallon. Thanks once again for being part of this great KZbin community where we can all help and support each other with encouragement to take on DIY projects like this and save a LOT OF MONEY! Blessings and much appreciated!

@willpage79 8 ай бұрын

What alternater you recommend I see ppl having issues with diff alternater not working and replacing a couple of times? Or is it a pigtail issue?

@batvon39 Ай бұрын

Appreciate this comment and the links friend! Echoing the other comment, did you get an OEM alternator? I've heard a lot of people say their brand new aftermarket alternator was no good, and I have no interest in doing this process twice. Have a 4 hour drive coming up and my battery/brake light has been coming on and off recently so I don't want to get stranded.

@tonyw3523 Ай бұрын

@@batvon39i definitely agree with you and did not want to do this job. Twice. it's been over 10 months and I have had no issues with the alternator that I used, which was from autozone. others may have had additional issues that contributed to a failure in the replacement unit. But I haven't had any to experience. my alternator had oil residue on it from a previous power, steering leak that I had repaired shortly before the alternator went bad and I read on a few forums that could have contributed to the alternator failure. be sure you don't have any leaks or anything getting onto or coating your alternator when you make the repair and double check the wire harness for cracks which I also want replacing because mine was damaged. Best of luck!

@tonyw3523 Ай бұрын

@@willpage79and @batvon39 i definitely agree with you and did not want to do this job. Twice. it's been over 10 months and I have had no issues with the alternator that I used, which was from autozone. others may have had additional issues that contributed to a failure in the replacement unit. But I haven't had any to experience. my alternator had oil residue on it from a previous power, steering leak that I had repaired shortly before the alternator went bad and I read on a few forums that could have contributed to the alternator failure. be sure you don't have any leaks or anything getting onto or coating your alternator when you make the repair and double check the wire harness for cracks which I also want replacing because mine was damaged. Best of luck

@tonyw3523 Ай бұрын

I beleive a bad pigtail wireharnes may cause voltage fluctuations that damage or burn out the alternators too.

@PixelVibe-RGB Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much, you convinced me to have the repair done by a mechanic. I am not adequately equipped for this type of repair, plus, since I don't have a garage, I would have to work outside. From October in Quebec, it becomes hazardous to undertake outdoor work, the cold and snow are never far away.

@2EZEverything Жыл бұрын

This job is definitely for someone that has a lot of patience or some experience

@dshiner12 11 ай бұрын

Was going to do it myself but I changed my mind😂

@emmcee476 6 ай бұрын

I did this job (2016 Altima) for the first time yesterday. I decided to go thru the bottom. Removed top nut on the front engine mount, removed belt, removed tensioner, lowered subframe, loosened miscellaneous harness clips, unclipped and moved oil cooler lines out of the way, disconnected compressor connectors, removed compressor fasteners (4), lowered compressor. Then removed bottom alternator nut and long bolt Alternator top bolt, and electrical connections accessed from the top. Disconnect upper radiator hose and move out of the way to make room. After all this is done, the alternator came out with little effort thru the bottom while moving the AC compressor out of the way

@christianjustin7 Жыл бұрын

Video was very helpful and damn I hope I never have to change that alternator again that sucked!

@omarparanoes2150 Жыл бұрын

This guy did it the best... Thank you man Good Job

@georgescott1305 Жыл бұрын

Excellent! Removal/Replace overview. Can't that you enough. Mines is a 2011 with the original alternator. I am confident it's the alternator. However, I have a 05 Odyssey I just replaced the alternator last year.

@gregsmith1089 7 ай бұрын

My original went 14 years and 130k miles

@EdFromOhio 27 күн бұрын

Great video - thank you. I did this 3 years ago and bought the best alternator I could because this is such an idiotic design and a horrible pain to do. Fast forward 3 years and the $360 alternator has also gone out so I'm doing it again. The first time took me 5.5 hours. This time is taking me much longer for some reason. I REALLY should have just paid my friend's garage to do it. (BTW, your title spells Nissan wrong.)

@RedButtonReadyTv 2 күн бұрын

U make things difficult I would just go to repair shop at this point lol

@lesliewalker4066 3 ай бұрын

Car died I. Traffic on beltway today. Thanks for vid. Planning surgery soon

@2EZEverything 3 ай бұрын

Good luck!

@xkeenz2 Жыл бұрын

Hey man just wanted to say as a guy whos owned 4 maximas, this was a well done video. Ive replaced many alternators on mine (mostly 4th-5th gens) but my 7th gen is still a baby (22,000 original kms) so if i need to do this again ill probly try this way of operation. That being said the battery light with the brake light simulataneously is almost always a definitive indicator the alternator is not charging the battery properly so i can totally understand condemning the alternator at that point. But now i am also wondering if after the video was done filming and the new alternator maybe had time to charge the battery that the lights went away after a few minutes? If not ill definitely be checking my battery at the same time before deciding to replace another one. Great job again.

@MarcoHernandez-vo2hn Жыл бұрын

Did you find the problem man.?

@willpage79 Жыл бұрын

I changed my alternater lights still comin on here there on start up..battery and alternater are charging normal still trying to figure it out

@2EZEverything Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment. The vehicle never went dead and the battery was checked multiple times before and after the alternator replacement, from my dealing with these on Nissan and infinity it almost seems like a matter luck! even for people that have sent their car to the dealership.

@vicvic8168 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the help and i appreciate ur video

@maximusn8392 Жыл бұрын

Did you find out why the battery light remained on?

@HarrierPigeon 2 ай бұрын

Hey so I tried to rotate down on that tensioner bolt just like you did on this video, but now I think my tensioner bolt is stripped. What did I do wrong here???

@thejohnsonfive7780 Жыл бұрын

Charge the battery and if needed clear your codes and the batt warning light should go out. Im sure the bad alternator drained the battery. So after replacing the alternator you will still need to charge or possibly replace the battery depending how much damage the alternator did by not charging the battery.

@tedcoleman9212 Ай бұрын

You are the shit very detailed

@2chainz51 Жыл бұрын

Great video very helpful!! Wish i would've found this before removing the Ac compressor..haha

@ahmedsaidu-kamara6760 6 ай бұрын

Good video. My question is, the long bolt that goes back of the alternator, does it come all the way out or is there a mechanism that stops it from coming all the way out? I've removed all the necessary bolts, hose to get good access to it but there's something holding the alternator in the back where the bolt is that's preventing it from coming out. It would have been helpful to video where you removed the alternator so we would have gotten an idea what it looked like before removal and putting it back in.

@naapa7164 6 күн бұрын

Where did you get the pin from to hold the tensioner

@2EZEverything 3 күн бұрын

From a tensioner that I had installed on another vehicle before, but you can use just about anything that will fit in the hole.

@tornadoly4345 2 ай бұрын

My alternator connector is fried and I'm trying to rewire the new connector. Do you know what wire color order to plug in on top of the alternator?

@angelf9800 Жыл бұрын

Question In your opinion is it better to remove the alternator from the top or from the bottom, both ways look time consuming

@TerelleRoss 23 күн бұрын

i just did it, from the top is easier especially if you dont have a lift.

@alexnava7664 8 күн бұрын

I have a 11 maxima and i was on the freeway and all my lights came on and i lost power all around and went to limp mode drove it hme 7 min away made into a 45min...then went hme and it was dead didnt turn on recharged the battery was good guessing alt right?

@2EZEverything 8 күн бұрын

Yes sounds like a alternator to me, you can verify this by disconnecting one of the battery terminals and if it dies you know the problem. Even if it does die it can still be your alternator.

@alexnava7664 7 күн бұрын

@@2EZEverythingthanks perfect

@tbolton6156 Жыл бұрын

There gotta be a better way to remove alternators. 😕

@CJTheCarDoc Жыл бұрын

It is just remove the bottom ac compressor. Less time just wasting Freon. All of this is extra just to save coolant and Freon

@E14days826 Жыл бұрын

That’s what I’m thinking. Maybe there is a way to shift the fan shroud forward instead of removing the fans completely from the fan shroud

@andrewnataliasanchez5093 6 ай бұрын

@@CJTheCarDoc Is there a video to do it that way and is this the same for the 2010 Maxima? Will be changing alternator in a few hours..

@jkb1O5 3 ай бұрын

@@E14days826unreal

@mrme9517 28 күн бұрын

Not on a newer gen maxima lbs any repairs suck on those tbh

@dennislogan7293 Жыл бұрын

How’d you get to the back of the bottom bolt ?

@2EZEverything Жыл бұрын

The wheel has to be removed

@laylayturner22 Жыл бұрын

He doesn’t kno what you’re asking. If you removed the compressed it will be wayyy easier. The compressor has I think three or four bolts. Slide that down n you’ll have easy access. Some steps were missing in the video like the wire to attached back to the alternator and reconnecting the connector as well

@theteving2 Ай бұрын

Do you need to drain the coolent first? Cause you didn't do that in the video

@2EZEverything Ай бұрын

No I didn’t but you are going to lose some coolant when you take off the top hose, but not much.

@theteving2 Ай бұрын

@ also you really didn’t show how you got the long bolt out from the alternator I have an idea how you did it but it was still lil confusing

@2EZEverything Ай бұрын

@ you just push it through and it comes out of the back of the alternator

@theteving2 Ай бұрын

@ yea I figured tried to hand torque it but not enough room ima need a drill

@2EZEverything Ай бұрын

@ this job should be able to be able to be completed with just a ratchet and some wrenches

@efraintinoco818 Жыл бұрын

Did u ever figure out why battery light remained on? Im having the same issue on my maxima. Thanks

@2EZEverything Жыл бұрын

No, they didn’t want to do anything alternator change, I was dealing a infinity that was having the same issue because it came to me it had already had the alternator changed twice within a few months so the when I took the alternator off it was still new they had it tested off of the vehicle it came back as food at two locations so I put it back on so I ran tests , checked all of the wiring and everything was but would only run while it was being jumped so after a few days they decided they wanted me to come back and take it back off because I said it is a alternator issue so I did, more test was done all say it was good but they finally convinced Napa to swap it out anyway and it fixed the issue, its been about two months now and they told me that the lights are back on, I’m not sure if it is starting or not. These alternator are a real issue.

@amoyewilliams5440 Ай бұрын

@@2EZEverything i just put a new one in from napa 2 weeks later lights on smh I bout to take it out an tell them I want a new one no manufacturer

@ogregasm9908 6 ай бұрын

Did one 2 days ago, be careful about losing even the tiniest amount of coolant when moving the radiator hoses. It will cause an air bubble in the cooling system and you’ll spending time burping the cooking system.

@knockywigglesworth1909 8 ай бұрын

FYI these "ECU" controlled alternators sre a terrible design. Much higher failure rate than traditional voltage regulator! Both Nissan & Dodge

@amylee-yy6lw 6 ай бұрын

I Hated to be the one to break the 420 likes😢 sorry but thank you ❤

@JacobVaughn-c3f Жыл бұрын

So, either way, if you take it out through the bottom, you have to remove the AC compressor and if you take it out through the top, you gotta remove all that bullshit as far as your radiator and all that crap there’s no other way around it I was thinking of putting mine out to the bottom, but if I do that do I have to remove anything other than the tire will it be able to come out that way or do I have to take the compressor off, it’s a bullshit job for just an alternator