2003 A6 2.7T Alternator Change - it is surprisingly easy

[estomax]

After searching around for a bit, i didn't find any good guides for changing the alternator on this car besides taking the front end off. My alternator died two days before going on an international trip so my choice was to leave my wife to charge the battery every night or change out the alternator real quick.

taking the front end apart is a dreadful idea, maybe because i haven't had to do it...yet.

First things first, unhook your battery for this job.

I didn't take any pics during, but i changed the alternator in 3 hours by only removing the lower intercooler hose and pulling off one end of the coolant hose in front of the alternator. This included screwing around with taking apart the front end for a bit and giving up. And of course the belly pan but that's a given to access the car from below. i'm a 6'2'' guy, so my hands are not tiny by any means, anyone with smaller hands will have an even better time doing this job.

After that, you can use a long socket and breaker bar to loosen the serpentine belt and slide it off the alternator.

Then start taking the lower and upper bolts off the alternator.

now the alternator is loose and floppy, rotate it until it slides down and remove the battery cable bolt on the back and the plug for the voltage regulator.

use an impact gun to break off the pulley and put it on the new alternator. install with impact and maybe some loctite on the threads.

install in reverse of removal. be sure to have some coolant on hand, i lost about half a gallon during this surgery. You can keep the lower coolant hose in place any time it is not in the way to reduce leakage and wetness under the car. i actually put the new alternator on with that hose still there, so maybe you don't even have to remove it.

some pics i took to point out landmarks you have to access




this is meant to help anyone else measure up this task if they are faced with it, not a super detailed step by step walkthrough, my apologies :)

Marko

[arjun90]

Thanks, is this good for a regular A6 Avant as well?

[Nemesis2747]

I did this in front of my house last summer. I HAD to put the front end into service position because that stupid top bolt would not slide out. It was too long and i couldn't remove it unless i moved the radiator a few inches forward. This is a pretty easy job. Did it 4 times in one week. I got 2 alternators that died within a day from autozone then bought a Valeo one from ECS and the first one was bad. Second still going strong. Doing the whole service position thing isn't too hard to do. Only hoses i removed were the front headlight washers when i took off the bumper and the lower inter-cooler.

[julex]

Thanks, is this good for a regular A6 Avant as well?

You know, nothing's easy with un-"regular" 3.0...

[estomax]

I did this in front of my house last summer. I HAD to put the front end into service position because that stupid top bolt would not slide out. It was too long and i couldn't remove it unless i moved the radiator a few inches forward. This is a pretty easy job. Did it 4 times in one week. I got 2 alternators that died within a day from autozone then bought a Valeo one from ECS and the first one was bad. Second still going strong. Doing the whole service position thing isn't too hard to do. Only hoses i removed were the front headlight washers when i took off the bumper and the lower inter-cooler.

funny, just because of that one bolt. maybe your car is pre-facelift and they changed that bolt in the post facelift cars to be able to remove it without doing the service position?

[rubio469]

yeah I've changed mine out from the bottom.. You just have to work that 1 bolt out carefully and also putting it back in sucks big time if you dont' have skinny hands..

[Hobartian]

It is incredible that you had the misfortune of having the original alternator and then three replacements fail in very short time.

After changing the alternator four times you must nearly be able to do the job with your eyes closed.

[Nemesis2747]

It is incredible that you had the misfortune of having the original alternator and then three replacements fail in very short time.

After changing the alternator four times you must nearly be able to do the job with your eyes closed.

Pretty much. Would have gone easier if i bought my impact gun then. Took about 2 hours. Maybe 4 the first time. I jumped a sexy lady's car not too long before, and for some reason i let some random guy helping her hook up the cables and he put em on backwards. I would carry a jump starter if my car wasn't a 6 speed lol. Didnt help though that you could HEAR my alternator car idling. Sounded like it was grinding sand. Didnt know thats what it was until I popped a fresh one in. New battery while i was at it.