Disco 2 Help - How to replace an Alternator

Hello,
Firstly, please allow me to apologies for the length of this post, as I will try and include as much info as possible.

I have owned a TD5 2004 model from new, so should know the history of the car!

Around 2 months ago, my battery started playing up where it went low on juice. I ended up buying a CTEX charger which worked well and charged the battery. However, this was during the hot week, and then the weather dipped and so did the battery and found it would not start!

I then bought a multimeter watched some videos on YouTube and believe that the battery and alternator are both showing expected results/voltage.

The battery is a LR battery that was replaced about 3 years ago, and can confirm that it is a sealed unit for which the green light is showing on top!

I have since charged the battery a number of times on the engine using the CTEC direct to the car battery in the engine for around 5 hours. This provides a charge for around 3-4 days, at which point it goes flat again and could happen anywhere!

I rang LR and they said a new Alternator is £600 and a new battery is £220 as I am trying to work out which way to go, new battery or alternator. I decided to go with the Alternator and bought a Denso (which I am hoping is a good one) from Paddocks, which has just arrived.

P.S. I have done a few maintenance items on the car, but am far from a pro.
The issue that I now have is that there is a flaming hose going right across the top of the alternator, making it difficult to access and am wondering if I need to drain the coolant system and whether I need any other replacement parts such as washers, O rings, and hoses etc.

Also, do i need any specific tools, which I would need to get from Amazon Now (today delivery) or Halfords.

Any assistance greatly appreciated.

As you've seen, the alternator on the Td5 engine is mounted quite low down which means that much of the work can be done from underneath.
I would strongly recommend that you download a copy of RAVE from:- http://www.green-oval.com/data/lr/rave01.iso.

However, in the meantime, I've put up a copy of the relevant pages for you. I would reckon that the only special tools you might require is the set of special spanners to remove the viscous fan so that you an get the aux drive belt off, and give you a bit more room to work.

Done this twice in the past couple months.

- Disconnect the battery (negative first)
- Remove viscous fan
- Remove the aux belt
- Remove the mounting bolts for the fuel cooler (makes the next step ALOT easier),
- Take off the plug connector from the back of the alternator
- Remove the live feed to the alternator (remember, disconnect the battery first!)
- Remove the 14mm 12 point bolt from the tensioner (makes it easier to remove)
- Disconnect the 4 bolts from the front of the vacuum pump
- Remove the 3 bolts on the side of the engine which holds the mount for the alternator (you can remove this as one unit)

Here's the fun part:

- You can twist the vac pump enough to let the alternator come apart and then slide it down the gap and over the axle underneath.

Once you have it out, take the cover off the back of the alternator and check the brushes are OK (actually remove the brush housing and check they spring back out). Clean the brushes and spray a bit of WD in there to loosen them up a bit. Another thing to do if you know how to use a mutlimeter, is to check the resistance of the windings. They should be lower than 3ohms, any higher, it's wearing out or gone. Ideally, it should be about 2 ohms or lower (including lead resistance).

I've had 2 alternators with the same issue, I now keep the other as a spare and overhaul the other when it breaks from off-roading.

Simon098 said:

14mm 18spline bolt

Click to expand...

What sort of bolt is that then?

Cheers

neilly said:

What sort of bolt is that then?

Cheers

Click to expand...

Its the head. The socket size is 14mm, but it's not a hex head, its an 18 spline head.

Simon098 said:

Its the head. The socket size is 14mm, but it's not a hex head, its an 18 spline head.

Click to expand...

I never heard of an 18 spline head, got a picture?

Cheers

neilly said:

I never heard of an 18 spline head, got a picture?

Cheers

Click to expand...

My mistake, it's a 12 point bolt head

Simon098 said:

My mistake, it's a 12 point bolt head

Click to expand...

That I have heard of...............LOL

Cheers

neilly said:

That I have heard of...............LOL

Cheers

Click to expand...

hahaha

Bazdaa said:

View attachment 129291
Hello,
Firstly, please allow me to apologies for the length of this post, as I will try and include as much info as possible.

I have owned a TD5 2004 model from new, so should know the history of the car!

Around 2 months ago, my battery started playing up where it went low on juice. I ended up buying a CTEX charger which worked well and charged the battery. However, this was during the hot week, and then the weather dipped and so did the battery and found it would not start!

I then bought a multimeter watched some videos on YouTube and believe that the battery and alternator are both showing expected results/voltage.

The battery is a LR battery that was replaced about 3 years ago, and can confirm that it is a sealed unit for which the green light is showing on top!

I have since charged the battery a number of times on the engine using the CTEC direct to the car battery in the engine for around 5 hours. This provides a charge for around 3-4 days, at which point it goes flat again and could happen anywhere!

I rang LR and they said a new Alternator is £600 and a new battery is £220 as I am trying to work out which way to go, new battery or alternator. I decided to go with the Alternator and bought a Denso (which I am hoping is a good one) from Paddocks, which has just arrived.

P.S. I have done a few maintenance items on the car, but am far from a pro.
The issue that I now have is that there is a flaming hose going right across the top of the alternator, making it difficult to access and am wondering if I need to drain the coolant system and whether I need any other replacement parts such as washers, O rings, and hoses etc.

Also, do i need any specific tools, which I would need to get from Amazon Now (today delivery) or Halfords.

Any assistance greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

I would also like to mention that checking the earth connection on the alternator mount for contamination and tightness is also a good idea (reached from underneath). Also check the live connections as these are very common fault areas for the symptoms your describing.