How To Replace Alternator 2000-05 Chevy Impala
Created on: 2011-03-04
How to repair, install, fix, change or replace a broken or bad alternatoron 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, and 05 Chevy Impala models.
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step 1 :disconnect your battery
- Disconnect your negative battery terminal with an 8 mm wrench.
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step 2 :Remove your serpentine belt
- Remove the coolant tank.
- Unbolt two 13 mm bolts securing the brace.
- Followed by unbolting two 10 mm securing the tank itself.
- Set the coolant tank aside.
- Use a 15 mm wrench to release the tension from your serpentine belt.
- Remove the serpentine belt.
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step 3 :Remove the alternator
- Unscrew the engine oil fill cap and pull the plastic cover off to expose your alternator.
- Unbolt the 10 mm bolt, 13 mm bolt securing the battery wire, four 15 mm bolts.
- Disconnect the wiring harness.
- Remove the alternator.
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step 4 :Install the new alternator
- Bolt the alternator in with your 10, 13 and 15 mm sockets and ratchet.
- Plug in the wiring harness connections.
- Torque the lower 15 mm bolts to 65-70 ft lbs.
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step 5 :Install the serpentine belt
- Use your belt routing diagram to route the belt.
- Loop the belt over the last pulley by releasing tension from the belt tensioner pulley with your 15 mm wrench.
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step 6 :Put everything else back together
- Put your engine cover and oil cap back on.
- Bolt your coolant bottle and bracket back into place with your 13 mm wrench.
- Reconnect your negative battery terminal with your 8 mm wrench.
Tools needed
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13mm Socket
15mm Wrench
Socket Extensions
15mm Socket
8mm Wrench
10mm Socket
Ratchet
Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the internet. Hi, I'm Mike Green. I'm one of the owners of 1A Auto. I want to help you save time and money repairing and maintaining your vehicle. I'm going to use my 20+ years' experience restoring and repairing cars and trucks like this to show you the correct way to install parts from 1AAuto.com. The right parts installed correctly, that's going to save you time and money. Thank you and enjoy the video.
In this video we're going to replace the alternator on this 2002 Chevy Impala with the 3.8 liter or 3800 engine. Tools you'll need are 8mm and 15mm wrenches; 10mm, 13mm, and 15mm sockets. You'll need a ratchet and a short extension and a long extension. Start by disconnecting your negative battery cable with an 8mm wrench. You can see your belt runs here. This is your tensioner right down in here. If you have the right wrench you could probably get your belt off without removing your coolant tank, but it only takes about five minutes and it makes it a whole lot easier so we're going to just remove the coolant tank first. Remove the two 13mm bolts that hold this brace. Then two 10mm nuts that hold the coolant tank itself. Lift the tank up and out. I'm just going to put it over there for now. You can see your alternator here and this is your tensioner right down here. 15 mm wrench, put it on there push down and then you can just take your belt take it off of the alternator and let your wrench back slowly. To be able to get to the alternator a little better, pull off your engine oil fill and take this cover off. Now there's a bolt here holding the alternator, and one here.
You're going to remove this nut and loosen up this nut right here. Then you've got a couple connections. This unbolts here and then once you get that off you can disconnect this connection here. This little bolt down in here is a 10mm. Again, I'm just going to loosen it up a little bit. This is a 13mm, and you could get a little spark if you don't disconnect your battery. Then once you disconnect that, just take your thumb. There's a little tab right here. Pull it back and you can disconnect that lead. These two bolts are both 15mm. Then there's another 15mm bolt right here. Put our wrench on there. A little trick. If you find that you need to get some more leverage just take another wrench and put it on here, and that will just ... Be very careful when you do this. Just push slowly. That will give you a little more leverage to get that loose. There is a third and final bolt back in the back there. Remove that, or you could just loosen it up a bunch of turns. There's your alternator out. What you can do is put this bolt back in. The alternator in this car is working fine. I'm just doing this to show you how to do it. Put the alternator; just slide it in where it goes. Put that bolt down in and start it. Put that bolt in.
We'll just hit fast forward here a little bit as I just use my wrenches and snug those bolts up before I tighten them. Here I am tightening up the lower bolt here, and it probably should be torqued to probably 65 to 70 foot pounds, but I'm just getting it tight with my wrench and then the same thing with that other rear bolt. Now I'm going to put that nut on and fast forward through tightening up with a wrench. Now connect my harness and then this nut, the 13mm nut that holds the battery wire on. Get it on there. Tighten it up. Then put that brace back on and tighten up that 15mm nut on top of there. Then tighten up our 10mm nut down there. Reroute our belt and you check your belt routing diagram. Grab it. Pull your tensioner. Put the belt back on to the alternator, and we'll put our radiator bottle in place. Put it back down in. It clips down at the bottom. Then you have the two 10mm nuts that hold it on top and the two 13mm nuts that hold the strut brace. We'll kind of fast forward through finishing those out. Once you've got everything tightened up, put your engine cover back on and put the oil fill neck back on to hold it, and then reconnect your battery with your 8mm wrench.
We hope this helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the internet. Please feel free to call us toll free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the internet and in person.
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