How do you replace the alternator on an Infiniti I30?

Answer 1

May 25 2009 AnswerJust replaced 2000 Infiniti i30 alternator with a 2003 Nissan Maxima alternator work fine just had to remove the motor to do it Just kidding he he.

Steps I decided to take was not to remove the

Don't remove two large radiator hoses at the engine

Don't disconnect the overflow hose next to the fill cap.

Don't remove the two top bolts holding the radiator.

Don't remove the PSP period.

Loosing the little horn and lean out of your way.

From the bottom remove the shield.

From the bottom remove the Air compressor bolts, four of them

And let it hang out of your way. Be careful here

Remove the tension pulley.

Now you can remove the alternator.

If you got a dig camera a picture is worth a lot

God Bless

PS

You do need an extra hand like a friend.

AnswerFirst disconnect the battery. You have to pull the radiator and drop the AC compressor. This may sound hard but it is doable if you have the tools and a little know how. Remove the air intake scoop and pull the whole thing out. Remember there is a sensor plugged into the small end of the scoop that must be put back in or you will get a check eng light later. Unplug the two wire plugs, remove the two top bolts, disconnect the transmission lines, disconnect the two radiator hoses, disconnect the overflow hose and just pull the whole thing up. Remember to have a pan under the transmission lines and the water hoses. To drop the AC compressor first remove the drive belt. This is done by loosing the bolt in the center of the idler pulley and turning the tension bolt that is sticking up above the pulley. Now remove the 4 large bolts from the front of the compressor and it will set down on the air dams. This allows you to get to the rear swing bolt of the alternator.

Now remove the nut holding the main power line from the alternator and remove the plug near the rear. Remove the short bolt and the rear swing bolt. Take care that the swing bolt nut does not drop and get lost. I seems like there may be another bracket bolt holding a wire loom but I am not sure. Now pull the thing out, put in the new one and reverse the whole process. When putting the AC compressor back in place it is helpful to align the holes with a screwdriver to help hold it in place as it is heavy. Don't forget to refill the coolant and Transmission Fluid if necessary. Have fun.

I appreciate the previous post; it really helped, but it had some problems. I'm sure that they were inadvertent errors, but they can send you in the wrong direction. Before you begin, I would like to say that this job is a bi*ch. If you have never done this job before, it will probably take you all day - if you are lucky. Make sure you have plenty of Metric tools. To make the job easier, you need the screwdriver looking tools with metric nut/bolt removers on the end. I would also recommend that you go to Infinity and get three new belts before you begin. You don't want to go through this again to replace a belt. If you think you might need them, I would also replace the large upper and lower water hoses on the radiator. I bought the best belts they had at a chain parts house; however, they weren't as thick as the Nissan belts, so I went and got OEM parts from the dealer. Even then, the package for the A/C belt had the wrong belt and this caused a problem. I thought I had put the A/C belt on the alternator. Nope, just another screw up by someone to make my life a little tougher. Check the belts against the numbers on the belt; don't count on anyone. You will also need three 6-8" plastic wire ties, you know, the things you wrap around wires etc, and stick the end through the other end with a piece of metal that won't allow you to reuse it. Alright, let's get started:1. Disconnect the battery.

2. Remove the entire air intake scoop right up to the air filter housing. The only sensor plug I found was in the air filter box. I didn't remove the plug since I didn't remove the box. After removing the two screws on the top of the radiator that holds the scoop and all of the hoses that go into the scoop, pull the whole thing out.

3. If the car is not on a rack, now is the time to jack the passenger side of the car up so you can get to everything. Be sure to use jack stands and tire locks to prevent rolling.

4. Pull the radiator out. This makes it possible to get to everything. (NOTE: Remember to have a pan under the transmission lines and the water hoses to catch the drainage.) To remove the radiator, you have to:

a) I couldn't find the two wire plugs mentioned in the previous post, so I didn't unplug anything (electrically speaking) that is.

b) I recommend you drain the radiator before you begin. You need a Phillips head screwdriver to do so.

c) Disconnect the two hoses from the transmission that connect at the bottom of the radiator. I recommend disconnecting them from the transmission line instead of where they connect to the radiator.

d) Disconnect the two large radiator hoses at the engine. If you are not careful, the hose nipples on the radiator can break easily, and besides, you want the hoses out of your way.

e) Disconnect the overflow hose next to the fill cap.

f) remove the two top bolts holding the radiator,

g) Leave the fan housing connected to the radiator and pull the whole thing up. Be sure to place it on the side opposite the hoses to prevent further drainage from the hoses.

5. The previous instruction said to "drop the AC compressor. This may sound hard but it is doable if you have the tools and a little know how." This is not correct since the A/C compressor is on the driver side and the alternator is on the passenger side. I can only assume that he meant the power steering pump (PSP) which is on the same side and above the alternator. I didn't drop the PSP either. I had a problem with the bolts on the PSP so I left it alone. The only way this would help is if I removed it completely. Maybe that is what he meant by "drop." I still don't think it's necessary to mess with the PSP.

6. I got to the tensioners and alternator from the bottom of the car. My lower engine plate is missing, so if you have one, remove it so you can get to the units.

7. I loosened and removed the belts from the A/C compressor, PSP, and the fan/alternator. You need them out of the way since the alternator belt is in the back. All three have a tension unit for the belt. The first thing you do is loosen the lock bolt on the tensioners. On the A/C unit, you loosen the bolt in the center of the tensioner pulley. On the PSP, the bolt is on the back side of the pulley. The alternator simply has a bolt in the lower back. All three tension units work basically the same. Turn the tension bolt counterclockwise to loosen enough to remove the belts. If you are putting on new belts, you are going to have to loosen them some more.

8. Remove the bolt in the bottom of the alternator; it is connected to a brace on the front of the engine. I also removed the brace to get it out of the way so I could manipulate the alternator. Remove the main bolt in the top front that goes through the alternator. You can't turn the nut in the back since it has a metal hook that prevents it from turning. Reach back there and catch it if you can so you will feel where it goes.

9. After you have the alternator loose, you will notice that there is a wire loom protection unit connected to the alternator, cut the plastic wire ties that hold the wires in the unit. You don't have to remove the wire protection unit from the alternator to get it out.

10. Turn the alternator so you can get to and remove the three electrical wires that go to the alternator; there are two grounds that connect together on the wire protection unit, a large wire that connects to the alternator, and a large squeeze plug.

11. You can now work the alternator out from the front I think, if not, from the bottom.

12. Take the wire protection off of the old alternator and put it on the new alternator.

13. Reverse the whole process. Don't forget to refill the coolant and transmission fluid if necessary. I didn't. Hopefully, I made the job a little easier for you.

From the Service Manual(note, this is the Australian Nissan Maxima 2000 manual...identical to the Infiniti I30)

Removal and Installation

REMOVAL

1. Remove engine undercover RH.

2. Remove side inspection cover RH.

3. Loosen belt idler pulley.

4. Remove drive belt.

5. Remove A/C compressor mounting bolts (four).

6. Slide A/C compressor forward.

7. Disconnect alternator harness connector.

8. Remove alternator upper bolt and lower bolt.

INSTALLATION

To install, reverse the removal procedure.