Quick, Fast, Easy Installation of an Alternator on Dodge Truck

An alternator generates electricity and then converts it from the direct current off of your battery into alternating current to run through your system. Before buying a new alternator, there are a few things you should look at to check if the problem is indeed caused by the alternator.

Look at the wires and connectors from your battery. If they are corroded or broken, this can cause electrical problems. Remove the negative battery cable from the battery while the truck is running. If your truck dies, then your alternator is bad. But if it runs, your alternator is not the problem. Look for loose bolts on the alternator, because without a good ground, the alternator will not make a connection to the system.

To remove and replace your alternator, look in the left front side under your hood. The long serpentine belts go around many pulleys, but the pulley connected to the alternator is the one on the uppermost left side. To begin, remove the negative battery cable from your battery. Now you will take off the wiring harness, and make sure you label it if you cannot tell what it goes to. You can use regular masking tape to write on, as long as you remove the tape when you are finished. Now you need to loosen the pivot belt, which is one of the belts that goes around the pulley. So first, remove the bolt that keeps the alternator attached to the adjustment arm. This is normally a ½ inch bolt and you can use a drive or socket for this and all other bolts herein.

Now you will need to rotate the alternator so the drive belt and pulley come apart from one another. To do this, there is a small hold in the arm of the alternator that you will need to use a ½ inch drive to turn. Insert the drive into the hole and pull to the left of the vehicle, just enough to loosen the belts so you can remove them with the other hand at the same time. Now you will need to remove the remaining 2 bolts on the top of the alternator so that it comes loose and you can pull straight up to remove it.

When reinstalling your alternator, you will do all of these steps in reverse. First, sit the alternator in its seat and replace the 2 bolts from the top. Now you need to use the ½ inch drive to insert into the arm so you can release pressure on the pulleys and place the serpentine belts back around the pulley on the alternator. Move the alternator pivot belt back into position while holding the pressure off of the pulleys. Now you need to reconnect the wiring harness into the correct receptacle. And lastly, reconnect the battery cable and start your engine. If installed correctly, your truck should fire right up.