I did this job (2016 Altima) for the first time yesterday. I decided to go thru the bottom. Removed top nut on the front engine mount, removed belt, removed tensioner, lowered subframe, loosened miscellaneous harness clips, unclipped and moved oil cooler lines out of the way, disconnected compressor connectors, removed compressor fasteners (4), lowered compressor. Then removed bottom alternator nut and long bolt Alternator top bolt, and electrical connections accessed from the top. Disconnect upper radiator hose and move out of the way to make room. After all this is done, the alternator came out with little effort thru the bottom while moving the AC compressor out of the way

Thank you very much, you convinced me to have the repair done by a mechanic. I am not adequately equipped for this type of repair, plus, since I don't have a garage, I would have to work outside. From October in Quebec, it becomes hazardous to undertake outdoor work, the cold and snow are never far away.

Video was very helpful and damn I hope I never have to change that alternator again that sucked!

This guy did it the best... Thank you man Good Job

Excellent! Removal/Replace overview. Can't that you enough. Mines is a 2011 with the original alternator. I am confident it's the alternator. However, I have a 05 Odyssey I just replaced the alternator last year.

Great video very helpful!! Wish i would've found this before removing the Ac compressor..haha

Charge the battery and if needed clear your codes and the batt warning light should go out. Im sure the bad alternator drained the battery. So after replacing the alternator you will still need to charge or possibly replace the battery depending how much damage the alternator did by not charging the battery.

Did one 2 days ago, be careful about losing even the tiniest amount of coolant when moving the radiator hoses. It will cause an air bubble in the cooling system and you’ll spending time burping the cooking system.

I can't thank you enough for a VERY HELPFUL video! My alternator gave out without warning, and I had to make this repair while on a road trip. I got it done and then had a smooth 800-mile drive back home without issue, thanks to your help! I watched a few other videos but yours was the only one I found that focused on removing the alternator from the top. I want to share some notes and suggestions from my project. BEFORE you get started, get yourselves an new alternator wire harness, 2 gallons of 50/50 mix antifreeze, plastic protective wrap and high temp electrical tape to cover the wires again when the job is done. You can also save yourself a second trip to the auto parts store just to get your refund of the core charge if you remove the old unit and take it with you when you pick up your new unit. It also is very helpful to have the old and new units lined-up next to each other for comparison before you leave the store! I placed some cardboard over the radiator after I took out the fans and BEFORE I removed the alternator to prevent damaging those very delicate fins while doing this job. This job is going to require some patience, effort and work to remove a few parts to reach the alternator no matter which direction you approach it from but, your method from the top worked well for me! My alternator wire harness literally broke apart while I was removing it because they get brittle with age and heat exposure. I had to get a new alternator wire harness on Amazon (next day shipping...whew...) but it was great quality, a super reasonable price (under $10) and relatively easy to splice and seal the new harness with the included heat shrink splicers. If your viewers are interested in purchasing the same one, I have included my Amazon Affiliate link amzn.to/42JFZmx for the exact harness I used. As a disclaimer. Amazon will share a few cents with me if you purchase any of the items I mention with my link so, thank you in advance! I would also recommend getting some new plastic protective wrap because that stuff gets very brittle and pretty much falls apart just from handling it has you move the wires around. Do yourselves a favor and protect your wiring from moisture, heat and dust plus make the job look super clean and professional. You can use my Amazon Affiliate link amzn.to/487uNkH to purchase some or go to your local Harbor Freight to get some before you start the job. This stuff is relatively cheap at less than $10 and very good to have for future projects. I really didn't want to loosen the subframe or take down the AC compressor or remove/disconnect any AC lines to pull the alternator out from the passenger wheel well. I replaced my radiator, AC compressor and recharged the system just a few months ago and did not want to have to repeat any of those processes! There were a few steps that were challenging like getting the long bolt that sits behind the tensioner out of the back of the alternator after removing the nut and then getting it back in when installing the replacement unit. This was a great place to have someone with smaller hands maneuver the bolt in. My wife helped me with my project. I used a telescoping magnet amzn.to/42rD6Gu to help push the long bolt up from the passenger wheel well, while she pushed it through from the top. It was also VERY HELPFUL when I dropped a bolt that I couldn't reach LOL! I noticed that you didn't mention draining the radiator before getting started but I did so your reply to another person confirming you did. It may be helpful to let your viewers know that so they can be prepared with a catch pan to drain and then refill with about 1.5 to 2 gallons of antifreeze after the job is done. Antifreeze at AutoZone is a great deal and the 50/50 mix is ready to use and less than $12 a gallon. Thanks once again for being part of this great KZfaq community where we can all help and support each other with encouragement to take on DIY projects like this and save a LOT OF MONEY! Blessings and much appreciated!

FYI these "ECU" controlled alternators sre a terrible design. Much higher failure rate than traditional voltage regulator! Both Nissan & Dodge

Question In your opinion is it better to remove the alternator from the top or from the bottom, both ways look time consuming

Good video. My question is, the long bolt that goes back of the alternator, does it come all the way out or is there a mechanism that stops it from coming all the way out? I've removed all the necessary bolts, hose to get good access to it but there's something holding the alternator in the back where the bolt is that's preventing it from coming out. It would have been helpful to video where you removed the alternator so we would have gotten an idea what it looked like before removal and putting it back in.

Did you find out why the battery light remained on?

There gotta be a better way to remove alternators. 😕

Hey man just wanted to say as a guy whos owned 4 maximas, this was a well done video. Ive replaced many alternators on mine (mostly 4th-5th gens) but my 7th gen is still a baby (22,000 original kms) so if i need to do this again ill probly try this way of operation. That being said the battery light with the brake light simulataneously is almost always a definitive indicator the alternator is not charging the battery properly so i can totally understand condemning the alternator at that point. But now i am also wondering if after the video was done filming and the new alternator maybe had time to charge the battery that the lights went away after a few minutes? If not ill definitely be checking my battery at the same time before deciding to replace another one. Great job again.

I Hated to be the one to break the 420 likes😢 sorry but thank you ❤

Did u ever figure out why battery light remained on? Im having the same issue on my maxima. Thanks

How’d you get to the back of the bottom bolt ?

For real 😅

So, either way, if you take it out through the bottom, you have to remove the AC compressor and if you take it out through the top, you gotta remove all that bullshit as far as your radiator and all that crap there’s no other way around it I was thinking of putting mine out to the bottom, but if I do that do I have to remove anything other than the tire will it be able to come out that way or do I have to take the compressor off, it’s a bullshit job for just an alternator

I try to do this today i could get bottom bolt back on or take off the pigtail im like wtf is going on i gave up call someone smh

Gonna guess the battery light was on post repair, because battery was low on charge?

This way was more work than the ac compressor way

All that work just to put in a car quest alternator

Worst vehicle i ever worked on, NEVER AGAIN

Just remove the compressor. I mean come on