Replacing Alt...

I have a new alternator and I am going to change it tonight...

87 XJ 4.0 L

It looks pretty straight forward...

Loosen belt
disconnect battery
un bolt old alt
bolt in new
hook battery back up
tighten belt...

Am i missing a step

anything I should watch for

Ken

COOL! i will be doing the same thing as soon as mine arrives. From what ive read in other posts, that is it.....Just make sure that the belt is going the right way at each pulley. Let me know if you run into any problems (since it might happen to me as well). I took the extra step and bought a tensioner gauge (cheap 11.00 part at NAPA) just to make sure my tension is ok. GL!

The only real snag to the job is sneaking the alternator out between the subframe rail and the sway bar - there's only one or two orientations that will work, but they're pretty easy to find. Pay attention and watch what you're doing, and it will be cool. I've got it down to about a 30 minute job...

5-90
87XJ, 88XJ, 89XJ, ...

Also be sure to clean the hell out of every contact you find. The alt. is in a very harsh environment, and the connections get pretty nasty. Good luck.

Make absoloutely sure you need a NEW alternator. Mine was tested in the Jeep and found to be "bad". When removed from the vehicle it tested "good". Turned out it was just a bad connection at the alternator.

draw a diagram of the belt routing....or better yet, take a picture. it makes things soooooo much easier if you tend to forget things easily

I pull the battery (with AC) and get everything I can reach from the top. Seems to save a couple of scratches, knuckle dings and some dirt in the face. In the winter I take my fan shroud off anyway (makes washing the mud out of the radiator easier), helps to reach some alternator bolts from the top. Removing the fan, easier yet, if you have extra time and easy (less mud in the face) is more important than speed.
Check your idler pulleys, while you have the belt off. Spin them and listen for a rattle.
I pull mine and wash it out with hot water, after most deep mud excursions. Mud under the brushes will cause a no charge and eventually wear out the brushes and slip rings.
If you have no voltage (with the ignition on) at the I/F pole at the plug at the alternator (yellow wire), you won´t have any charge. Same thing with a fuseable link on the major cable from the alernator to the battery. Many times it´s worn brushes, I rarley return the core, put my new alternator in, change the brushes in the old one (a pain) and put it on the shelf as a spare.

The thing I see that you may have missed is to be sure and stop the engine prior to changing the belt.............It hurts if not. But seriously it is a fairly straight forward job. Just remember the way it came apart and you should be good to go. If you really wanted to you could get some grease BE SURE IT IS SAFE TO USE WITH ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS and coat the wires going into the alt. That is if you have a problem getting it wet. Good luck

Use dielectric grease.

Sarge

thanks for the tip about removing the battery and going in from the top...

it took me about an hour because of amm of the dried mud that kept falling in my eye when i looked up...

I still need to put the battery back in and replace the belt, but i think I'm gonna replace the harmonic balancer (SP?) while i have the thing apart...

thanks again...
Ken