Alternator DIY for VW 2.5L 5 cylinder MK5 Jetta 

A buddy and I did this job yesterday 5/22/21 and here is what I learned. If you can't lift your car, it is pretty easy to take out the headlight and pull the alternator through the headlight hole. Also, make sure you have the triple square 10mm socket for the tensioner pulley 👍

I didn’t have access to a lift, and made my job harder on myself in many different ways. But! Your video was super helpful, and allowed me to tackle this by myself (even though I regretted it, immediately😂)! You can now find me in my backyard, burning all my bras.💪😂

This video is awesome. I could not have figured this out without the direction here. I did figure one easier step. The AC Pump has hoses that are long enough to allow you to get it out of the way. Take out the 3 bolts holing the AC Pump. Then take out the two bolts on the pulley below the Alternator and the Alternator will come straight out the bottom.

Hey Paul, I used this video to help me find all the bolts that needed to be removed but I found a much easier way to remove the alternator after unbolting. If you remove the passenger side headlight you have much better access and you won't have to unbolt all the reservoirs and motor mount saving a bunch of time. You'll still need to unbolt some piping and hose mounts though. Ive never done a job like this and still only took me less than 2 hours total!

Take note on what’s being done to get everything out the way of the alternator. Just did this today and the video is valid

Just did this job. Take out the AC compressor from the bottom. Take out the belts and a few tensioners. Then alternator. Put in the new alternator and re install in reverse order. T27 torx and M10 triple square bits. Take your time, take pics before and during. It’s 2 hours done.

Paul I commend you for keeping this G rated. I couldn't do it.

Just did this repair today using one of the methods Master_P described. I removed the upper idler bracket (to get access to the upper alternator bolt), the upper tensioner pulley (to access the lower alternator bolt), and lower idler bracket and AC compressor (to provide a path to remove and install the alternator unit). With all the parts removed and alternator out of the bracket, you can remove the battery cable and electronics and rotate the alternator with the pulley pointing down. Then with some careful maneuvering you can get the alternator out from underneath the vehicle without much trouble. To get access to everything, I removed the right front wheel, the belly pan, and the lower right wheel well shroud. Removing the wheel may not be a requirement but it sure made things a lot easier since I don't have a lift.

Thanks for the video. I love the old MK1 VW's a lot easy to work on. These new ones are like hell

Took the 3 easy to get to bolts on the ac compressor out and alternator came out the bottom. Was also able to disconnect wires easy.

I just took of the front bumper and jacked the right side up. I had access to everything but this video helped fill in the blanks.

Mite be picking up a mk5 jetta 2.5 next week so this was pretty convenient to be uploaded now lol

You don't need the triple square at all. Just remove the pulley and you have free access to the bolt. Did it today. Glad I read the comments and saw the hint about the headlight assembly. Even though someone epoxied the pigtail to the headlight

This is definitely the hard way I do not recommend doing it this way! Removing ac compressor (3 bolts) you can pull it out from the bottom and eliminates 85 percent of the work he done

Great video. These Bosch Alternators have a replaceable regulator which contains the brushes. Chances are the brushes are worn causing the alternator not to charge. The regulator can be replaced without removing the alternator from the car, just need to turn it. A new regulator is a fraction of the cost of a new alternator. Might be worth looking at.

This was a great video! We followed it, and were able to swap out an alternator on a 2007 VW Jetta 2.5 Wolfsburg Edition. We drove the car up a pair of Rhino ramps, so that we could access the top and underside of the vehicle. We took off the belts and removed the alternator bolts easily enough. The 12 point triple square 10 mm socket was a challenge. Standard size M10 with a 3/8 inch drive did not have enough clearance between the bolt and frame. We tried a few different brands, and the only one that worked for us was a low profile 10 mm set by Titan. The standard size and stubby size were too big for our small clearance. We definitely needed picks to get the electrical plugs off the back side. And nimble fingers. We read through the comments and got a bit overwhelmed with trying to loosen up the engine mount, and we weren't sure how to remove the AC pump. We ended up referring to another RU-vid video where we took off the front bumper and passenger side headlamp - which was pretty straightforward. After loosening the AC line, there was enough give to take the alternator out and swap the new one in. The steps in reverse were easy enough and the car runs fine now. A pointer for any newbies (like us) -- definitely keep a good system in place for keeping track of all your bolts and parts. We bought a new Kobalt tool kit that had all the 10 mm, 13 mm, 15 mm, T25, T27, and M10 sockets, bits, and wrenches needed to get through this. We're walking away from this project with a lot of useful tools for future car work, that's for sure. Again, this video was great for us; we referred to it nearly constantly for our alternator replacement! Thank you!

you did this the hard way for sure

this is what i did will help a lot after watching this video 1- lift the passenger side on a jack stand 2- take the bolts from the mount to chassis 3-put the jack under the COMPRESSOR WITH A PIECE OF WOOD between and lift a little (be very careful do not put too much pressure on compressor) that way the clearance between the engine and chassis will be enough to work the rest is in this video

I just wanted to say thanks! I actually tried to change the alternator through the bottom by removing the AC but that would have been a huge long mess because there is pulley housing in the way. So I went with this video instead and I unscrewed the engine mount, jacked it and pushed the engine back and it worked! It is the easiest route in my opinion. The hardest part was probably unscrewing the 3 connection on the back of the alternator because the clearance is so small!

I just watched a guy do this from the bottom, by dropping the power steering pump... Leaving the lines connected, roll it out of the way, took one pulley bracket off and replaced the alternator in about an hr of real time and little effort 😂 You're killing me moving the engine around and taking items off you don't need to remove. I'll drop you his method link on here.... WATCH HIM ! SAME CAR SAME ENGINE 🎉

Great channel 👍🏻

Very good job and thank you very much for your time, and most importantly, your knowledge...

Thanks for the video! It shows where all the components and bolts are, which helped me a bunch. I have to agree with others though, leave the motor mount and the triple square bolt alone. From the top just remove the headlight, take off the belt, remove the center bolt from the idler roller and the tensioner, remove the idler roller bracket, remove the 2 alternator bolts, pry the alternator off the bracket, rotate it a bit to get the cables and cable bracket off, and shimmy it up through the headlight opening. Took me about 15 minutes to get it out. Mine is a MK 6 by the way.

I love these videos!

Great video. Thanks for the step-by-step info. One point of concern: Never loosen up the motor mount. Steel bolt into aluminum. aka: bad news. a better practice is to remove the fan and even the radiator if needed. IF you do loosen the motor mount always reset motor mount bolts with RTV (100% silicone) down the holes and on the bolts. VW states that all aluminum motor mounts are one time use. They talk about some misleading streaching bolts, but harden steel bolts do not streach when tighened into an aluminum housing... I have had mounts fail and this is fustrating. TDI Love from Chicago.

Finally a tutorial that doesn’t make it look easy

I second Jose V here. just take out the AC compressor and it will save you a ton of time.

Very clear, thanks a lot

Fantastic video helped a lot

Have you had trouble seating the bottom hole? I am able to get the top lined up no problem but then the bottom wont seat properly.

Good video, I've done It before and believe me its really hard to do it!! Regards,

my alternator goes down from 14.20 to 13.70 and has variation do you think i need to replace the entire alternator? it also makes a weird sound

I had hoped the alternator on a 2.5 rabbit was in a friendly location....I still have nightmares thinking about replacement on my 99 tdi beetle....sometimes I just want to take engineers and hang them from the nearest tree

I've done this twice on my '07 2.5. The first time was to replace the pulley. The second was to rebuild the alternator (slip ring, both bearings, and brushes). Here are my 2 cents: Removal from below is achievable if you remove: 1) the lower serpentine belt tensioner, 2) the lower idler pulley, 3) AC compressor. Secure the AC compressor at the accessory bracket with one 13mm bolt. Stick the bolt in the top hole on the compressor, but attach the bolt in the right lower thread on the bracket. This safely secures the compressor on the bracket, while tilting the compressor out of the way and yielding adequate room to drop the alternator. Another approach is removing the intake manifold. I found this method is easier because there's SO much more room to work. It's not nearly as bad as it sounds.

It's way easier to just take out the alternator from under the engine. You just need to take off ac compressor, then put a bucket or something to support it up just make sure its not dangling from the hoses. The alternator will go in and out way easier, the connections are more assessable too.

Good timing on posting this! Thanks!! On a road trip to visit family for Thanksgiving, the alternator light came on in the middle of Chicago yesterday and we managed to coast into my in-laws in Michigan. Any more tips on getting the alternator out? Trying to get all the information I can before I get started (or decide to take it to a repair shop). With the holiday coming up and us needing to get home, time is working against me.

Does it whine because of the alternator my car is whining bad and I’m hoping that’s all it is

Coolant flush diy in the works yet? I am sure a tone of people might benefit from it

What was used to get the cable holder bolt off?

Very so hard work , but is nice intruccion

Hey there ! I replaced alternator on my jetta 2006 , the same you have on video...3 weeks lator iam having problems , the car idle come up to 900rpms then down to 750 , is unstable , it happends when i turn ac on or just fan to max ...i was told that the alternador is not making enought power...what do you think?

I used To pull the battery cable on my old cars to check the alternator, but I was told not to do that on our O6 Jetta as it could cause problems with the computer. ? I’m not sure of it but May want to look into it before.

Thanks. You video was a lot of help. When pulling the alternator remove the headlight assembly. I find it easier then removing motor mount

5 days late lol 😂 i just suffered changing one 😂

Just FYI to those that are curious, you CAN do all of this from the top with a little bit of patience and basic tools. Especially if you're only changing the voltage regulator. A stubby 8mm & 13mm wrench, ratcheting wrenches, and a swivel adaptor for your sockets would be HIGHLY recommended though.

Hey! I hope have answer quickly! this process is the same in the Volkswagen Jetta SE 2012?

Gracias Amigo!!!

So did you need the 10mm triple square to loosing the pulley to get the 13 mm alternator screw out, or to remove the pulley?

This was within my skillset until paul got to unscrewing the motor mounts and what not lol I don’t have the proper equipment to do that part. 😞 guess ill have to pay out my nose for some shop to do it.

Good job

Just did this today in 2 hours. Removed top belt ,top tensioner bracket and the bottom tensioner wheel only. I left the bottom tensioner bracket ON. With a few rotations of the alternator it came right out. Idk why everyone struggles so hard with it.

This would of been so useful 2 weeks ago

What if you dont need to replace the belts isn't it more work to remove both belts if the alternator is now free with only the alternator belt free. ?

Does anyone know of its 100% necessary to remove the tensioner? Could I remove the alternator without taking it out?

I found it much easier to take out from underneath. Just remove 2 bolts and drop the ac compressor, then the alternator comes out the bottom without any issues.

All you have to do it undo the 3 torx screws by the headlight and it pops in and out no problem

Hi. I need an alternator for my 2002 New Beetle, V5 cilynder, 2.3 L. Do you know what part number is? And if there is another alternator from other VW cars that fits this Beetle. Thanks.

This guy dose not need to do any more videos its real easy take it out the bottom. Dah !!

Is there a part number list to replace all rollers and tensioners?

Can you try this on a Mk6?

Thank you for your video……you are so patient and explain everything very clearly………I have 2 questions for you, do you know by any chance if same parts and same procedures apply to a 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit 2.5? and if you know as well, if the Rabbit has timing chain or timing belt? 25:26

I'm not a car mechanic but I can tell you that popping the engine cover off gives you a little more clearance. No screws, no bolts. Pull off at the corners, push back on. Update; you did take the cover off eventually. Mystery solved

It works best if working underneath, remove belts, ac compressor bolts, set ac compressor aside, remove 2 pulleys, and alternator comes out from the bottom.

You make the black cap on the back seem too easy. I’ve been at it for 45 mins and can’t get it off.

Only thing I would change, instead of going up, go down. The AC compressor comes out with 3 bolts and makes the alternator access much easier. AC can sit on a box due to "lines being so flexible." Good job!

I bought an 07 Jetta 2.5 running for 1000 but it needed a muffler which was like 500

you don't have long wrenches?

I like it imma pull the intake instead haha

Getting the damned alternator back on is a job unto itself. To all you genuises in the comments--you clearly haven't done a removal ON THIS PARTICULAR CAR AND ENGINE. I don't care if you did it on a rabbit, a golf or a bug. All you're doing is misleading people.

I have a 2011 jetta se it keeps shutting off while driving I took it to the dealer three times could not figure out why. Any body have an idea Please please help me out

Really good video. However, when the new alternator was bolted on you forgot to mention the sleeves prep in the new alternator were the 13mm bolt screw on. I noticed slack side to side. I had to take the new alternator off because of this crucial step.

How Do I Determine if MY Jetta is 12V or 24V...???

My mechanic changed alternator and replaced and now I have all my light on Battery brake,and my car shutdown and he cant found the fail you can help me

👏👏👏👏👏

Drop the ac compressor with lines still attached an support it off to the side, alternator will come out bottom much easier than removing thru the top👍

Is there a reason you didn't move the front into service position or at least move it a bit forward? That would have provided you a lot more wiggle room to get it out.

I unbolted the AC compressor and remove alternator from the bottom it's less work. as for the idle pulley undo the nut that hold it to the bracket just be carfull with the washer in remounting back on the stud.

Great video, thanks for all the info.

It's not an easy job, you just show us that !!!

You can get out from the bottom if you loosen the ac compressor, let it hang. Remove the idler pulley. Pull the alternator off the block and then rotate the ear of the alternator into the radiator fan and spin it. Do it slowly so it doesn't fall on your face but that's the easiest way I've seen to change this cars alternator.

That 2.5 engine alternator will fit that of the classic Jetta 2.0 engine without modifying anything

Can y’all install a turbo on a 2.5L MK6 !!!!!

Theres a black bar to my right thats blocking me from getting the plug in

the alternator con not pass take out the ac compressor and its faster i just change one

There are two easier ways to remove the alternator 1) remove the ac or 2) Remove the headlight as wellI used both methods in the last 2 weeks. The top method being easier.

I think that's the hardest way I've seen that done.. it comes out the bottom in 10 minutes.

Or... remove the radiator carrier screws.. lot easier to hinge that forward than everything that was removed for the motor mount. AND there are ways around a triple square

you don't need that special triple square just take off the bearing on the tensioner with a size 15. good luck

Double wrenching may seem like the thing to do in some cases. I use a breaker bar instead if at all possible. A breaker bar or even a similarly sized ratchet can be extremely helpful. I once had a Chrysler with those cursed two piece lug nuts with the metal cap on them made of a thin metal. Just ask any long time MOPAR owner about them and he will probably tell you they are the worst lug nuts you can possibly find. When that cap gets messed up, a simple lug nut removal that should take a few seconds turns into an all day ordeal! Those things are only worse when they are seized on to an aluminum wheel. I even had a 2003 Neon that had those terrible things. Chrysler if you are reading this and still using those lug nuts, stop using them! They only cause misery!

There must be an easier access .I Don't mind getting more parts out the way It will probably take longer F'n vw 😁

Why not remove the headlight and slide the alternator out through the headlight opening and avoid the engine mount disconnect?

The best way I see how to take out this Alternator is to take off the intake manifold cause I try your way n it never work for me, the intake manifold is pretty easy to remove and less work.

Mountain gear wrench works better then double wrenching technique

Actually you do not have to remove the motor mount just take the passenger side headlight out and it comes right out I'm stuck in Tennessee me and my buddy watch this video for a few hours and we said screw that and found a better way didn't have to

In another video the gentleman removed the ac compressor and pulled it out through the bottom

Can you not remove it from the headlight entry

it comes out of the headlight hole easy

Battery wont electrocute you it will burn you if your close to contact point.

This video is helpful but it has alot of unnecessary steps.

Watched till 18 1/2 minutes, then found out no need for motor mount removal or even touching it. Pop the engine cover off, and give the alternator a good yank with the mounting bolts twords engine.