Amazon says "This is not compatible with your 2002 BMW 530i" Despite the fact that it is an E39 Chasis with an M54 engine. I also see comments saying it does not fit their 1998 BMW, so I assume Amazon is wrong and this WILL fit an M54 in and E39?
Hands-down best alternator BMW five series replacement video that I've ever seen thank you so much for your time and effort in making this video you have saved me $600
This was for sure the best guide of any kind that I've ever seen. Amazing filming, amazing verbal explanation, wonderful quality and BRILLIANT structure. Props to you for giving me the balls to go down to the garage and replace my alternator. Thanks man, thanks.
Update: I replaced it without any problems whatsoever, apart from the belt coming totally off it's track so to say, requiring me to use my own mind for a little bit.. :D
Your E39 vids are the best! I hope you still have your E39 and keep it forever as I enjoy learning so much from your videos. Awesome work and much appreciated!
Just wanna say thank you for this video. It helped me and my father to replace the regulator inside the alternator. We did it in like 2 hours, would have taken A LOT of more time if the video wasn't here. Thanks, now I can use my car again :D
This video helped me! I did mine yesterday and only took less than an hour. I didn’t take the radiator hose off,manouvered the rachet under and walah!! I even changed the top pulley,now my car runs great again.. Thank you for this,looking forward for more video’s..
Such an amazing video. His details and explanation are so on point. Just changed the alternator in my fathers BMW and everything he is explained was so pinpoint. Made things really really easy.
By far this is the easiest to follow guidance video that I’ve seen. And he made it seem to easy, and to my surprise it really was. And just to add, he mentioned that the tensioner pulley may require a Torx t-50, mine needed a Torx t-45. Thank you again for making this DIY video.
Most would take the fan and shroud off for much easier access to all the bolts in the front of the alternator and pulleys. Then you wouldn't have to open your coolant system. Also just to be safe, because you've got the potential for PS fluid, coolant and/or oil to leak down, I'd put a towel over the new alternator to avoid any drips down into the unit. Thanks for the effort!
Came for an alt swap video to confirm what i thought was needed to swap mine. This was the first one i clicked and it was the perfect video. Well done, thanks bud!
Great video. Followed it to a T and replaced mine earlier today in about 2 hrs. Although it turned out all I really needed was the deflector pulley on the top alternator bolt (which I replaced 60k miles ago with the cooling system overhaul grrr....)....For a vehicle with 151k on the original alternator it was time anyway. New one seems to push a few more amps than the old one (according to the onboard test it seems to anyway)
I love the train sound in this video! I used to live near some tracks where an old steam engine would occasionally come by, and it was always a treat to hear it in the distance
Awesome...another simple, nice, and clean DIY video by you. Needed to replace my alternator today and this helped to simply the process without having to remove any other unnecessary parts. Great job bro!!!
I know your question is 4 years old but if you disconnect the positive battery cable while the car is running and the car dies thats a clear sign that your alternator has failed
Excellent no nonsense instructions. My tips on M52, 4/1997 528i build. My Bentley repair manual says to remove fan shroud and fan. this isn't needed. you can remove the alternator belt and bolt without removing the fan/shroud, by using the methods in this video. I did remove the upper coolant hose, however removal might be possible by just unbolting the power steering fluid tank and moving it aside. Both of the bolts and the belt tension bolt head are all 16mm on my car. I didn't have a 16mm socket, so I used a 5/8" sae. this is basically the same size.
I dont see why you removed the upper radiator hose. You then have to refill the coolant and and bleed the system properly. Also that flexing will stress the plastic connect joints as well as the hose itself. The airbox comes out with all the components attached to it upto the throttle body. Thanks for posting the video. Still very informational.
You don't have to remove the hose but helps with providing more room to work. I would replace the hose if it's old anyways since those plastic fittings end up cracking eventually.
Thank you very much for your insights i have just installed an alternator in my E39 successfully....Next is the silly belt it was loose and i need to put in properly ...
Thanks ..my E39 is a project tomorrow I am changing the belt replace it with a new one. I have gutted the whole vehicle to replace the wiring loom. Thanks to guys like you I have been managing to tick off the list
+Sylvester Kasepa I managed to fix the belt and all, put in a battery tried to start nothing but silence...investiagtions have relieved that all my fuses are gone plus the information strip...so i dont know what fuse voltage wise gones where ?? totally lost i need help..
@BIMMER ZEIT I see that you used a 80amp unit, and I have an 02 530i which had the original 120amp unit that came with the car did going from 120 to 80 amp change anything for you? Just want to make sure before I buy this one in the amazon link.
Thank you! I follow your video and I fixed my alternator. The only thing I don’t know is the air flow. I just want to know where does the alternator duc go? I know it connects to the back of the alternator but where does it connect to or does it just flows through the other side? Please help… I guess my question is where does the other side of airflow duc connect to? Does it connect to anything or nothing? It’s just flow through the other end?
The old alternator you replaced looks like new (as others had commented about the immaculate condition of your car). Maybe you should do a short video on how you renewed your old alternator, among other things. I was at the yard harvesting one identical like yours today AL0703X (with a much higher serial number), but after removing the two bolts, I was stymied by the alternator not yielding, though moving sideways. Bimmer Zeit came to the rescue (RU-vid), wiggling and freeing the alternator! BTW, mine is an E46 2003 330i, and the original alternator, among other things, is still going strong. Will use the "new" alternator as a back up (so cheap $27), and to practice what I had learned from a master. Planning to replace the gasket of the Oil Filter Housing gasket at the same time. Thank you.
good catch John! This is at my old house near the Essex, Connecticut steam train. One of the last operating daily in the country I believe. It was always a great sound.
Thanks mate. I have a 2003 520i here in England and broke down with the alternator. This video just guided me through a simple swap. Thanks dude 👌🏻👌🏻 awesome vid 🤜🏻🤜🏻
Going to mess with mine this weekend. A few weeks ago I heard a very similar screach/squeal that sounded like brake noise, but wasn't. Glad I found your symptom video because I am pretty sure either the alternator or idler/tension pulley has gone bad.
forgot to mention on the deflection pulley, there's a notch needs to be set in place on the alternator bracket, if not set in place the belt would be out of line on the pulley system, belt can fly off and even wear faster. great video sir, just on bmw it is fine detail.
how do you adjust the clotch from been to soft fron pusshing the pedal Ihave 1997 bmw 528 i..and you are one of the best mechanic I seen very explainatory and easy to undesrtand
George C. Perez I assume you mean the hard to reach one that attaches to the silencer on the intake. It’s going to be fine without it, but obviously I’d do your best to put things back the way they came from the factory
Hmmm, nice. Last time I did this I removed the shroud and had the car jacked up at the front. Same thing, but more effort. I have to travel and replace my sister's one tomorrow. I'll use this technique and won't have to bring ramps down. Nice!
thanks for getting back to me and making sense at what I was trying to ask... I apologize the for the typos....i got everything off but was not able to release the tension from the tensioner.... we'll try again....thanks again great video
It's almost six years since you replaced the alternator with a re-manufactured one. I read somewhere you still have the same car. Care to comment/update whether the Bosch alternator is still running? Not many demonstrators follow up on the longevity of the replaced product, especially a remanufactured one! Thank you.
can the alternator be a leading issue to the famous "trans failsafe prog". i got this car a couple months ago with 149K miles and no issues. this has been showing up and even got a new battery and oil change but that didn't seem to resolve the issue. a couple days ago when i was starting up the car i noticed the interior/dashboard lights didn't turn on along with not being able to turn on the car, could it be the alternator?
this is the steam train in Essex/Deep River Connecticut. See it up close in my latest video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_qFPkUz47VE.html
I have no experience working on cars but this e39 523i is my first car ever (im 19) and always when something needed to be done on it I let my cousin do it because he knows all about e39's but he didnt have time to do it for me so this video saved my weekend!
my car has the same sound, if i listen carefully it's looks like it comes from the alternator. Car also has strange issue, when the car is idle and you press the window switch revs drop a little bit and then go out when the window motor stops working, also same thing happens when the heated seats are turned on. So i plan to change it and I hope with the horrible sound it makes will go away and the window scenario will go away as well. Does your cars do the same when you idle and press the window up button?
First off, stellar video! Best out there. One question...My alternator is not wanting to go. It will slide side to side but I feel like I am lifting the entire engine when trying to get it out. I've taken all bolts and connectors as the video indicated. Before I try to force it out, anything that might be in the way?
Thanks Eric! Yeah the alternator can be tough to get out, they corrode onto the bracket and feel like they're stuck. I would spray some WD40 on the bracket and let it sit for a few minutes. Then continue to rock it back and forth until it comes free.
great vid! easy to follow. thanks dude!for some reason amazon the amazon link says it does not fit my e39. do they have this wong? it looks exactly the same. the one they recommend is almost $100 more than the one in the link below.
I have a PCV/CCV vacuum leak as well as a bad alternator, which will be replaced immediately. Do you know if the removal of the alternator will make access to the PCV/CCV hoses and value easier, such that once the alternator is removed, the PCV/CCV can be more easily replaced? Seems like it would give access to the right area.
Hi Dan, yes actually it will make the CCV kit installation easier. You will be removing the airbox and part of the intake anyway so it would be fine to tackle those two repairs together. Good luck!
Any idea how to tighten the alternator pulley? My new alternator did not come with one so I had to recycle the old one, however it won't tighten without the blades spinning. I thought about sticking in a flathead screwdriver to stop them from spinning, but it seemed pretty risky.
+Hunter M That is kind of unusual for an M54 alternator to come without a pulley. I know my E30 M20 didn't come with one, zipped it off with an impact gun and torqued it on the new alternator. What vendor did you order from? You could try calling Bosch customer service for torque specs and procedure. Hope that helps.
+woodst408 Be sure you are turning on the tensioner and not the idler pulley. There are two that look similar. Additionally, it takes a significant amount of force and pressure to get the tensioner to compress out of the way- hope that helps!
Dumb question for you, I removed the upper radiator hose from the wrong side, and lost a ton of coolant and it is still leaking. Is it easier to replace the part or am I missing a crucial step in putting that back on?
Stephen Jackson how old is the radiator hose? They are plastic and rubber both of which degrade over time. If it’s 4 years old or more I say replace it. Though in the mean time, double check your work and see that it is fully seated onto the thermostat and radiator. Pop the clip up with small flathead screwdriver and push the hose on so it’s fully seated then push clip back down. If you removed from the radiator side and radiator is old, it’s also possible that it cracked with hairline fracture while removing. Old plastic is brittle.
@@BIMMERZEITT looks like its oem, but I am not sure. For 33, I'll go ahead and replace it. I'll take some pictures of the underside to make sure I didn't crack the radiator port, thanks for the ideas.
Да мужик задрочился ты... зачем патрубок снимал ? Дифузор скинул с муфтой и все. В конце не показал что нужно систему прокачать. А ты закрыл крышку и мол все.
what do you do if the check engine light and transmission fault gear dash light come on after changing the alternator? is there a reset icon use from the turn signal button?
You would need to check the part numbers and cross reference to see if they are a match. My guess would be that you cannot use it, but check the part numbers with the dealer or your local parts warehouse- they may be able to look up the numbers for you for no charge!
+Jean-Jaques Rousseau make sure the belt is routed properly around the various pulleys. Check this diagram for the proper belt positioning for an M54: www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=DT63-USA-07-2001-E39-BMW-530i&diagId=11_2190
