Related to getting the alternator pulley remounted, make sure you put the bottom bolt (pulley bolt) in first and than roll the the alternator into place. The top 2 bolts should line up with no problems. Place bottom bolt in the alternator mount and than begin to work it into place. You will need to start the bottom thread from under the vehicle as well (at least that way worked for me).
I am a very mechanical dude and this simple altenator change out for my Buick Enclave took me 3 hrs!! I mean nothing was simple about it! Great vehicle but it has an extremely tight engine bay.
My car shut off on me and said engine power reduced in the middle of the freeway brand new alternator brand new starter brand new battery can’t put my finger on what can be happening
just finished swapping out the alternator on my ‘07 acadia. Without BryanR i would not have had the knowledge to tackle this task and anne acadia would still be sitting dormant in the driveway. TY Bryan!
Lisa Martin.. yes but only b/c i had a bad battery too. so, i replaced my battery and was able to drive home. the thing that indicated it was my alternator and not just a bad battery (or solenoid) was that my new battery did not charge during the drive home and was fully depleted.
I was able to utilize this video fir diagnosis and replacement for my 2014 acadia denali awd. I watched it first and knew what tools I needed ahead of time and what steps to take. Its still a pain to swap out, but the video brings some light to get the job done efficiently. Good video.
Hey this guy realy helps.. i just Fix my truck yesturday..it took me a while but i Fix it by my self not bean a menanic. I save big money. Thanks to this guy.
They should make it mandatory that the "engineers" of these cars replace common components. You know you're in trouble when you have to disconnect the battery by digging around in the back seat area. What a PITA. More patience than me. Full coverage, greasy rags and a road flare and you might be able to solve several problems at once. Just sayin. Good work. Thanks for the video. Friend has 1 of these. Having all sorts of electrical issues. So glad we bailed them out.
fucking battery in mine was missing it's handles, and the cubby hole is too small for my hands. after some blood and swear words i ended up taking my belt of my pants off. there i am ass hanging out in the wind, back passenger door open, legs pointed out, having to wiggle the belt in a noose to the center of the battery and fucking winching it out. fuck these engineers right in the face. I have the alternator to do this weekend. No mechanic at all, just able to keep my things going for the most part. I've done a few alternators in my time on many vehicles and NEVER have i had to remove radiator fluid, power steering fluid, and fucking wiper fluid just to get the damn thing out. My weekend is going to suck. at least this video is here to help...
I have a 2014 GMC Acadia as well. Since I bought it in end 2015, worst decision of my life. My husband wanted this shit car... brake boosters, HID lights kept burning out after 9-12 months...(finally put in LED) drove from quantico with just fog lights on at some point. Rear light housing units kept fogging up, and now just put in a new batttery, today my car didn’t turn on. Told the dealership it’s prob the alt. Such a waste of money.
@@auungbongI have a 2009 and it’s just crumbling apart lmao. I bought it used too. Thermostat clogged and radiator leaking, timing chain problems my rpm are trippin on high speeds, I replaced the brake booster and master cylinder because it left me with no brakes at all while I was like 1 hour away from home. And to top it all off I was driving a few nights ago and my voltage plummeted to “battery saver mode” and now it’s sitting in my front yard completely deceased. Lmao I’m not fixing this car for a while.
Thank you thank you thank you! Had to replace the alternator in our '07. Took 3 hours to get it out, 1.5 to put it back. Saved hundreds. Thanks so much!!
Thank you for this video, got a newly used Acadia, everything has been fine for 2 months and yesterday this message popped up and our car died on us, glad to confirm it wasn’t anything too serious. Appreciate the breakdown of how to remove this part
Thanks for the tips! Just pulled out the alternator in just under an hour. Most time spent was on the 15mm pulley bolt cause i dont have a ratchet wrench lol, also the alternator will come right the hole in the wheel well 2009 traverse
I too prefer the wheel plastic cover. The access is extremely more comfortable from the wheel. You can also see the 2 studs better for installation and removal. FYI. " D8 " was the hex size for mines, 2012Buick Enclave
I’m getting ready to tackle changing mine. I’m DREADING IT! If I knew it was this difficult to get access to the Alternator and that the battery was in the floorboard of the backseat I wouldn’t have bought the vehicle. Ridiculous
I did this way quicker then most today. I was able to do the complete job on my 2012 in an hour. I only popped two clips from underneath to access the tensioner pulley. Everything else I did from up top. I zip tied wires and hoses out of the way and it came out easy. Putting the new one in I hung the alternator from the top two bolts and it aligned the side pulley easily. I did go buy a 15mm ratchet wench and the correct torx socket to make life easy.
Thanks so much for posting this! It took me from sunup to sundown to finish the job (the bolt near the serpentine belt is NO FUN to remove). Going to drink a beer to celebrate.
I too prefer the wheel plastic cover. The access is extremely more comfortable from the wheel. You can also see the 2 studs better for installation and removal. FYI. " D8 " was the hex size for mines, 2012Buick Enclave
My neighbour needed a new alternator on her Acadia and I made the mistake of telling her I’ve changed a few myself on other vehicles. She took me up on my implied offer, now seeing this video, I want no less than $100 for the work! A 90s Subaru or Toyota alternator job this is not.
I have a 2012 Acadia, looks exactly like this.....was told had to drain the coolant??? .....well,frankly ,do i??anybody?....learning off RU-vid videos, going pretty good,digging into this little project this weekend 😉😊
When replacing alternator, it's possible to just remove washer resevoir, fuse block top top half, inner left wheel fender (inside, black cover to get to the tension pulley) and besides the engine cover, that's about it! Slide it up by the ac charging line/radiator area (right in front of engine oil fill cap) and do the same when reinstalling it! No need to remove braces, other parts and etc. I just did it. Oh, and yes, disconnect the battery.
Thanks for making this video. Was really helpful. I have alldatadiy for my 2008 Outlook, but your video does a better job showing parts and going through the removal process. God forbid there is a Next time, I don’t think the alternator studs need to come off. I think once you remove the brackets from them (I had brackets on both) you can get the alternator out without unthreading those studs.
Excellent video! By far the best one on RU-vid...After watching you twice, I was able to do my own altenator in our 2007 Acadia...threw a 15mm box wrench and broke the mirror off our motorcycle lol. Definitely need ratchet wrench lmao. Thank you.
A lot of knuckle bustin' in the middle of the video, but you didn't curse. Good patience. Nice job! So you've been in there "'about a hundred times already". Maybe because it's a GM product? Just a hunch.
I have a new battery, a new alternator and a new EMC and I still have "Service Charging System" any idea what else is stopping the alternator charging the Alternator?
I have a 2013 Acadia and I have changed the Alternator and Battery 2 times, this will be the 3rd.. what else could be causing the "Service Charging System"?
I just had to replace the battery in ours again, it only lasted one year and it was stone dead. Your problem could be some other problem like the module (computer) that controls the charging system.
On newer (stupid) cars, the Body Control Module BCM regulates the output of the alternator to save gas. For example when the battery is fully charged alternator output goes down to 12.9 volts. On the other hand, if weather is cold during winter, alternator output goes up to 15V. So, I guess this info doesn't apply to those newer "stupid" cars, which makes diagnosing battery problems a major pain in the back in those newer cars.
GM started using RVC (regulated voltage control) from mid of 2000's. So, this should be a "newer" car. Since his car showed a lower charging voltage (12?), which should not be even with a RVC. The charging mode does change with the weather because there is a thermistor within the voltage regulator to compensate temperature impact on the battery. Normally, the battery needs less charging during warmer weather.
@@TyzFix I have a 2012 Acadia with a 100000 miles. Alternator was just change and the battery is like 4 months old still good. My vultimate with the AC on flickers from 14.7 to 15.1. When I turn on the lights it goes down to 14.6. You think the voltage regulator would be messed up or what are your thoughts.
This is an hour job. If you don’t have experience then of course time will vary. Easiest way to install is to drop the new alt down near its home and tilt it slightly… then slide your pulley and bolt in…. Now go back to the wheel and thread it in from there but do not fully tighten. Go back to top and flip the alt up with the bottom bolt acting as a hinge … it will now line up perfectly for you to hold it to thread your two studs in tight, then install and tighten nuts… go back down and finish tightening pulley… while you’re down there reinstall bolt. Put your two push pins back in and install wheel. Back to top and install the two over fill bolts and the ax line bolt and you’re done. Take your time and everything will be fine.
NOW I DO KNOW that this is OLD BUT You can take the ALT. out of the wheel well MUCH easier..take wheel off plastic cover and little bracket and there is a space to pop right out!
What kind of alternator did you buy? I try not to go for the GM company parts and get a nice aftermarket replacement that's even higher quality. Looked good though so I was curious.
@@bryansprojects3570 Awesome. Aftermarket in my opinion is the way to go. If you ever find the kind you bought I'd love to know. That part looked pretty nice. Thanks again!
Sorry to bother you but I changed the alternator in my 2012. Great video!! When I was done now radiator fans are blowing on high constantly in my air conditioner is not working now. I think something needs to be resent but I don’t know what can you help? Thanks!!
I replaced the alternator and a new battery and I am still getting service charging system. Now I was told to replace the ECM, I got a new ECM reprogrammed for my car and that had no change. Then I was told to replace the BCM so I replaced that and now I am out a ton of money and neither the ECM or BCM made no difference. I took it back to the mechanic to check the new alternator and he said there was nothing wrong with the new alternator, I went back to the Auto parts store and there is nothing wrong with the new battery, so, Why is my alternator not charging my battery and still having the Service Charging system??? ANYONE have any idea????
Could there be an issue with water getting into the electrical? After a long rainy night the system acts up. Waiting to dry out the car to see if the message clears. I don't have enough charge to take it back to the repair shop.
@@zhukunta7211 actually I did find the solution. After replacing the alternator, battery, battery cable, and battery cable sensor, I was still getting the service charging system message. I unplugged the 2 wire connector on the alternator. Message went away. Alternator not charging but no message. That's when I discovered one of the wires was barely making contact inside that connector. Got one of the connectors off a junkyard car, soldered it on, and plugged it in. Bingo. No charging system message. Alternator charging properly. Headlights don't randomlyburn out. All because of a $2 piece of wire/connector. Cost me $600 but at least it should be good for the life of the vehicle now haha 😂
I just did this last week, new reman alternator worked for three days then stopped charging the new battery and now shows a service charging system error on the dashboard. Can’t figure it out
Thanks for sharing. Just replaced the alternator in my 2013 Enclave. Put everything back, the lights turn on, so there is power, but the engine won't turn over. Any suggestions?
@@bryansprojects3570 I picked up a code reader to try and diagnose, but my wife was just diagnosed with covid, so I haven't had time to mess with it. Thanks.
I guess you would need to see if it is charging first, and also check the fuse. The ECM may not be telling the alternator to charge or the new one could be bad. Good luck!
I dropped the new Alt into positon, then i put the 2 studs in without the nuts, hung the alt and then put the nuts on the studs holding the Alt in place then I did the idle pully
I'm having the same issue with my wife 09. Replaced the battery watched your video and replaced the alternator great video by the way. It been about a week later and the same message popped up. Any idea what the issue could be?
Either that new alternator is no good or there is some other issue, I would guess that the ECU tells the alternator how much to charge so there could be a problem there or something similar.
@@bryansprojects3570 i got the truck to start. I then took off to negative to the battery and the truck died. So I'm going to try a new alternator and go from there. Thank you for you response and help on the matter. Happy holidays to you and your family.
@@bryansprojects3570 I replaced Alternator, Battery still had the message then replace the ECM and I still have the same problem. Anyone have any other idea?
Just put one on my daughter's Acadia "" Boy I tell you what the person that designed this car where the Alternator goes on this car Should Be WHIPPED "" what a pain in the Ass ""
Can you put more than 1 alternator on these?? I have a very big car audio build going. Having problems keeping above 12v and i have 4 batteries a 350amp alternator an still will not stay above 12v drops down to 11.4 sometimes an thats not good because that warning pops up i turn down the radio an it goes off inreplaced once, have any idea on how i can either change or turn up the pcm??
I am in the middle of this right now, have the old one removed and the new one is sitting in place "loose" but I can't get the pulley bolt to line up. Did you get the top stud bolts in first then do the pulley bolt, wow I've been struggling on how to get these bolts back in. Any suggestions?
Never mind I figured it out. Put 1 of the 2 top studs back in and use it as a hanger for the alternator. You can then position the alternator without having to hold it and line up that pulley bolt down below. Much easier that way.
To my acadia 2012 a mechanic friend of mine changed the alternator and battery and it continues with same problem, in a mwchanical workshop they put the computer and according to them it has nothing battery and alternator are fine.but continue to lower and raise the score on the board "service battery charging system"😒
My truck charging system maintenance required Plus the battery icon was on for 15 minutes then it went off to normal. So I don't know what's going on. If somebody has any idea let me know I would appreciate thank you. My service person did check the charging system and say my alternator charging a Little above normal.
Your battery might be so dead it won't take a jump. My advice would be to get the battery out and have it tested and charged to start with. These cars seem to eat batteries.
i hope u can help me, i am hearing weird noise whenever i start my car and its kinda annoying., i hope u can help how to fix it., mitsubishi mirage HB tnx in advance
@@chrshuston .. TO reach the Pin connected to the Alternator you need to remove the Fender so you can have a better space to reach it as i saw it with my Acadia 2007 ! Thank you ..
If charging system light dont go off after the basics check inline fuse in positive cable. Dont do like I did replaced alternator 4 times new battery changed out fuses and battery sensor then new ecm...and everything was point to the ecm and it was the inline fuse of the positive battery cable that caused my problem all along.
@@joshs4752 its hard to get to but it you follow the wire past the fire wall like going back to the battery can't miss it the inline fuse is about 2 inches long
