I realize that sometimes this kind of stuff just happens..... 45,000 miles and not quite 3 years old, and the diode bridge fried. Normally, I'd expect it to last a lot longer, but that's not the complaint.

Changing an alternator.... okay, that's a 15 - 20 minute job, right? Put the breaker bar in the belt tensioner, give it a reef, and lift the belt off the alternator pulley. Unhook the wiring and unmount the alternator.... plop the new alternator in, hook up the wiring, crank on the belt tensioner and put the belt on the pulley.... it's Miller time !!!

Anybody tried it on a 6.0 diesel?

Let me start by saying that it's a two-person job, and the first step is to drain the cooling system.

You can't get at the belt tensioner because the radiator shroud is in the way.... you need to drain the system and remove the upper radiator mounts, the upper hose, and the overflow hose. Loosen the wiring harness clips to the driver's side battery and move the wiring back over the engine. Tilt the radiator forward at the top and pull up on the shroud while the second person (from below) prevents the rubber flap from binding and preventing the shroud from coming out. Then, the "bottom guy" can get a 1/2" drive ratchet in the tensioner while the "top guy" lifts the belt off the pulley. And, the "bottom guy" had better be a weightlifter. According to my son, the spring on the belt tensioner is "Oh, such a one!!!"

Anybody else tried it?

 

I changed mine last week at 72000miles, it took me about 15 minutes. Put the half inch breaker bar on the tensioner from up top, removed belt. Took out the alternator bolts holding it to the top of the motor and diconnected the wiring, reverse order back on. Fifteen maybe twenty minutes tops. You did a whole helluva alotta of extra work if yours is the same as my 06.

 

You must have a different shroud setup than what I have.

Ratchet, breaker bar, short extension, no extension.... no way can you get at it from the top. You can't get at it from below, either, until the shroud is lifted about halfway up the radiator. If I were to make a breaker bar with sort of an "S" bend in the handle, then I could do it from above.

Just like I said, it ought to be a 15-20 minute job..... but this time, I used my entire 4-letter word vocabulary.... even invented some new words.

 

I know i came in from the passenger side next to the battery I did take off the intercooler tube to giv me more room, not sure if I had to or not but it is a very easy thing to remove so I did. Sorry to hear you had such a hard time. I know the new 6.4 is even more packed in than our 6.0's so if and when I change to one of them that ought to become even more fun.

 

Looks like you guys both have 06s. Strange you took different paths to get the job done. You're making me a little concerned about my alternator in my 06. Do you have the standard output alt, high output alt, or dual alts?

 

Mine was the satandard 110 amp alternator. I thought about ordering one of these:

High Output Alternators,Alternator Parts, High amp alternator, Chrome Alternators,Quick Start Rebuild Kits, alternator part

But it was Friday evening, I wouldn't be able to order it until this morning, and then it would be a couple more days to get it. The local NAPA had one (the same 110 amp output) with a lifetime warranty, so it was kind of a no-brainer.

If you're getting up there in miles, it might be a smart preventive measure to get one of the large-case 140 amp units and put it in at your convenience. It's a lot easier to do it when you WANT to do it rather than when you HAVE to do it.

 

Thats what I put on my '04, their HD 140 amp model. I also got to it from the top, passenger side, without removing anything. I have a prior post on here regarding my experience. Not quite as fast as 15 minutes, but under an hour after I let go of the belt and had to reset it on the lower pulley's properly. What worked for me is a 1/2" torque wrench. It needs to be long enough to clear the shroud and allow you to rotate the 1/2" drive enough to line it up with the pulley socket.

Mark

 

This is not very timley, but the reason the original alternators fail is heat (duh). The hood insulation on my '04 is so thick that it was blocking the upper alternator cooling holes, both front and rear. Note the alternator indention on the insulation. The internal cooling fan could not draw cooler air in nor exhaust the hot air from the rear.

I just replaced my 6.0 alternator with a larger unit (physically larger, not higher output) My truck is an '04 with only 54,000 miles. (I know, it doesn't get driven much, just to Mexico when I can get away.). The job was straightforward, took about 20 minutes. I then cut a 10x10 inch square hole in my hood insulation to allow the alternator fan to circulate cooling air. The alternator seems to run much cooler in the "touch test" and I can feel the warm spot on the hood above the alt telling me it's dissipating the heat.

Drove 3000 miles through Mexico in 120 degree heat, still have juice.

 

You can change the alternator with nothing but the alternator wrenches. Just use a long pry bar on the tensioner, with the belt ran on everything but the alternator. Should take about 15 minutes start to finish.