Hi all , I had a new auxiliary belt and tensioner fitted a while ago and ever since I've had a whining noise , garage looked and said it's the alternator , has anyone removed an alt off a t jet with air con ?? If so is it difficult ?? Thanks

Hi there,

I'm afraid you will have to depressurize the AC circuit ... :-(

BRs, Bernie

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Hi , thanks for your reply , can't believe I have to do that lol is there a pipe or compressor that needs removing ???

Edgie70 said:

Hi , thanks for your reply , can't believe I have to do that lol is there a pipe or compressor that needs removing ???

Click to expand...

If you end up doing this would love if u took a few pics and posted them up just to help any future others do the same thing

Panda with aircon needs the driveshaft dropping out of the way, to allow the alternator to drop down and out. Seicento with aircon was same. Surprised it requires aircon system depressurise, as that would suggest aircon compressor or pipework needs disconnecting.

You need to crawl underneath and see if it can be removed downwards without disturbing aircon stuff. Likely to need driveshaft removal from hub to drop out of way.

It's swritten in the eLearn procedure: need to disconnect the AC piping in order to acces the alternator top fixing screw ...

S... happens ;-) Bernie

Bernievarian said:

It's swritten in the eLearn procedure: need to disconnect the AC piping in order to acces the alternator top fixing screw ...

S... happens ;-) Bernie

Click to expand...

That's a stroke of genius.
I wonder if it is possible to release the aircon pump from its mountings to move enough to access the alternator fixings without degassing the aircon. Might be worth a try, as long as pipes not stressed.

One might be able to get an extra 2-4 cm by unscrewing the engine mount and moving the engine forward a bit.

Take ALL possible precautions when working under it!!

Bernievarian said:

It's swritten in the eLearn procedure: need to disconnect the AC piping in order to acces the alternator top fixing screw ...

S... happens ;-) Bernie

Click to expand...

Note that in the UK (EU) only trained and qualified technicians can work on aircon systems. It's illegal to deliberately discharge the gas. Interestingly Halfords et al still sell top-up gas kits....


Robert G8RPI.

Bernievarian said:

It's swritten in the eLearn procedure: need to disconnect the AC piping in order to acces the alternator top fixing screw ...

S... happens ;-) Bernie

Click to expand...

you sure that bolt cant be reached with socket key extension?

Seems like one can't physically access it if the pipe is not (re)moved ... Will have a close look on mine tomorrow and eben maybe post a picture !

BRs, Bernie

Hi all , well the alt has been changed , they had to remove the a/c pipe and loosen the a/c compressor to gain access to the top bolt but didn't remove drive shaft , the old alt had a crack on the casing causing it to whine , alt supplier said that the alt overheats over time and expands the innards and cracks the casing .

Thanks to have let us know !!

BRs, Bernie

@ modos: still no way to mark a thread as SOLVED ??

I just wanted to say that it is possible to remove the top alternator bolt without touching the A/C system and removing any pipes. But it's very very fiddly and you need slims fingers, hands, and wrists. And you need to do everything by feel, from below. Not recommended, but not impossible.


It was not my first choice to do it like this, but my alternator seized up and I couldn't take it to a shop. I also didn't want to empty the A/C refrigerant into the atmosphere and I didn't want to spend money to have the system evacuated and then refilled afterwards (for basically no reason).


What I did:

1. Remove aux belt, tensioner, crank pulley (to make room for your hands).
2. Remove through bolt from lower engine mount.
3. Remove right engine mount (timing side).
4. Move engine forward (you just need a few centimeters) and wedge it.
5. Maneuver tools in place (combo of 13mm socket + extensions + adapters that allows you to sneak past/in between the A/C pipes) at the top alternator bolt and loosen it with breaker bar/ratchet from above.
6. Extract the alternator out the bottom. There's enough flex in the rigid A/C pipes to maneuver the alternator between them and the firewall.
7. Fit the new alternator.

Note: I had also loosened the right-hand side axle nut and taken the axle out of the hub because I had to replace the axle oil seals in the gearbox. So this gave me some extra room for the alternator extraction, although I'm not sure if it was absolutely necessary.


I should also mention that mine is a GP 1.4 16v, but the alternator and A/C compressor configuration is identical to that of the T-jet.


Again, not recommended, but not impossible.

Hi, I have a 1.9 Jtdm sporting and I booked in for a timing belt/water pump + new serpentine belt and oil change done- Came back with screeching noise when starting the engine and pulling away also! Was told like you it is the alternator pulley at fault,which has a clutch- bought a new OAP and pulley tool but I didn’t not expect the alternator to be in such a silly place�� Fiat quote an hours Labour for alternator fitting so there must be an easier way to do this job???