Changing the alternator on a 2006 Volvo S40 Diesel

Argesean

Thought I start this thread since my sister in law was quoted over 300 for labor to do the alternator. This is the 1.6 Diesel Engine. It is fiddly but not as bad as some might make you think. I will try to answer any questions and will build this up gradually as I download and upload pics.
First step would be to remove the battery terminals and than the engine cover by undoing the bolt next to the oil fill cap. Than, u loosen the wheel-nuts, jack-up the car, remove the rhs wheel and start removing the plastic mud cover screws. You will need star hex bits like those here http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mG7LZTnEgrWMnG-hcQ6U4Yw.jpg Any star bits would do but is best to use them with a reversible ratchet and save time.The screws are on the left and right sides of the wheel arch and also there are two black bolts on the left and right side of the suspension (http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mZh1pzOFTxinlCUjZJjyl5Q.jpg). Once this is removed you will see the belt and the air-conditioning compressor/wheel plus the larger wheel that I believe is connected to the crankshaft. The belt ( auxiliary belt ) goes around the alternator, ac compressor and this crankshaft wheel. The belt is tension-ed by a tensioner that can be slackened from the top of the engine or pushed manually from the buttom. Anyhow, after the inner wheel arch plastic cover, you'll need to remove the plastic sump cover or scout. Once the scout and the arch are removed, the next step is to remove the auxiliary belt. This is done by slackening the tensioner. I did it using a long extension from my ratchet set with a 15mm tubular key in it- this fits snuggle on the bit that comes up from the tensioner and I was able to pull it towards the headlight while removing the belt from the big crankshaft wheel( right hand above left hand below).
Next you would need to remove the tensioner itself( theree 10mm bolts I believe). This will give u access to one of the rhs alternator bolts. There are 4 in total. The most difficult are the inside ones. To access them is best to disconnect and push away the wires from the lower area as well as the oil stick out of its pipe( u cannot/should not try to remove the pipe).For the top left bolt I started it with a 16 spanner(it's an awkward position so this is slow) but once I got enough space I used a cheap reversible ring ratchet spanner that I got specially for this job. The worst is the bottom one which is even hard to see at the beginning. I awkwardly got to it and mainly blindly undid it bit by bit. When u look at it it seems as if there is no room for the screw to come out. However, as u unwind the screw, u can move the alternator to the left untill it comes off. That screw remains there after the alternator is removed.
Once the alternator is detached from the screws u need to go under the car and remove the 4 forward facing bolts ( 13mm) holding the air compressor. Do not touch the pipes screws! Once the 4 screws are removed u can wiggle the alternator past the compressor and it's out!Will add a few pics once on my pc. Here are some pics-hope they work:https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B57dwAmaxuDGX3FHbXQwTHotZFk/edit?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B57dwAmaxuDGcWt0NWpaVUNzY1k/edit?usp=sharing
here is another try at the first pic: u can just copy the link into your browser from "https" to "sharing"

If u have problems seeing the text on pics just zoom in and it will b clear. My alternator was painted black by the guy who restored it. found some handy videos on restoring it on utube as well:http://youtu.be/tuWUiBwP_4Q