I own a 2005 ES330.

My battery light came on and I believe my alternator needs replacing. So, I decided to remove it to have it tested before I buy a new one. I've removed alternators on other cars and see the steps are very similar for Lexus. (disconnect battery, loosen mounting bolts, release tension, disconnect cables...)

My problem is that I loosened the mounting bolts and released the tension, but the alternator only moved about half an inch. This is not enough to get the belt off the pulley. It seems the alternator is hitting some sort of bracket for the tension mechanism. I expect the alternator to move a couple of inches, to easily remove the belt.

What's the trick?
Does anyone have an exploded parts diagram of the alternator mounting?

Thanks for any info you can provide to help me complete this simple task..

 

 

Thanks you speedkar9. This is exactly what I understood. And, it confirms there should be no special "trick."

When I loosen bolt C, the alternator doesn't drop far enough to get the belt off. The alternator hits the bracket that bolt C (the tensioner) goes through.

I'll give it another try. I'm still hopeful someone who has done this will confirm my experience.

 

I had to take the belt off when doing my timing belt. I recall having to loosen bolt C a lot before I could pry off the belt.

 

I just had to replace my alternator a couple of weeks ago, same thing, battery light came on and when I tested it with a meter I confirmed it want charging.

I found it extremely easy to change. Took about 15 mins to get the dead one out, and that was outside in the bitter cold with limited tools. Yes you need to loosen bolt C quite a bit, as it is the tensioner adjustment for the belt. Hardest part was getting the thing out around the hoses.

$115 later from NAPA and all was well. I would have preferred a Toyota OEM part, but it was Sunday morning and I was 40 miles from home.



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Speedkar9 - I guess the operative word is "pry" the belt off. I guess I'll just have to force it over.

KLF - I agree, it would have been 15 - 20 mins. to get it out, had I been able to get the belt off with ease. Was your's on a '05 ES330?

Stay tuned for good news.

 

Done. Since the alternator doesn't drop much, it was easier to remove the belt off the lower (larger) pulley that the alternator pulley.

Thanks for the posts.

 

Yes, I had no trouble getting the belt off. I loosened bolt B and A, then turned bolt C to get the belt slack. Then I just removed bolt A and the alternator flopped down and the belt came right off. Very easy.

 

Is any way to remedy it, How simple is to remove the alternator?

Thank you,

 

read the posts above.

 

All these image links are broken. Where can I find that information now?