Changing the Alternator on a 2003 Ford Expedition
Matthew Mcwhirter
Professor Clements
ENG 1113-59
03 October 2016
Changing the Alternator on a 2003 Ford Expedition
Has the check charging system light come on in your Expedition? If so you have a bad alternator or alternator belt. An alternator is what spins the alternator belt; it also charges your car’s battery. An alternator is not a hard fix, but it can shut your ride down quickly if not fixed.
In order to get the bad alternator out of your vehicle, you are going to need a few tools: a tensioner tool, screw driver, and a socket wrench set. The first thing you need to do is park the vehicle. This will allow the motor to cool down. This step is important because it insures you do not burn yourself on the hot motor. Once the motor has cooled down, you can open the hood and get to work.
Now that your hood is open you can remove the engine cover, and use your socket wrench set to complete the task. The cover is held on by two bolts and two knobs; however, it can be pulled off fairly easily. The next step is to disconnect the air intake system. It is held on by a tightening metal band that loosens when you turn the screw. In order to loosen the band and release the air intake system you will need a screw driver. This step will make it easier to get the alternator out. After the air intake system is out of the way, you will need to disconnect the battery. Doing this will prevent you from electrocuting yourself. An easy way to disconnect the battery is to unscrew the black ground wire. The black ground wire is held onto the battery by a crew. Once the ground is disconnected you can begin removing the alternator.
The first step to removing the alternator, is removing the alternator belt. This is done by loosening the alternator belt, which is done using a tensioner tool. A tensioner tool is a long piece of metal with a stud on one side. You are going to stick the stud into the hole of the tensioner. The tensioner is where the alternator belt is connected to the very left of the belt. Once the stud is in the hole pry the bar to the left. Once you have the belt loose, you need to remove the belt from around the alternator. Be careful not to get the belt off track from the rest of the wheels it is on. But if you do, do not worry there is a diagram of where the belt goes in the owner’s manual. Now, all you have to do is unbolt the alternator. There are only three bolts, and they can be removed with a socket wrench. Once the bolts are removed you can lift the alternator right out.