Changing an alternator on a Peugeot 206 1.4hdi

Replacing an alternator is a fairly long and expensive operation on a 1.4hdi (more than 150e for a reconditioned alternator). First of all, we will make sure that it is the alternator that is at fault and not the battery or the accessory belt for example.

in my case the battery light remained on permanently with the engine running

a "battery charge anomaly" fault appeared on the display

and I had much too low voltage at the battery when the engine was running

I took care to check the battery with a tester, nothing to report on this side, the belt was ok. The current also arrived well at the regulator. Given the high mileage of the car, I suspect the carbon brushes and the collector rings to be defective.

Turn off the ignition and remove the plastic cover from the battery tray

disconnect the negative battery terminal, 8mm wrench

you can also disconnect the positive terminal lug if you wish

Make sure the terminals are well away from the battery terminals.

put the handbrake on (we are working on flat ground obviously)

Raise the front right side of the car using the jack and place a jack stand under the subframe or side member

Wooden blocks can do the trick, as long as the car is properly secured.

undo the 4 studs using the crank provided (or ratchet wrench and 17mm socket) and remove the wheel

I use an impact wrench, that's why I didn't loosen the studs before lifting the car.

remove the protective cover under the engine if your car still has one, there are 8 screws

These screws are undone using a flat screwdriver, by making a 1/4 turn.

remove the wheel arch protection: there are 3 clips to undo and 2 screws, T30 torx key

The wheel arch protection is in 2 parts, I only remove the front part.

remove the side cover: there are 2 screws to undo, 13mm key

Using a 15mm wrench, disarm the accessory belt tensioner

Use an extension cord if there is too much resistance.

until the hole on the tensioner aligns with the one on the engine block

then insert a locking pin

The locking pin is not mandatory but will make things much easier, especially for reassembly. It is simply an iron rod. It is often supplied with accessory belt kits.

make an arrow to indicate the direction of rotation of the belt if it is reused as is the case here

You can make a diagram of the belt routing to facilitate reassembly or obtain one

remove the belt

undo the clip that holds the harness on the computer support

I use long nose pliers but you can do it with a flat screwdriver.

remove the clip holding the computer harness to the engine mount

undo the nut holding the calculator support, 10mm wrench

remove the calculator and its support

disconnect the 3 plugs from the calculator

One of the calculator's plugs is caught in a grommet, we will take care to remove it.

undo the last clip holding the harness and remove the calculator

Make sure to keep the calculator safe and secure.

Place a jack and a wooden block under the oil pan and raise the engine slightly.

remove the bracket above the engine mount after unscrewing its 2 fixing screws, 13mm key

unscrew the engine mount screws, ratchet wrench and T50 and 16mm torx sockets, then remove the engine mount

unscrew the 7 screws of the heat shield, 10mm wrench

push the engine slightly backwards

remove the heat shield (I took it out from the bottom)

There is very little room to work. The priority is above all not to damage the engine radiator, that is why I removed the engine mount.

disconnect the air conditioning compressor plug

and remove the 3 fixing screws, 13mm key

put the compressor away

I let it rest on a wooden block to avoid pulling on the air conditioning lines but then had to remove the block because there was no other way to run the alternator.

disconnect the electrical plug from the alternator regulator

remove the rubber cap unscrew the nut of the + alternator, 13mm wrench and remove the wire

remove the clip that holds the harness to the alternator (you can use a small flat screwdriver to lever it)

The alternator is held by 4 screws:

2 inner side (in red)

2 outer side (in yellow)

remove the plastic cover from the idler roller

and undo the screw, 8 mm Allen key

remove the screw and the idler roller

remove the top screw using a 16mm wrench

and unscrew (without removing them) the 2 screws on the inside, I used a 16mm offset wrench for the top screw and a 16mm ring wrench for the bottom one (access is difficult, especially for the top one)

The screws on the inside fit into a cone. We will leave them in place on the engine block. That said, it does not matter if you remove them, we can definitely put them back before reassembling the new alternator.

remove the alternator from below

compare the 2 alternators

Once again, we will have ensured compatibility before ordering the new part.

Be very careful when dismantling because very often you will have to return the old alternator (deposit).

position the alternator and ensure that the screws and cones on the inside are in place

install the roller with its screw, screw by hand

rotate the alternator and put the top screw which will also be screwed in by hand

screw the 2 interior screws, 16mm key

then the 2 external screws, 16mm key and 8mm Allen key

Make sure to tighten the 4 alternator screws properly.

replace the roller cover

put in place the terminal + alternator and screw the nut, 13mm wrench (don't forget to put the rubber cap back on)

connect the alternator electrical plug

clip the harness clip onto the alternator

position the air conditioning compressor

There is a centering pin on the screw on the top outside side.

and screw in its 3 fixing screws, 13mm key

reconnect the electrical plug

push the engine backwards

and put in place the catalytic converter heat shield (from below)

screw in the heat shield screws, 10mm wrench

put the engine mount in place

you can use the jack to reposition the support correctly

advance the 3 screws and the nut by hand (if the engine mount is correctly positioned, there should be no resistance)

Tighten the bracket screws, torque 60N.m and remove the jack under the engine

put the leg in place above the engine mount

and screw in its 2 fixing screws, 13mm key

connect the 3 calculator plugs

put the bottom plug back into its grommet

clip the staple under the calculator support

the calculator support has 2 lugs

which must be placed in their housing in the bodywork

replace the calculator support

screw the computer support retaining nut, 10mm wrench

Replace the clip that holds the harness on the computer support

Replace the clip that holds the computer harness on the engine support

position the belt correctly, respecting its path and direction of rotation (if you reuse the old belt as is the case here)

remove the tensioner pin to arm it

The tensioner can be slightly operated using the 15 key to facilitate extraction of the pin.

ensure that the belt is correctly positioned in the grooves

reconnect the battery

start the car and check that the alternator is working properly using a multimeter (20V direct current setting: we are looking for a value around 14 volts with the engine running)

Also check that the belt is in place and that everything is working properly.

replace the battery cover

reassemble the side cover: 2 screws, 13mm key

then the wheel arch: 3 clips and 2 screws, T30 torx key

then the engine protection if you still have it: 8 screws, flat screwdriver (1/4 turn)

put the wheel back on and tighten the studs quite firmly by hand

lift the car using the jack and remove the jack stand (or wooden blocks like here)

tighten the studs, torque of 100N.m