how do you replace the alternator

Asked by jah Mar 12, 2007 at 11:06 PM about the 2002 Kia Sedona

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

10 Answers

This should help. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_change_the_alternater_on_a_2002_Kia_Sedona

27 people found this helpful.

I read that to change the serpentine belt that drives the alternator, you have ot remove the right front wheel and the inner fender (plastic) at which point the tensioner is exposed to allow removal of the belt. Perhaps you can gain access there?

13 people found this helpful.

Great answer, thank you very much. I just finished removing the alternator in my 2002 Sedona. I was at the point of removing the bottom bolt and the step about remvoing the cooling line brackets and wedging the bolt in the hole was the last tip I needed to get it out. Now to see if the alternator is really bad or not. I have seen several posts about people replacing the alternator and battery. When mine first seemed to go out the problem was acutally the positive wire connected to the alternator was 90 percent broken through. The result was that a testor placed on the batter indicated that both the battery and the alternator were bad. About 20 bucks later for some wire and connectors and the problem was fixed. The only problem I had was that I did not route the wires correctly and they melted on the exhaust manifold. So I'm going to get the alternator and battery tested and replace the wires being careful to keep them away from heat sources.

6 people found this helpful.
60

I'm on my 4th altenator on a 2003 Kia Sedona, that is correct the 4th one as of today. I have not even started on this one. I hope some one outhere can tell me what the problem may be with this van. Help, Help, Help. I have all ready changed the battery twice also.

6 people found this helpful.
30

The problem with this car/van is that it is totally a useless piece of crap!!! My alternator has gone also, so has my power steering now and also my heating matrix!!!! The road tax on this car is £143 per 6 months!!! my insurance is £800 third party and im 38yrs old! Also fuel is a killer, ANYONE who buys a 2.9 Kia sedona needs locked up in a nut house as this car is really sht and REALLY expensive. My friend has a £15,000 V6 merc that is MUCH cheaper to run! total joke, feel like a twat for buying this car!!!! muppett

3 people found this helpful.
10

KIA Sedonas are the worst car we have every bought. They are not very fuel efficient and the A/C isn't worth a crap. These vehicles are the worst and I don't know why anyone would buy one. I know we bought ours and we are stuck because my wife is disabled and I am retired and we can't afford another car on our SS checks. We will keep pouring money into this money pit. Should call this Sedona a BOAT. (BREAK OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND).

1 people found this helpful.
50

I just changed the alternator in my 2002 Sedona. This is the first time I've ever changed an alternator. Here's a few things I learned... Getting the bottom bolt out of the passenger side radiator fan took a REALLY long time. I finally got it out by going under the van, removing some of the plastic wheel well cover, and using a flexible shaft bit extension (by Ryobi) I picked up at Home Depot. You might be able to get to the bolt with a flexible socket set, but I wasn't able to get a good enough hold on the bolt with any of the ones I've got. It was tricky with the flexible xxx (used with a power driver), but it got the bolt off. The Kia manual (I downloaded a pdf from one of the internet sites) says you might have to move the engine to the right to get the last bolt out of the alternator. It turned out this wasn't necessary and just caused me to waste a lot of time. Even though a part of the bolt remained in the alternator I was able to remove the unit. BTW, it took a little "persuading" to get the alternator off, even after all the other bolts had been removed. Once the alternator was loose, it took a lot of careful maneuvering to actually get it out of the van. I'd suggest you pay attention to how you navigate yours out of the vehicle so you'll know how to get the new unit in place. When I finally got to the alternator, the ground wire snapped off. Yes, it broke! So, that may have been the real problem. I fixed it and changed the alternator, anyway. It seems to me that lots of the problems I've had with the Kia have been electrical. I suspect the wiring harness is the real culprit, but it's wicked expensive to replace! The mechanic said the standard is "3 hours" for this type of work. It took me tons more time than that. Partly because, as I said, this was the first time I worked on an alternator. But, mostly because of things like were hard to access, like the bolts holding the radiator fans, and, of course, the fact that you have to remove a lot of stuff to get to the alternator.

5 people found this helpful.

Simplier method less costly method: 1. Disconnect the battery. 2. Do not mess with the A/C connections this method has enough flexibility to manuver the alternator without distubing the connections too much. 3. Remove all support piece above radiator, and remove hood latch support in front of radiator. 4. remove only the upper coolant hose and bracket to the engine. 5. No need to disconnect the the A/C coolant lines. Just remove the brackets that mount them to the car body opposite the alternator. This will give you flexibility to move the radiator and mounting bolts. 6. Remove each of the fan housings. This should give you sufficient space to work on the alternator itself and remove it. 7. loosen the tension pulley, the one toward the firewall, no need to remove it but no big deal. Then loosen the bolt below it to help put the belt back on later. 8. Remove the alternator, disconnect the electrical and remove the mounting bracket that mounts to the engine. The long bolt on the bottom does not come all the way out but you can still remove the alternator with it wedged in the hole. Remember to put this one in first when you reinstall the new on; 9. Work the altermator carefully around the front of the engine and remove from the right side. 10. Installation is the reverse of these instructions. 11. Replace the lost coolant about a liter. Should take about 3-4 hours depending on how difficult it is to remove the fans.

25 people found this helpful.
10

So I have a 2004 Kia Sedona but My Brother Took Off A little Cable So It Won't Start I Think It's By The Battery Not To Sure But We Can't Find It But How Could We Started With Out The Cable.

1 people found this helpful.
20

Is there anyone to help me take my alternator out of my car and help me put a new one in?

2 people found this helpful.

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