Dibbons

Our 1992 Cherokee Sport quit in the driveway yesterday, ran crappy and dash lights went weird and then "check engine". Found codes 12 & 41. The alternator looks pretty buried in the engine compartment. Is there a tutorial available that shows the best step by step process of removing and replacing the alternator. Vehicle has A/C. Thank you.

318SixPack

Man, I just did that in my 1996 XJ Sport last year.
Several OK YouTube videos, none that I thought matched what I went through.

First first thing, Advance could not diagnose it in the vehicle. Had to take it out and put it on their bench machine. It "failed everything" there.

First removal thing, many of the videos give you metric nut and bolt sizes. NONE of them are metric. I discovered this when taking the cruddy nuts off the bracket and went into Advance Auto (where I got the replacement alternator) to replace them. They had normal threads, not schmetric. So use your normal wrenches. Ratcheting combination wrenches are your friend.

Biggest thing to make life not so Hell, take both fans and shrouds out. Removing the electric one helps with putting the belt back on, removing the mechanical one helps getting the alternator out.

The only direction I could get the alternator out was down. And not straight down, had to turn and twist it to find a path for it to fit.

New one goes in from the bottom too, and if you drop it, it will fall to the ground like the old one refused to do.

Belt is easier than it looks. The ribbed side goes on the ribbed pulleys, the smooth side goes on the smooth pulleys. Check your idler wheel while you are in there, and if you change it, all the loose parts (spacer and stuff) in it go onto the new pulley.

Took me all morning in the Advance Auto parking lot.

Veeb0rg

I pop the battery and battery tray out. Opens up just about all the room you need to get at the alternator. You will still have to get under it to get at the bottom bolt but besides that once you have it unbolted and belt off, you can squeeze it up and out.

Ralph77

I'm with Veeb0rg on this one.
I have read about guys getting it out from underneath but I tried once in the boneyard and couldn't do it.
Just so much easier to remove the battery and tray.
Problem is that first time you don't want to snap any of the bolts that hold the tray in.
Got lucky with mine, cleaned them all up, good amount of anti-seize when putting it back together, and should I ever have to go back in there it should not be a problem. LOL.

cruiser54

Disconnect the battery first.

318SixPack

Removing battery and tray helped me get my hands in there, but compressor still blocked it enough to prevent me from getting it out that way.
if you can remove the compressor you will have smooth sailing

cruiser54

I take em out the bottom.....

Dibbons

OK, I did not remove the metal fan (stupid me). I removed the battery and tray, but no way it would come out through the top (remember, this is a 1992 Sport, your mode/year may be different under the hood). I tried to remove it from the bottom, but it got stuck in the metal fan. I continued to wiggle it around trying to get it unstuck from the fan when accidentally it starting to work its way down. Much to my amazement, it finally dropped out.

I had no clue how to remove the wiring after I got the bolts removed so I went down to AutoZone and picked up another alternator so I could determine how the wires were connected. With the metal fan still in place, it was no piece of cake getting the wires off, but I got it done.

Now I realize there is no way to replace it without removing that metal fan. I rented a fan removal tool at Autozone when I went back a second time (after I found it impossible to remove a clutch fan that free-wheels all the time). Tomorrow if all goes well, I will be able to complete the installation (Before the teardown, I found voltage at the battery while engine was running was about 9 volts). One of the battery cells was not completely covered in acid (the cell closest to the positive terminal). I am slow-charging the battery overnight after having added battery water to the proper levels. I hope this cheap *** battery I purchased is still good (had a whopping six month guarantee).

Oh, one more detail. I thought the idler pulley thing set the tension for the serpentine belt so I loosened the bolt and tried to slide the belt off. Actually had to remove the idler completely to get the belt loose. I guess the adjustment must be elsewhere for a '92 model. A youtube video I found shows it to be combined with the power steering pump bracket.