E53 Alternator DIY

[ddjames]

Alrighty now! We have progress! And maybe a question or two.

Air box and intake parts are off, p/s reservoir bolts out, alternator bolts and deflection pulley are out. The alternator bolts were a real &%$#@! given that I didn't remove fan.

Couple more questions if you don't mind.

How do you release the remaining tension on the belt? I thought after the deflector pulley was out there'd be enough slack to slip the belt over the alternator pulley. This doesn't seem to be the case.

When you pulled the alternator out did you push the p/s reservoir towards the back and bring the alternator up between the p/s reservoir and the radiator expansion tank? I'm not quite there yet but it looks like a tight fit. Was wondering if it would be better to disconnect the two hoses from the radiator exp. tank and bring it out sideways and then up?

Did you ever get an answer to your question about disconnecting the battery first?

I noticed the belt has some cracks in it. It's 97K miles old. Do you know how much additional work is involved to replace it at this point?

Really appreciate all the help and tips!