X5 3.0 Alternator and belts DIY (with pictures!)

[upallnight]

While you had the alternator out, you should have replaced the oil seal between the oil filter housing and engine. It's only six more bolts and the seal is under 5 bucks. Dealers and Indy will quote you close to 8 hours to replace the seal since it involves removing the alternator to access the six bolts. The seal becomes hard over time with the engine heat and the only way I was able to remove the seal from the filter housing was to heat the seal with a heat gun so that it was soft enough to come off.