2008 Honda Accord 3.5l Alternator Replacement

Tips on getting the job done right.

[DaeZem]

You helped me out today, thanks. That bottom passenger side bolt on the fan, and the fan wiring connection was the biggest pain. Anyone who can still get around before changing, buy the tools you need. Long reach socket wrench, breaker bar, and perhaps the long needle nose pliers referenced in video. I had none of these and had to get creative. Would have probably saved me 2 plus hours having these tools, ugh.

[RJIGGLES]

Thank you for this video, it, in my opinion, is the best resource I could find for doing this job, with just an internet search. I found getting the two bolts on the bottom of the radiator loose, the most time-consuming part, and on my 2009 I had to do it from under the car. This meant taking off a bunch of plastic bumper clips to get between the bumper and the rock guard to access the two bolts. While I had the rock guard down and I was down there working, I took off the electrical connector for the fan because it was easier to press the clip and pull down, then pressing the clip and pulling up which dislodges it from the clips metal fastener on the fan itself and gets annoying. My alternator wasn't too much wider than the existing forked opening and between a dead blow hammer and c-clamp I squeezed it in and then with then bolt in the hole I wiggled and smacked the alternator till I got it aligned and it went thru completely. I did use my smartphone once to see if the bolt was coming in straight at the other side of the hole under the engine by filming a video with the flash on, worked great thanks to whoever made that suggestion in the comments. Also, I drilled out any bumper clips that were being troublesome and bought a pack of extras, I know to well the time that can be wasted trying to get corroded clips out, cut my time down a lot. I did this job in 6 hours time including taking the time to clean all the parts I removed and the engine bay when I was done, I am not a mechanic but good at taking instructions and turning a wrench.

[albertodelatorre]

Thanks so much for posting this. Doing a video is a PITA. Dealer just quoted me $670 for a new alternator. I'll give it my best shot before I cave in to that kind of extortion.

[jasonlayman]

Just changed out mine this morning. Watched this video and took some notes. Less than 3 hour turnaround. I tried doing it without moving the fan because the bolts on the bottom are a pain to get to, but I had to take it out anyway. Great video and info. Saved me a lot of time. Kudos for the socket sizes.

[achee]

Alternator went out at 128k miles. This method worked on the same exact car. The Autozone alternator was slightly wider on the large bolt and was hard to fit in. Had to use a clamp to make the alternator smaller in order for it to fit. The autozone cable connector didn't really fit into the alternator either but it could be forced in. The compressor cable ties into the alternator and the autozone alternator doesnt have a slot for the cable so I left the cable hanging. Recommend getting the OEM Denso Alternator. The radiator fan connector was quite hard to disconnect. Overall easy job.Thanks for putting this together.

[porchaa]

This was a big PITA! Thanks for the video everything you said was correct. Although I used a big C clamp to compress the alternator and it did not work. I ended up just using a pry bar to pry the opening where the alternator mounts to the engine in order to gain fraction of mm to get the alternator in. Aligning the holes was really very difficult. I used a cell phone to record a video of the mounting holes to gauge how far off the alignment of the holes were.

[ABASE]

Thanks a lot for this! It really helped!

I've just done this on a 2009 Accord EX and the only difference is that I had to remove front bumper in order to be able to get to the bolts at the bottom of the radiator fan and remove the fan completely. The was just no way to get to them from the top and there wasn't room to get the original out with the fan in place.

Removing the bumper is easy - 2 self tapping screws in the wheel wells and 7 of the trim clips underneath.

[Godscountry]

Great tips, Thanks Jacob.To avoid possible damage to the alternator case .You do not need to compress the alternator in a vise, once the alternator is out, tap the outer bushing on the alternator mounting bracket., this is where the lower alternator bolt goes through the bracket. The lower alternator bolt hole has a sliding bushing, sleeve in the alternator bracket, .Gently tap the lower bushing toward the passenger wheel and tire about ., you don't need any excessive force, as it easily slides over with light taps [lubricate if needed ] given the alternator space to slide in.Were only talking about .060 or so movement, no need to get crazy.Should take all of 30 seconds.Be gentle !!!
Also once the alternator is out, place the new belt in position.Do not use old belt.Make sure battery is not connected when replacing alternator and do clean the terminals and cable ends .You should also clean the battery with hot water, baking soda if its excessively dirty as it can leak voltage across the top.Put voltmeter to negative terminal and top of case, you should not see any voltage on DCV setting, if you do, clean battery, and check for any cracks, etc Hope this helps.

[CKingsbury]

Giving you a thumbs up and saying great advice on the Chilton's or Haynes manuals. Thanks for the video, helped me out of a pickle.

[lgd]

Now I don't feel so bad. In 2018, I changed my alternator on my 2009 Honda Accord EX-V6. I kept using breaker bar clockwise to move tensioner pulley. Eventually I figured it out. Well, the next day, 30 miles from home, that tensioner pulley assembly broke. The metal had been weakened. $200.00 tow back home, + $800 in labor costs to extract the broken bolt and install new tensioner pulley assembly.

[jtm]

Good vid... thanks for making the time. I removed/replaced my alternator in my 2008 HON_ACCD V6-3.5 after taking off the mounting screws the belt slip right off and the alternator came out without incident. Be Blessed Jacob

[ludocris]

So this vid is good one of the best I found but some advice. He doesn’t mention that this tension bolt is for an Automatic 19mm apparently 14mm for a manual. I would also recommend renting a special tension tool from autozone in my area they basically lend it for free with a deposit. Also note that the tension is due to hydraulic fluid so slow constant pressure is key for it to release the tension. Last thing you really have to jack up the passenger side and unbutton the mud flap to get to the bottom fan screws, and the one closer to the center is going to require a wrench 10mm no way I could get a ratchet in there. Good luck! Mines a 2010 Accord V6, not sure if he mentions it but pulling the power steering fluid and coolant tanks up helps with clearance.

[mcooper]

Great video. I broke my tensioner bolt off also. How did you replace that?

[Ritemon]

Thank you for "paying it forward" sir. I'm no mechanic by anyone's imagination but I also didn't have the $$ the shop wanted to replace the alternator on my car car. What I do have is time. The toughest part for me was the fan's electrical connection. It all ended well thanks to your instructions!

[rickdrummonds]

Thanks for "paying it forward." Very helpful information.

[Jjaipa]

Jake, Excellent after the fact video and audio. I have a 2011 Accord V6 and after removing the lower shrouds (in frustration) I figured I check the internet. Great tips especially at the end with the vice!!! after looking at the some of the helpful comments, I'm going to take my time with this one.

[juanmaguilera]

Thank you very much. That is a well done video.
Lots of information in a very simple way.
Highly appreciated.

[mattthomas]

One thing I would add. Mine is a 2010 Accord Crosstour. The vice didn't work for me, but I found that the fork to hold the bottom of the alternator has a little sleeve that you can push out to give you room to insert it. It tightens down as you tighten the bolt.
Oh, and be sure you disconnect the battery before working on it. 😉

[stevebetancourt]

great information & valuable tip with the tensioner!! thank you very much.

[samuelsholder]

video would be a lot more effective if job was actually done. Removing the bottom fan bolts (hardest part) is glazed over. Need to jack up the car, remove fender clip. The fan electrical connector is also easier to get hwen you're under the car (huge pain regardless).