Hi im trying to remove my alternator from my 05 Superb 1.9 130pd ive removed the cables and the top bolt but the lower bolt seems blocked by the fan and whilst it is completely loose - it wont slid out because of the fan.

Surely I don't need to remove the fan before i can get the alternator off ??

is there any recommended workshop manual i should buy ? its annoying that there is no haynes manual for the superb

Welcome to the forum

The Passat one will cover the main features, as long as you get the B5 one with the AWX engine (which is yours). It's the one with a black cover, 4404 IIRC.

By the way - stick around here and you'll learn lots more than any Haynes manual will ever teach you

is it this one ??

Product: Volkswagen Passat Petrol & Diesel Dec '00 to May '05 (X to 05 reg)

Can anyone shed any light on getting that bottom bolt out - ive seen some suggestions on this site namely

1: Move the whole front including fans - forward into the "service" position. I have looked but I have absolutely no idea how to do this

2: Loosen the centre of the fan from behind using an allan key then push it forward - This is damn awkward and im struggling how to do it.

3: hacksaw off the bolt head and replace with a length of allthread and put a bolt on the end of that. (seems a little drastic to me)

is it this one ??

Product: Volkswagen Passat Petrol & Diesel Dec '00 to May '05 (X to 05 reg)

Yep, that's it. I was close with the number...

As for the problem you have, I would go with the "service" position or just remove the front end completely.

The bumper comes off quite easily, but to put into "service" position you need some tooling to support the front end. It's cheaper to take the whole bumper off.

Baker's well versed in bumper removal, I think he can do it in less than 5 minutes these days - the other guys on here like DieselV6, Lummox and Rotodiesel usually use the "service" position.

Yep, that's it. I was close with the number...

As for the problem you have, I would go with the "service" position or just remove the front end completely.

The bumper comes off quite easily, but to put into "service" position you need some tooling to support the front end. It's cheaper to take the whole bumper off.

Baker's well versed in bumper removal, I think he can do it in less than 5 minutes these days - the other guys on here like DieselV6, Lummox and Rotodiesel usually use the "service" position.

having read this http://briskoda.net/superb/alternator-pulley/131106/ it seems Rotodiesel does not take that approach anymore - im going with the hacksaw approach

having read this http://briskoda.net/superb/alternator-pulley/131106/ it seems Rotodiesel does not take that approach anymore - im going with the hacksaw approach

That told me!

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

hacksaw is definately the way forward !!

I took the dead unit to a local guy how does refurbs and he put it on the bench and told me basically everything needed replacing which he could do for £160 +Vat. Eventually I found a new one (Valeo) online for £160 including the VAT.

Whilst at the refurbishers place i showed them the hacksawed bolt and they told me of a local bot dealer - they also said they were aware of this flaw on VAG vehicles and said when they do it they bend the bolt - unscrew it completely and then bend it back on refit - which didnt sound ideal either.

I got hold of a new M8 bolt from the guy they mentioned for £1, although his was 100mm rather than the original 90mm - I reinserted this from the rear of the alternator which seemed to work fine - although I did still have a right game levering the alternator back to put the top bolt whilst retensioning the belts. In the end (after 2 hours fiddling) this was a two man job one person levering the alternator up into position and a second lever pushing the unit towards the rear of the vehicle - at which point the top bolt went back fairly easily.

I have since done a few thousand miles and everything seems perfect - apart from one tiny annoyance - I had to re-key the radio code because of the flat battery and ever since the radio does not "talk" with the maxidot - so it dosent show the radio station OR the sat nav instructions. In addition the steering wheel radio controls have stopped working. Im hoping that these 2 things are related and a simple fix that I can find somewhere on Briskoda which is why im here - to find out, but i felt I had to share my experience so that someone else might benefit in the future from what I learned. If I find the maxidot/steering control fix I will also post a link in this thread - wish me luck

You can hacksaw, seems a little destructive to me, all I do is undo the 8mm allen key out, slide the fan foward and drop it into the fan cowling so its out of the way and then slide the bolt on.

Also to make fitting the alternator easy when its removed put the bolts back in a few turns then tap the head lightly with a hammer. This moves the threaded bush at the other end back out and the alternator drops on.

Thanks to Techle for that tip. I have just removed the alternator from my MK1 and no need for a hacksaw. To remove the fan first do not remove the drive belt. The fan bolt is reached from the rear of the fan. The belt needs to be in place in order to loosen the bolt as the fan has a viscous coupling. Once loosened remove the belt and the fan can be removed out of the way.