jaydubyagee

Pretty sure I have a failed alternator assembly on my 2001 S4 (Voltage gage reading over 18 volts, gages going haywire, Service code P0563, etc). If this was a normal car, I'd pop the alternator out and have Manny, Moe, and Jack test it and still have most of my weekend left. Looking over the bentley manual, it appears that this is one of those deals where the bumper has to come off and the carrier has to be pulled forward, which to me sounds like a huge job. Is there any easy way to free the alternator, or is this going to be another audi maintenance headache?

complacentsee

If you have taking the bumber off before yourself. It really isn't that big of a headache. First time is a bitch.

jaydubyagee

Yea, I've usually handed the bumper jobs off, but I'm tired of sending the old girl out for maintenance. Still don't want to deal with this part of the job.

Related question, does the dealer parts dept normally stock the lock carrier bolt tool (#3369)?

jaydubyagee

curiouser and curiouser...after sleeping on the problem, decided to tackle it myself (my neighborhood mechanic wanted $900 to do the job too). I go out to fired up the car and move it into position to work on it, but its now completely dead, which I did not expect. It ran for all of 5 minutes in the overcharging state, just long enough for my wife to get it home, then sat all night, so I wouldn't expect it to completely discharge. Not sure if I've misdiagnosed the problem, done some more serious damage, or just have a failed battery. Opinions? The battery is still well within its service life.

donromani

If you were running it with a faulty alternator chances are that you seriously reduced the life of the battery. When you go to test the alternator have them test the battery too - My guess is you will end up replacing both.

bingS4

When you go to remove the bumper, search the forums for the screwdriver method. Inserting a long screwdriver in the special slot in the wheel well and prying the first bumper attachment off will save you a ton of time grunting trying to get that thing off.

jaydubyagee

dang, wish I saw this in time. popping that bumper off was a pain. I have a tendency to underestimate force applied, so I spend a lot of time trying not to break stuff. I think I spent about thirty minutes trying to nuance the bumper off before I figured out the screwdriver trick.

Having said that, it took me less than two hours to expose the alternator, so I won't be so reluctant to tackle these jobs on the S4 in the future.

jaydubyagee

as luck would have it, just a bad alternator

jaydubyagee

Me thinks special tool #3369 is another way to separate Audi owners from their money. I was able to duplicate it with the following 38 cent bolt from Home Depot;

Class 8.8 Hex Bolt M8 x 1.25 pitch x 90mm