Car Fix DIY Videos

It has been a while since Aiman last made a video. In this video Aiman will show you how to remove, replace and install the alternator on a 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.7L V6 4WD.

This video is strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. It is primarily for Aiman’s fans. Although in many ways it is also instructional and step-by-step, it is really not designed as a tutorial for weekend warriors or backyard mechanics looking for professional guide on youtube or internet on how to perform this task.

In case you are here looking for how to change an alternator on this vehicle or similar model, we will describe how we did it.

First you will need to find out if the alternator is bad, not the battery. To find out if the alternator is bad, all you need to is take out the negative end of battery while the engine is running. If the car dies, then your alternator is bad.

But in our case, the symptoms showed up while we were driving. The battery and brake lights in the dash would flash every so often. Then everything else on the instrument started lighting up or flashing, following by failure of the speedometer, rpm indicator, fuel gauge, temperature gauge etc., everything went dead. Eventually, the vehicle would be jerking intermittently and then completely stop.

If these symptoms happened to you, please do not continue to drive, you might have 20-50 miles before your vehicle will cease to operate, and hopefully you are not on the side of a busy highway when this happened. We were lucky because we were able to google the symptoms and brought the vehicle home immediately.

Once you have figured out it is the alternator and not the battery, determine which alternator your Hyundai Santa Fe will need. You’ll want to be sure the new alternator is compatible with your Santa Fe’s engine. Models made from 2001 to 2006 can have a 2.7 L Delta or 3.5 L Sigma engines. Models made after 2006 have a 2.7 L or 3.3 L engine.

You can get a used one at the junk yard or you can purchase a rebuild / remanufactured from auto parts store such as Autozone, Pep Boys or Advance Autoparts. Depending on where you are, this could run between $300-$500. Forget buying a genuine one from the dealer, it would be exorbitantly expensive. If you don’t need to repair your vehicle immediately, you could order from Amazon.com or eBay, but these days even if you bought from eBay, the sellers would order from Amazon anyways and send it to you. Today’s ebay sellers are famous for making the spread between the amount they charge plus shipping and the price on Amazon.com. You can get one from as low as $115 to $200. If you have prime membership, you can get it to your home in 2 days. Even expedited shipping only cost an extra $15-$25 for overnight shipping.

Once the alternator arrived, here’s how you would do it. This is a cut & paste from eHow.com.

Disconnect the negative battery cable with a socket wrench so you do not short out the alternator when you remove it. Remove the accessory drive belt and disconnect the electrical harnesses from the alternator.

Remove the mounting bolts on the alternator with a socket wrench and take the alternator off the vehicle. The upper bolt is the adjuster and the lower nut and bolt is the pivot.

Install the new alternator assembly and tighten the upper mounting bolt with a torque wrench to between 9 and 11 foot pounds. Torque the lower nut and bolt to between 15 and 18 foot pounds. Connect the wiring harnesses to the alternator.

Replace the accessory drive belt and restore it to the proper tension. Reconnect the negative battery cable with a socket wrench.

Pretty simple right? Aiman’s dad has never replaced an alternator on this type of vehicle, but he was able to do it within a few hours. Good luck and thanks for watching. .

This video is presented to you by young mechanic Aiman-Imran Zulhilmi Anuar. Please be sure to watch other DIY auto repair videos on Aiman’s EyeOnAiman youtube channel & facebook page.

Disclaimer of Liability (No Responsibility): Please exercise due diligence with information obtained from this video. The information contained in this video is for entertainment purposes and should only be treated as such. I shall not be held liable for any damage to vehicles, tools, equipment or person resulted therein. This channel assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred. You will use such information at your own risk. Aiman recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Any injury, damage or loss resulted from using information in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not EyeOnAiman.

⊰⊱ EYEONAIMAN (Eye On Aiman) ⊰⊱

Recording Date: June 4, 2016
Video URL: https://youtu.be/zKdQayLi0HQ