my buddy's NX needs an alternator and it looks liek i may be doing it. Anyone done this before? How long should I plan on this taking, and any tips would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
Jeff

Starter or alternator?

Chris

Starter is easy. Took me about 35 minutes to do it yesterday on my bro's NX. Disconnect battery. Took off intake hose/airbox/various resonators and tubes. Two bolts beneath throttle body hold the starter in. Use a 14mm socket to unbolt. Go underneath car and look up to see the starter. Remove nut that holds on the power cable (be careful not to drop starter on your head!), disconnect the clip that goes to the starter (i guess its for the clutch safety switch?) and remove starter. Throw it down a staircase.

Install is reverse. :)

Yeah, starter is pretty straight-forward. I'd recommend you have some good extensions with you though to get at those 2 starter bolts below the TB.

Also, make sure you do disconnect the battery!! I was removing a friend's starter and thought the battery was disconnected, and as I went to remove that nut connected to the power cable, I was greeted with an intense shower of sparks that nearly caused me to shit myself. :o Learn from this monkey - disconnect the battery!

If you're doing the alternator, it's relatively easy. To get room to remove it, remove the radiator hose that's in your way. Loosen the belt tensioner nut and undo the bolts holding the alternator in. Take off connector and it should slide right out. Installation is reverse, but have some patience getting that long bolt to line up. It can be a pain. Remember to refill with coolant if you lost some (you will).

yah starter, thanks guys. I located the one lower nut but not the top one. it's really really tough to get past all those stupid coolant lines. Thanks!