My wife drives a 2019 Buick Enclave Premium with 80,000 miles. The other day she was driving to work and lost all power. When I got there I tested the battery and alternator. Battery tested a little low but I suspected it was due to a bad alternator not charging the battery. Alternator tested bad. I jumped the car to be sure and as soon as I removed the cables the car shut off again.
I bought a replacement thinking it would be an easy fix. When attempting to remove the bad alternator, I noticed there appears to be an AC line that runs from behind the dash, around the engine, under the air filter, then crosses roughly 2 inches in front of the alternator before going underneath the alternator and going into what I assume is the AC compressor. With it passing so close to the alternator, theres not enough clearance to remove the alternator from the bolts.
I don't have alot of experience working on cars, and usually watch alot of YouTube videos before doing any work on our vehichles. However this being a 2019 there isn't any videos that show this issue yet. Do I have to remove the AC line or is there another way? Thank you for your advice in advance and your videos!
Any photo of your problem would make any advice more helpful.
Some car and engine designs are so terrible that they turn a simple fix into a nightmare.
I’d be livid if the alternator went out in a 3 yr old, stock vehicle. Is the vehicle modified in any way?
Are you covered by any kind of warranty?
Remove any nearby clamps that hold down the AC lines. That should get you enough give to push them out of the way.
You may also need to remove other stuff from around the alternator to make room.
But now I'm wondering .... your vehicle should have warranty coverage. An alternator should last more than 3 years!
