2008 E93 alternator

long time lurker, first time poster.

bought a 2008 E93 M3, about 2 years ago. enjoyed the beast a lot.
issue : 3 weeks ago, time clock lost time, interior brightness came on full.i did not think much of it.

then car stalled at the gas station. got a boost, barely made it 300 ft out of the gas station, car died.

got a boost from CAA< and the guy told me that the mobile booster thing drained immediately. as well, as soon as alligator clips removed, car died on the spot. Towed on flatbed to home.

i suspected the battery at first, swapped with a new battery, (AGM for AGM) car drove fine for a few hundred kms, and then died mid-intersection again.

troubleshot and looked up the IBS cable issue, still no luck, grounding wire is also solid.

finally stumbled across the in-dash voltage reader youtube post and noticed, as soon as booster cables are disconnected, the voltage drops slowly to under 10V, everything lights up on the dash and car dies.

now, i have a new alternator and i am struggling to remove the old one from the car

- car is in someones driveway and its -10C outside (canada, ON)
- i removed the serpentine belt successfully, and the two bolts from the alternator
- it seems that there is some space to work, what is the significance/importance/benefit to removing the rad fan ?
- i assume, the alternator has that locking nut that holding it in place.
- I am unable to swing the hammer to bang that locking nut back out to remove the alternator. (not enough space, hunched over in a winter jacket, working outside.. did I mention its -10C)

what i need help/direction with is this :

- whats the best way to remove the alternator ? i do not have a hoist/garage.
- with the battery -ve cable disconnected the windows (that automatically an inch down when door is opened/closed) are obviously not working, what is the best way to close and open the door without ruining the top rubber gasket on the retractable roof ?

I appreciate all comments and suggestions.
i did my TBA last year with instructions from this forum.
I am located in Toronto.

thank you !

mohammedomer1 wrote

long time lurker, first time poster.

bought a 2008 E93 M3, about 2 years ago. enjoyed the beast a lot.
issue : 3 weeks ago, time clock lost time, interior brightness came on full.i did not think much of it.

then car stalled at the gas station. got a boost, barely made it 300 ft out of the gas station, car died.

got a boost from CAA< and the guy told me that the mobile booster thing drained immediately. as well, as soon as alligator clips removed, car died on the spot. Towed on flatbed to home.

i suspected the battery at first, swapped with a new battery, (AGM for AGM) car drove fine for a few hundred kms, and then died mid-intersection again.

troubleshot and looked up the IBS cable issue, still no luck, grounding wire is also solid.

finally stumbled across the in-dash voltage reader youtube post and noticed, as soon as booster cables are disconnected, the voltage drops slowly to under 10V, everything lights up on the dash and car dies.

now, i have a new alternator and i am struggling to remove the old one from the car

- car is in someones driveway and its -10C outside (canada, ON)
- i removed the serpentine belt successfully, and the two bolts from the alternator
- it seems that there is some space to work, what is the significance/importance/benefit to removing the rad fan ?
- i assume, the alternator has that locking nut that holding it in place.
- I am unable to swing the hammer to bang that locking nut back out to remove the alternator. (not enough space, hunched over in a winter jacket, working outside.. did I mention its -10C)

what i need help/direction with is this :

- whats the best way to remove the alternator ? i do not have a hoist/garage.
- with the battery -ve cable disconnected the windows (that automatically an inch down when door is opened/closed) are obviously not working, what is the best way to close and open the door without ruining the top rubber gasket on the retractable roof ?

I appreciate all comments and suggestions.
i did my TBA last year with instructions from this forum.
I am located in Toronto.

thank you !

If I remember correctly you have to disconnect the power wire in the back of the alternator. Then if both bolts are completely out, you should be able to rock it laterally, towards the fender. Keep rolling it side to side and it should wiggle out towards the drivers fender.

Ajolives wrote

If I remember correctly you have to disconnect the power wire in the back of the alternator. Then if both bolts are completely out, you should be able to rock it laterally, towards the fender. Keep rolling it side to side and it should wiggle out towards the drivers fender.

Thank you for the info.
disconnect power cables and the connector - check

in one of the other posts, there was a mention of the sliding rear nut that hold it in place and it needs to be gently hit with a hammer and "tapped" back out before the alternator will wiggle

my challenge: not enough working room to hit the bolt head to push that nut bushing back out half an inch to wiggle the alternator out.

and i looked at my new alternator, it seems that the sliding bushing/nut is there as well.

its too cold outside to work today, i will try to do the lateral rock and update here again.
thanks for your help

FWIW, i cannot find a single youtube video of an alternator replacement on an S65..

search. there is a whole write up on this....

dty3 wrote

search. there is a whole write up on this....

I did some research on this forum, but I have not gotten any E9x M3 specific thread. I am sure there is a good write up, and i think this is one of those situations i bet, where its right under my nose and I cannot just see it.

i used this as a guide:

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1180343

and this led me to asking these two questions :
"- it seems that there is some space to work, what is the significance/importance/benefit to removing the rad fan ?"
- I am unable to swing the hammer to bang that locking nut back out to remove the alternator.

any help or nudge in the right direction will be much appreciated.
my search skills are very questionable..

this applies to your car.
- you have to remove the fan.
- i did not use a hammer to remove the locking nut. you have to keep unscrewing the bolt and wiggle it out