For today's project, we're going to be replacing the alternator on a 1997 ford crown victoria police interceptor because I found a good deal on a new takeoff alternator from an econoline van that was removed during an ambulance conversion. The alternator currently installed on this crownvic is functional, but with a 150k miles it's unknown how much longer it will last.

The first step is to disconnect the negative terminal from the battery so that we don't damage any wiring harnesses or cause an electrical fire during the alternator replacement project.

The next step is to loosen the front engine accessory drive belt tension by twisting a 1/2" breaker bar in the belt tensioner



The belt tensioner doesn't require much leverage to loosen, but the long handle means that we don't have to wedge our arm in between the radiator shroud and the engine block







Now remove the bolts which hold the alternator bracket to the alternator







Slide back the protective boot on the high current alternator battery feed







Remove the nut front the charging post



And the alternator can be removed from the vehicle after the two lower mounting bolts are out



The hose under the intake manifold that is usually hidden by the alternator is for the heater core to return coolant to the waterpump



Here's the new alternator next to the old one. The new alternator is a direct fit for 1992-1995 crownvics, but we need to swap the output post to make it work in 1996-1997 vehicles.



To remove the red plastic insulator, the rear housing of the alternator needs to come off first.



Being a new alternator, the commutator is in very nice condition without any grooves worn into it yet





The red plastic insulator simply pushed out using my finger











Prior to reassembling the alternator, the brushes are going to have to be retracted in the regulator





This was accomplished by pushing the brushes inwards with my fingers and then using a bent paperclip to hold them in place







The alternator with the back case installed waiting for the regulator assembly



After installing the regulator







After installing the post extension from the old alternator onto the new alternator





And placing the alternator back on the engine



It's now time to install the mounting post nut and the top bracket fasteners



This particular alternator model would have been a direct fit into 1992-1995 crownvics. But installing it into a 1996-1997 car required partially disassembling the alternator to swap the output post setup.