E320 CDi Alternator

[dmcsweeney]

Hi all,
I'm new to the world of mercs and need to sort out a problem on a friends car. His '03 320 CDi stopped charging and a mechanic has diagnosed an alternator failure. As far as I can tell he just put a multi meter across the battery and monitored the voltage level. Is it just a case of having the alternator reconditioned or is there any external regulators etc that need to be checked? How do I remove the alternator? Is it accessed from above or below? Could a failed pulley clutch be to blame?
Regards,
Dave

 

[Cole@MBS]

It could be anything from battery control module to switching relay for the two batterys, needs to go on star to be sure!!

Welcome to the forums!

 

[dmcsweeney]

Thanks for that. I've spoken to the owner again and he's told me that the mechanic who inpected the car actually works for a main dealer. Aparently he check the voltage at a few points (at the battery and under the car aparently). He wants me to replace the alternator as advised by the mechanic. However, I'd like to carry out my own checks first before I do. Where is the battery controller? Can I check the controller, alternator etc with a multi meter? I've never worked on an E class before (Rover P6s, Jags and Fords are my thing). The car has been sitting for a few months since the problem started, so I was going to start by removing and charging the battery (the one in the boot). I only had a quick look at the car and hadn't noticed a second battery as mentioned in some posts. Where is it and which battery does what? Any advice would be welcome.
Regards,
Dave

 

[dmcsweeney]

Hi all, just to let you all know the alternator was faulty and is currently being reconditioned. Disconnecting the alternator was no problem (accessed from below) but I had a real battle removing it from the engine bay. I had to remove a coolant hose, the air hoses to the turbo, the MAF and the 90deg bend on the air outlet from the turbo and lift it out the top. Is this the normal route?