How to Locate an Alternator on a Nissan Frontier

Nissan was one of several Japanese manufacturers who helped bring the small, economical pickup truck to the North American market. Originally called Datsun, a name that was used until the 1980s, Nissan has been selling pickups in North America since 1959. In 1998 the Nissan pickup truck was renamed the Frontier, which as of 2010 was still in production. The alternator of your Frontier is a belt-driven device located at the front of the engine. The alternator keeps the battery charged while the motor is running. If your charging light comes on, or your battery seems weak, knowing where your alternator is located is the first step in getting it repaired.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
2 wheel chocks
Lug wrench
Floor jack
Jack stand
Philips screwdriver
Flat-blade screwdriver
1

Chock the rear wheels. Loosen the lug nuts of the passenger-side front wheel of your truck with a lug wrench. Do not remove the lug nuts yet.
2

Raise the front passenger side of the truck with a floor jack until the wheel is off the ground. Slide a jack stand underneath the lower suspension control arm and lower the floor jack until the weight of the vehicle is resting on the jack stand.
3

Finish removing the lug nuts and remove the tire from the vehicle.
4

Loosen and remove the six attachment screws in the plastic inner fender-well liner with a Philips screwdriver turned in a counterclockwise direction. Remove the four plastic fasteners from the inside of the fender liner by prying them out with a flat-blade screwdriver. Lower the fender-well liner from under the fender and remove it from the vehicle.
5

Locate the serpentine belt at the front of the engine block through the opening left when the fender-well liner was removed. The alternator, driven by the belt, is mounted to the front of the engine and can be accessed through the opening.

Tips & Warnings

The alternator mounting bolts are accessed through the opening in the passenger side after the inner fender liner is removed. Once the bolts and electrical connections have been loosened and removed, the alternator can also be removed from the engine compartment through this access hole.

Before removing your alternator for service or replacement, disconnect the negative battery cable from the negative battery terminal.