Volvo S60 Alternator: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults
On the S60, a specific pulley genuinely can fail on its own — plus a real, money-saving account of a customer nearly paying for a whole new alternator unnecessarily.
Illustration for editorial purposes
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OEM Part Number: 36012358 (genuine alternator — confirm via VIN) — aftermarket alternators Bosch 1 986 A01 054 / Hella 8EL 011 712-231
| Alternators (aftermarket) | Bosch 1 986 A01 054 (180 A, freewheel pulley, 5 ribs, 54 mm, new, plug 341, excludes vacuum pump); Bosch 0 986 048 400 (180 A, freewheel pulley, 5 ribs, 54 mm, remanufactured exchange, plug 341, excludes vacuum pump, core charge £99.44); Bosch 0 986 084 230 (150 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 54 mm, remanufactured exchange, plug PL174, excludes vacuum pump, core charge £47.03); Hella 8EL 011 712-231 (180 A, freewheel pulley, 5 ribs, 54 mm, new, fitting by qualified personnel); Hella 8EL 011 712-101 (150 A, freewheel pulley, 5 ribs, 54 mm, new); Lucas LRA03470 (150 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 54 mm, remanufactured, plug 0213 COM/LIN2, core charge £25.12); AS-PL A0439 (180 A, freewheel pulley, 5 ribs, 54 mm, new, plug PL_2305); AS-PL A3267S (150 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 54 mm, new, plug PL_2305). |
|---|---|
| Outputs & variants | Three outputs are listed: 150 A, 180 A and 215 A. The 150 A units split into a five-rib 54 mm pattern (Hella 8EL 011 712-101, AS-PL A0487, Ridex 4G0298/4G0976, Mapco 113611) and a six-rib pattern (Bosch 0 986 084 230, Lucas LRA03470, AS-PL A3267S, Rotovis 9090581); the 180 A units are all five-rib 54 mm (Bosch, Hella, AS-PL A0439, Ridex 4G0451, BV PSH); the 215 A AS-PL A0774S is a six-rib 62 mm rigid-pulley unit. Everything else is freewheel. |
| Genuine (OE) numbers quoted | AS-PL A0774S for OE 0125812009; AS-PL A0439 for OE 0125811020; AS-PL A3267S for OE TG15C186. |
| Fitment notes | the 180 A five-rib unit is the common five-cylinder diesel and petrol fit, the 150 A six-rib pattern the later four-cylinder Drive-E cars, and the 215 A unit the highest-spec models, but the amperage and rib count on the old unit should be matched. All Bosch units are sold without the vacuum pump. The Bosch 0 986 048 400 exchange has a £99.44 core charge, the Bosch 0 986 084 230 £47.03 and Lucas £25.12, refunded on return of the old alternator. |
Volvo S60 Alternator: Often Blamed on the Battery Instead
On the Volvo S60, a failing alternator and a simply weak battery share almost the same symptom set at first: dim lights, sluggish starts, charge that won't hold. Mixing the two up is common, which is why plenty of people replace the battery only to find themselves back at the garage shortly after.
Volvo S60 Alternator: What It Does
The Volvo S60's electrical systems and battery charging both depend on the alternator generating electricity whenever the engine runs. If it's healthy, the battery's job shrinks down to starting the engine and handling brief surges in demand, not powering everything else on its own.
Volvo S60 Alternator: Watch: Replacing It
P3 S60 T6; many other results are the 2001-2009 car
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A Genuinely Useful, Real Diagnostic Technique Worth Trying — Volvo S60 Alternator
If you're chasing an alternator noise, this is genuinely worth trying before assuming the whole unit has failed: some Volvo alternators use a one-way clutch or decoupler pulley rather than a solid pulley, and this specific component can fail and cause noise on its own. With the belt removed, grab the alternator pulley and sharply move it in both directions — you should feel genuine resistance in one direction and free slipping in the other.
It's also genuinely worth knowing that when replacing an alternator yourself, it's worth double-checking the exact part number against your VIN, since not every alternator that physically bolts on is necessarily the correct electronic specification, worth confirming before fitting a replacement that could otherwise trigger warning lights despite good connections.
Volvo S60 Alternator: Warning Signs, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice
These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Alternator Guide for symptoms to watch for (plus a genuinely useful two-minute test to confirm it's not the battery instead), confirming the right amperage and fitment against your VIN, and which brands are worth trusting.
More Volvo Alternator
The same part, covered across other Volvo models.