2003 cts. I need to replace alternator. can i do it myself and how much does the part cost?

I have actually done this on my 2003 CTS. The part was about $300 at Autozone. You have to disconect the battery, take off the belt (which can be done with a rachet to move the pully above the alternator pully to loosen the belt, remove the 2 long bolts keeping it in place, remove the sensor wire and the wire that goes to the battery at the back of the alternator. I had to use a crow bar to move the alternator to the side so I could remove it. Here's the hard part, trying to finegle the alternator out was difficult. You may want to remove the pan bolted to the bottom of the alternator (4-6 bolts I think) If I were to do it again I probably would have also removed the big plastic air intake part.

Hi there, i wouldnt advise you changing it yourself unless you really think you could do it.

In the attempt that you should try, i advise disconnecting the battery completely, take it out if you have to.

When disconnecting the alternator from the wire harness mark it so you know which wire goes where or which clips fits what. Then the rest is the removal of the alternator belt and the machine itself.

Unfortunately prices vary alot but the avg price for one is around 350-500US worst case scenario. Might be less if your lucky.

If you have any more questions or need any more information feel free to ask.

Go to kragen.com to find out what your looking at. then look at your alternator. Sometimes they are so burried that the home mechanic is sorry they ever tried to tackle this.
At kragen put in your vehicle info go to replacement parts then type in alternator. you will get the price and a picture