2002 Suzuki Aerio Replacing the Alternator

I just did this job on a 2004
Unhook the negative battery cable. I used a flathead screwdriver to loosen two hose clamps and remove the air intake tube between the airbox and the throttle body. I took out the air filter and with a 10mm socket on and extension, I took off the airbox with two screws after unplugging the sensor. I removed the hubcap and broke loose the passenger side front lug nuts. I pulled the parking brake. I put a floor jack dead center behind the front bumper on a perfect round frame spot and raised the front until the front wheels were off the ground. I put two jack stands under there not blocking the passenger wheel well. I removed the tire and the plastic wheel well cover with four push-pins and some screws across the front. All push-pins broke so I have a big bag of replacements for oil changes on hand anyway. I went up top and with a 10mm 1/4 drive tiny ratchet removed the top bolt on the alternator plastic dirt shield. I removed the 2nd bolt from the bottom and took out the shield.I took off the two bottom alternator bracket bolts (15mm I think). I next got a 14mm open end long wrench on the belt tensioner. I held the open end on while my wife pushed down on the box end with a short 2x4 wood piece and with my other hand I pushed the serpentine belt of the dummy pulley. From below I fought it off the alternator. I went back up top with a 12mm long wrench and could barely break loose the top bolt on the alternator which is right behind a pulley on the bottom rear edge in the worst possible place. The alternator dropped loose. I went back under and with a short 12mm wrench I worked the top bolt out flipping the wrench on each tiny stroke. This took forever and I took two coffee breaks to calm down from wanting to beat the hell out of the engineer who put that bolt location there. Now the alternator only had a wire and a plug on it and I pushed upward until I wedged it between the firewall and some hose up there. From there I tied some nylon string onto the top bolt hole and to the top hood latch loop so I didn't drop it back down. I removed the nut/washer holding the wire and struggled to get the plug out. I left it hanging there and removed two bolts holding the freon tube and bracket near the firewall. Now I could wrestle the alternator out. I moved the bottom alternator bracket over to the new alternator. I hung the new alternator on my nylon string, crammed it behind the hose and reattached the single wire and nut/washer. I had to lower the alternator by the string, get back underneath, and rotate it to get the plug connector back in. The top bolt goes in first, it's still on the car behind that pulley. I held the alternator with my left hand while forcing the hole up against the bolt and starting it with my open end wrench. Once I got it started, I did the short 12mm swing and flip the wrench until it was almost tight. It seemed to go much faster than taking it off so 20-30 minutes of cursing the engineer. Before it was too tight I finagled the serpentine belt back over the alternator pulley (But still off of the dummy pulley), I replaced the two bottom alternator bracket bolts and tightened them up. I finished tightening up the top bolt from the top like when I broke it loose. I called my wife back out to push down on the tensioner wrench again to wrestle the belt back on (It looked good or I would have replaced it). I put the bottom bolt and alternator plastic shield on (After washing it up). I put the top shield bolt in from the top. I started the engine to view the belt was riding good. I replaced the wheel well shield and the tire. I put the A/C freon hose bracket and bolts back on. Then the filter box, the filter, the filter cover, the sensor plug and the air intake tube and tightened up the hose clamps. I took out the jack stands, lowered the car, torqued the lugnuts, replaced the hubcap and lowered the emergency brake lever. This job sucked. It took all day and was probably the most difficult alternator I ever changed. I did not, however, remove the power steering pump, power steering hoses or loosen motor mounts and drop the engine like others I read about.