avg life for alternator...?

[btsline04]

so my alternator finally went so i have a couple of questions for everyone...if u changed urs when did u change it? the only reason i'm asking is bc i only have 71k on the clock....does that seem a lil too low for sumthin like that to go? and if not, what would put extra wear or stress on it to make it check out so early?

[rs6aavant]

I had my alternator replaced at 97K. So you are not too far off the mark but let me answer some of your questions. 1. Alternators, just like anything else is man made and can fail at anytime in the future. It is just your future came early but if you are worrying about stress on the unit then there are two area to consider. Physically and electrical. If alternator was not installed correctly from the factory and there was more stress on the shaft when your engine was rotating causing undue wear on the brushes then this definitely could have contributed to an early demise of the alternator but I think you would have had issues with the electronics prior death of the alternator. Now the second area of concern would be electrical or should I say the load placed on the unit trying to supply more current to other units in the car that may fall within the original design of the current parameters for that alternator put in your S-line but again If you put in some aftermarket unit that exceeded that I think you would have seen this early on on the after market unit was installed and turned on. Along those same lines you may want to remember that the alternators job is to charge the battery and make DC current to power the all other applicable units in our vehicles put this process is not 100% efficient and if for some reason one the diodes is weakened from a spike that occurred in the electrical system it will eventually take down the other diodes in the alternator which will lead to the complete failure of the unit. Anyway the only way to find out would be to take to an electrical shop and have them take diagnose the problem but you still have to buy a new/reman unit to replace the dead unit. As far as doing the installation I had an independent shop do the work for me but I was told it is easier to get at the alternator from the bottom of the car but you may have to move other things out of the waty to make it easy for yourself if you are doing the work. Once you replace the alternator you will probably want to replace the battery too because once you replace the alternator it seems as though the battery will die next. One other note make sure you get the correct alternator,i.e BOSCH or Valeo. I do not think they are interchangeable. I hope this helps.

[btsline04]

thanks for that explanation...i appreciate the time u took to write all that...as far as the electronics in the car the whole thing is stock...nuthin was added to it at all...i jus ended up getting the car towed to the dealership and i'm having them do the work...i already got quoted for it and i gave them the green light to proceed with the repairs...eventhough its costing me a arm and a leg at least i can go on not worrying about it...i jus wish the alternator wasnt in such of a bitch of a place...i wouldve done it...oh well...maybe next time...

[rs6aavant]

I know what you mean. I agree I wish I could have replaced it myself but sometimes you have to pay the piper. You should not have any other issues other than replaceing the battery which is what I had to do as well. Now I know you did not ask but try a place like SAM's club or a battery retailer you may end up paying a lot less than the $350.00 I was quoted from the dearlership. By the way I went to SAM's club and was able to get a new battery with more CCA than the original one for about $100.00. Hope the rest of your day is good one.

[btsline04]

well i changed the battery last year so i think i'm fine...next time i'm lookin for battery i'll keep sams club in mind....about to drop the top on the loaner and head to work...hahaha....thanks again...

[Scotty@Advanced]

My alt on the four two went out @ 40,000 miles. However it was attributed to some high water I drove through about 6 months prior.

[btsline04]

My alt on the four two went out @ 40,000 miles. However it was attributed to some high water I drove through about 6 months prior.

really?! u kno what..now that u said that if that could do it...then it makes perfect sense...about a week and a half ago jus before my battery light went on...we had a downpour in jersey for like 2-3 days and i drove thru a flooded street at night...i didnt see that it was flooded and i was going a good 40mph too...i stopped and threw the car in reverse and got the hell outta there...

[Scotty@Advanced]

really?! u kno what..now that u said that if that could do it...then it makes perfect sense...about a week and a half ago jus before my battery light went on...we had a downpour in jersey for like 2-3 days and i drove thru a flooded street at night...i didnt see that it was flooded and i was going a good 40mph too...i stopped and threw the car in reverse and got the hell outta there...

Yes there were leaves, a cigarette butt, and some paper in the alternator cover and one of the brushes wore through the armature. The only way the stuff could have gotten in there was when I drove through water.