Q: Charging issue, New alternator/battery
Replaced the alternator in May on my Nissan Altima 3.5 V6 2008 because of battery and brake light turning on and off, car was working fine for a while then battery and brake light would intermittently turn on and off again. Got a yourmechanic to come diagnose and was told the battery needed replacement, got it replaced but after a week had the same issue come back. Got another diagnosis and was told alternator had a bad diode, got a replacement alternator from auto zone( remanufactured) but after 2 weeks car stalled and eventually died on me while driving, got another diagnosis and alternator not charging the battery after a few minutes, fuses were checked and was all good according to the mechanic. Now going to need to replace the alternator once again for the 3rd time in six months. What are the odds of getting two bad alternators in a row? Would like to know whether something else is causing the alternator to stop charging ? Any help or advice would be great. Thank you.
My car has 125000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Hi Christian. Thanks for contacting us tonight. An alternator is a mechanical system. Failure of an alternator is typically due to one of three sources. Either the internal components of the alternator fail (which is common sooner in refurbished alternators or aftermarket replacement components), the ground connection to the alternator is poor, the charging cables are damaged, frayed or poorly installed. In most cases, the alternator will fail when the efficient flow of electricity is compromised. Although it’s likely the most expensive option, the best way to resolve these issues is by replacing the alternator along with all charging cables that allow the system to work correctly.
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