Multiple Alternator Failures???
 

My '02 Boxster (with Tip) alternator went out one month ago, at around 34,800 miles since new... but at 6 years of age. As I got into the car for a good price, it didn't bother all that much to replace one item.

So, I read this forum, and located a brand new looking - but sold as remanufactured - alternator from AutoZone. It turns out the label inside stated "Rebuilt by Robert Bosch," so I wasn't displeased with the appearance or cost. This was the best quick way to put in a new alternator at around $280. including taxes, with only a 4 hour wait to get the part. Lots of effort to put it in tho, as it's difficult to juggle in and out. The best part about this is that the alternator has a lifetime warranty.

Now, about a month or 6 weeks later, I have a dead alternator again.

Other than the battery light, which came on suddenly, the only other symptom of a possible electrical problem is that the left turn signal arrow on the instrument cluster would glow lightly when high beams were on at night. (If you remember the 6V Beetles, they did the same thing, which meant high resistance on the ground terminal.)

Any ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I don't want to go thru this again in 6 more weeks.

Thanks in advance for the help...

Could be any number of things... but when was the last time your battery was changed?

A poor battery can kill an alternator. If 3 or more yrs. old, and/or you've had multiple total discharges (being a used car, presumably you have no knowledge of the previous history of the battery), I would always replace the battery if having any electrical issues such as an alternator going bad. In addition to making the alternator work harder, the battery may not be functioning properly in it's secondary role as a current/voltage stabilizer. Without this, the alternator can spike upwards of 40 volts which is sure to kill the diodes.

Of course, it could simply be that the 2nd alternator failed. These types of rebuilds that you find at the mega-autoparts chains are usually done 'assembly line' style and IMHO aren't near as good as the individual ones you get from a small private rebuilder.

Update on Alternator
 

Thanks for the info... The battery is about 1 yr. old, is a Delphi, and is sealed. If need be, I'll upgrade to the Optima, but there have been absolutely no problems with the Delphi in the year I've had the car, and never a starting problem, or anything of the like.

This is maybe the most baffling problem I've ever seen with an alternator, and, in the words of a local friend, it may just be an infant mortality of the new regulator on the new alternator.

If you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

I have an '01 model with tip and I replaced my alternator last month. I was driving home from work and all of the sudden I get an ABS failure light, the a/c turns off and the radio stops playing. Then the generator/battery light comes on. I look at the volt gauge (I have a Carrera cluster installed in mine) and instead of reading 14 volts, it is pegged past 16 volts. I slowed down (I was on the highway) to below 30 mph and then the A/C comes back on, the radio starts playing and all the warning lights and messages go out. The volt gauge is fluctuatuing between 11 and 14 volts. When I sped up past 30, then the volt gauge goes off the high end of the scale and it freaks out as before. I limped it home and when I shut the car off, I could hear hissing. I opened the front trunk and the 4 month old Optima 34R battery is leaking fluid and hissing. I didn't think that they had fluid, but I guess I have found out otherwise. I replaced the Optima with a regular battery and had to replace the alternator as well. The Optima is fried and when I was testing it on the bench and in another car, It acted up again. Since the replacement of the alt. and the Optima, I've now got much more CCA's and it starts up and runs great. I've decided not to go back to an optima as this is my second one to go bad. I got my alternator at Partsamerica.com for $160 exchange with a lifetime warranty.

It wouldn't hurt to verify the ground path from engine/transaxle to chassis. As for the signal light glowing with high beams on it's more then likely just light bleeding from the high beam indicator to the signal area.

I've also used Optima batteries with mixed results.