Batter or alternator

[rp17]

Hello all,
A bit of a problem. Getting a battery generator error on a 05 boxster S. Looked at the battery and the connections were loose. Tightened but still getting the same error. Car does not idle properly, lights flickering every few seconds. Could it be a belt? Dealt with a dead battery before and no such warnings.

[Lew]

RP17,
Check the battery voltage, then start the engine and check the battery voltage. It should be around 14 volts. Then post results!

[dghii]

mileage on vehicle? when was battery last replaced? If battery is newer, I'd suspect the voltage regulator is bad. Very common and not an expensive part.

[rp17]

Thanks guys. I had another battery laying around, plugged it up and its completely dead compared to the one in the car. Bought tons of parts but not a battery tester ughhh... Will yry testing tom. Im guessing its the alternator thats fried hopefully i can get one at the parts store if it is..

[rp17]

Milleage is at 27k by the way.. half way to the next oil change. My last 05 boxster died at the folks house, no warning after a 30 mile drive. I popped the frunk used a trickle charger and bought a battery at midnight from walxxxx. Swapped and no problems.. im thinking alternator on this one. Lights and all are coming on the car at this point but still giving the battery generator fault with the lights flickering.

[dghii]

How old is the battery??

Can also be battery connections. Alternator or Voltage regulator.

Here's how I approach this issue.
1. Jump car to get running.
2. Check battery voltage with car running. Should be 14-14.5 Volts.
3. If step 2 checks out, see if battery will hold charge. If not, pull battery and get it tested. Replace if necessary.
4. If battery is good, pull alternator and get it tested. Any reputable parts store should be able to determine if your alternator or VR is bad. VR is about $50. Decent Alternator (which will include the VR) will be $100-200.
5. Replace offending part.
6. Drive car and have a Merry Christmas!

[rp17]

Bought a tester today. First reading car off, 11.5. Started the car and tested, went to 14 but then dropped.

[rp17]

Took the old battery i had sitting around to walxxxx and realized it was purchased in 2014. So new battery in the swap.���� Plugged up the new battery and took it for a spin but the error code popped up. Pulled out the tester engine off it read 12.5v. Started the car, and it read 12v. Downer... Time to pull the alternator.������

[dghii]

No fret! You're making progress!

Pulling the alternator is no big deal....even I could do it (and did!).

Here's what I did.
1. Adjust passenger seat such that all the seat bolts can removed.
2. Disconnect battery.
3. Remove passenger seat (may not need to do this but it made access easier for me).
4. Remove rear carpet and access panel.
5. Remove serpentine belt.
6. Remove alternator (lots of good DYI's, just be patient).
7. Get alternator tested and replace the VR or the alternator.
8. Put it all back together!

Make sure to check all pulleys for play or roughness while the serpentine belt is off. Look around water pump for any signs of leaks.

[rp17]

Thanks plenty of diys on that. Will give it a try late tomorrow or Monday morning..

[rp17]

Everywhere i looked today none had a alternator in stock. Should get one if needed on Monday. Happy holidays all..

[dghii]

Just an FYI, the VR tends to be the part that fails. It bolts on the back of the alternator with 3 3 bolts IIRC.
No need to buy an alternator if the auto parts store says you have a bad regulator (or diodes). I'm at 132K miles and replace my VR at about 120K.

Merry Christmas!

[cornontherob]

If you're taking that alternator out, spray that back bushing with PB blaster right away. The longer you let it sit on that bushing, the easier it'll come out. Also make sure you get a pry bar, hammer, and have a lot of patience.

[Lew]

Sometime Battery problems and the Charging system can be frustrating. Don't think it might be and go out and buy the wrong part. Read this article!

Diagnosing the Battery, Charging, & Ignition System

[rp17]

So im at the part of hammerring away. Am i suppose to hammer that bushing out the back? I pulled the bolt out and then reinstalled.

[rp17]

Alternator is out. Took to autozone and they tried but can't test this particular alternator. Know the forums like pics but couldnt get them to load. Can i take this somewhere else for testing? Oh yeah some kind of mixup so my part wasnt delivered. Ughh

[dghii]

Try any different Auto parts store. Autozone was the one that tested my alternator a few years back (2000S). There is nothing esoteric about a Boxster alternator.

[rp17]

I had a previous question on the bushing. Well it doesn't fully come out, i sure you guys know. I placed a punch in the slot and hammered it loose. I was wondering if that rusty bushing was suppose to come out the back. It doesnt..

Has anyone rebuilt a alternator?

[rp17]

Thanks for the replies. Im about to go on vacay. Not having the car is a pain..

[rp17]

Well I wanted to close this thread properly. After buying a reman from Ore..., I decided to have mine rebuilt since I didn't have much miles on it. After using a pry bar and patience like Cornontherob said, got it lined up and bolted in. Then returned the new reman alternator. Been running the car now for a few days and the Battery Generator error has gone away. So that answers that question.

Actually paid to have my alternator rebuilt but if you have time, I would recommend rebuilding your alternator. Didn't look that complicated for some of you guys on this forum. Thanks for all the help guys.