Alternator - Now or Later

[nunes14]

I did go to my regular mechanic and he indicated that the buzz noise on my car might be the alternator might be failing.

He said it may be a month or two, but ofcourse it will depend on how much I drive.

Should one wait till the car/alternator dies to replace the alternator or replacing the alternator ahead of time is a better idea.

[MTZI30]

Well your tech said "might." Does he know for sure. Be a shame if you spent all that money and its still there. If it is you should just replace it instead of getting stranded. My starter would struggle to start my i30 sometimes but i was a poor college student so ts. Now that im working I replaced it and not a moment too soon as it was starting to just click and nothing was happening.

[nunes14]

Well the mechanic is pretty honest. He had me listen to it, he put a screwdriver over the alternator and it had a buzzing sound. As he does not do electrical work, he referred me to an electrical shop and I might stop by and see them. No problem starting the car at this time, but will take your suggestion and have to eat the cost and fix it. Estimates are around $ $400 for parts and labor. Its a 1995 and I have 175K miles on it.

[loystock]

Welcome to NICO.

You can check the alternator charging voltage - must be >13.8VDC (spec is 14.1-14.7VDC) @ !500RPM. A low or fluctuating voltage could mean a failing internal diode (rectifier). Also, the 'buzzing'' sound may be coming from the Idler Pulley (failing bearing) which is a lot cheaper to replace.

[nunes14]

Thank you very much for your response loystock. It appears that the sound is coming from both the alternator and the idler/tensioner pulley, with a great sound from the alternator. The mechanic suggested I change both.

As indicated my mechanic does not work on electric stuff so he referred me over to someone that focuses on it.

Called my local Nissan dealership and the quote they gave me was very close to what a regular guy (non dealership) was going to charge. Seems liked they are getting aggressive pricewise in order to get the business. This would never have happened a couple of years ago.

Thanks to all those that have been so generous with their advice. Always feels like family around NICO

[loystock]

It's our pleasure to help. We appreciate it if you could recommend NICO to other Nissan/Infiniti car owners - relatives and friends.

Personally, I will not replace the alternator unless it is out of spec. An OEM alternator lasts for a long time. But if you are getting a good deal with the alternator and pulley replacement, then it's up to you to have both items replaced.