Ok... got a problem

[TrizzyDizzy]

Ok, while driving my car today. The car started lowing electrical power. Music went off, radio started to dim, my ABS, Stab, etc lights turned on. And then my Airbag light turned on. I noticed my car would not have alot of power, or it would seem to fade. Then it got to the point where it felt like a car stalling out. pulled into my friends driveway, and the car would sputter almost... like dying. And then eventually die. The car wouldnt start back, just click when i tried to crank it. I would normally think a battery, but the battery is new. I would also think its the alternator, but this happened last week and Advanced Auto said it was perfectly fine, along with my battery after they recharged it. Any idea what it could be? Am i gonna have to bite the bullet at the dealership?

[Q_SHIP]

My money is on the MAF sensor.

But just to be safe, charge your batt. and try running it on a full charge.

[elwesso]

if your christmas lights are on, the alternator is probably going bad....

[Q45tech]

Amazing that everyone thinks MAF failure is common, when it is the least common in the 90-96 Q. Connector corrosion is common eventually but not the MAF itself.

10 times more cars get flatbedded in for fuel pump/FPCU failure..........then comes flooding from new owners not understanding the no=no of cold cranking and moving then shutting off without letting coolant warm up everytime you crank Q.

Every Q will get a new alternator eventually [much earlier if aftermarket sound or lights or electrical mods].............they tend to fail at 10 years or 150k depending..........some last 200k some go at 100k.

Always budget for a new oem alternator when you buy a used car.

[jamesmost]

Amazing that everyone thinks MAF failure is common, when it is the least common in the 90-96 Q. Connector corrosion is common eventually but not the MAF itself.

10 times more cars get flatbedded in for fuel pump/FPCU failure..........then comes flooding from new owners not understanding the no=no of cold cranking and moving then shutting off without letting coolant warm up everytime you crank Q.

Every Q will get a new alternator eventually [much earlier if aftermarket sound or lights or electrical mods].............they tend to fail at 10 years or 150k depending..........some last 200k some go at 100k.

Always budget for a new oem alternator when you buy a used car.

i cant believe it myself but my altinator has 350k on it and still running strong. i keep a spare in my trunk which was a factory rebuild and has 5k on it. what is the labor hrs. on altinator install ??

[q45j30guy]

I would normally think a battery, but the battery is new.

my two cents...all the more reason to consider the battery. It is brand new and you did not have the problem prior. Would lead me to think the battery is defective and won't hold a charge. I would change out the battery first and go from there.

[TrizzyDizzy]

Ok, well the thing is... i just recently bought teh car. Before i bought it though, the dealer put in a new battery for me. I didnt know the previous history.

We did another test today, and i really think its my alternator. After jumpin the car off, we tested the volts in the battery, and watched the just steadily go down. Meaning alternator isnt charging the battery.

My question is now, what would make an alternator work sometimes and not others... i drove the car for a whole week after recharging the battery and until these problems.

[superuber]

MAF causing the battery to go low?I'm going with wes, alternator.Sounds like regulator (inside alt.) that would affect charge.Charge and load test battery to be sure.

[elwesso]

Dont question the details... we know the major problem is the alternator... could be an iffy contact in there or something. I dont really know how alternators are put together... I dont need to know either because Infiniti will rebuild mine.

[q45j30guy]

Well I must concur with the others. sounds like the Alt. Most likely the internal regulator,sounds like it is working Intermittently. I will share this with you. advance auto is not the place to buy the Alt but the tester they use is the best on the market. You said they tested the Alt and it was fine. You may want them to test it one more time when you know the battery is not charging. It is free and may give you added peace of mind to spend the bucks on replacing the Alt.

good luck

[FarFetched]

Interesting thihg alternators. From fleet stand point, we change failed alternators every 2 mnths. why, because T-mount alt on E450 are 130 Amp is not enough. Well with use of wheelchair lift, all the lights and frnt/rear heater blowers+A/C the bus pulls close to 110-120 Amps. Even thoug bus has 2 batteries, alt has hard time maintaining batteries at idle (there is HI idle feature). Common failure is the rear bearing. Heat bulid up and bearing looses its protective cap, gets contaminated and fails!I measured temp of a running (full load) alt it was ~ 180F!P.S Now we are testing 200 amp T-mount alts. We'll see the results!Cheers!

[TrizzyDizzy]

yea, the alternator is definately working intermittently. A old mechanic friend told me that alternators can sometimes work intermittently when they are reaching th end of their life... so maybe thats what it is. Ordered a new alternator... ill keep you guys posted on what happens after.

On the alternator install, is it pretty straight forward? or are there any tricks i gotta worry about? Looks really easy due to its position!

[elwesso]

Looks really easy due to its position!

quoted for the first time ive ever heard that said about the alternator!

[superuber]

Man, I wonder what he would say about a 98 cavalier 2.0L with the alternator on top!I guess we are all just sissys!

[3Q Jay]

well- the alternator IS easy on an FY33.

guess we all get to assuming a post is about a G50--even me until i looked at his profile....

[TrizzyDizzy]

Haha, yea, i shouldve rephrased that wording, lol.

Prior to Q45, ive been a Subaru junkie... and well, everything seems to be a bit harder on those cars than anything else in the world. So ive had worst cars, haha.

Oh yea, totally sorry that i didnt specify which Q45 i had. I thought i did. Well anyways, it is a Y33, latter model 2000.

[elwesso]

I didnt even notice that, i assumed G50 as well...!!!

Y33 alt isnt too bad, maybe a couple hours...

[maxnix]

I didnt know the previous history.

Then get the dealer performed service history by submitting your VIN to your local friendly service writer.

Always best one is obatined before purchase and tehcnician inspection. Helps teh technican to know where to look and helps owner to budget for restorative repairs.

Factory recall on some 97 alternators.

[TrizzyDizzy]

yup, problem fixed! it was definately the alternator, haha.

Thanks for all teh help guys!