Stalled at Intersection.. Probably the Alternator..

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Fraya713

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2002 Mazda Protege5
So today my car decided to stall in the middle of Seattle's downtown intersection.. ******* sucked.
Car wouldn't turn over, completely dead - obviously electrical.

I'm assuming the alternator is bad, possibly battery, but doubtful. My question is, is there an "alternator upgrade" or a "beefier version" or is it one size fits all? Anyone recommended brands/part?

If I'm planning on putting some sort of sound system in this as well, what is recommended for a alternator/battery combination that works well and I don't have to worry about power issues for a while?

Thanks for the input all... today sucked
 
Was there some kind of warning before it went dead?

In my experience there are some symptoms that lead up to the bad alternator. Lights and stereo fade for a couple minutes before, AC cuts off as the car starts cutting off the non-vitals to try to keep itself running. If it was a flat out knocked dead scenario it may not have been the alternator. My 03 has 195k on it and I've replaced the alternator once with one I bought from Rock Auto for $122 after core. The same alternator is $107 after core now.

I guess getting these things rebuilt has fallen by the wayside. My first car had the alternator go out and I had it rebuilt for $60. Can't find anywhere in Austin that will do that anymore.
 
Check your battery terminals,... replacing the 'lugs' on the battery wires can be a good idea. (those stupid little 'straps' are pretty crappy,... especially when they corrode at the wire/lug connection point.)

Look into the "Big Three" upgrade,... it can really help with the stereo.

Our alternator is controlled by the ECU so a high output Alt. is a bit tricky,...

Some info:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123828929-High-Output-Alternator-worth-it

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123825449-Alternator-2nd-Battery-Big-3-Upgrade





P.S. ,... Here's how to search this site for specific info, using Google,...

"high output alternator"site:mazdas247.com
 
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Yes, the radio kept rebooting, lost power in my drive. I noticed warning lights (check airbag and e brake light would flip on randomly)
First time I used the air conditioning this summer and I think that's what did me in..
 
Check your voltage across the battery terminals. It should be 12 V or so with the engine off. It should jump up to at least 13 V with the engine running.

If your voltage doesn't increase with a running engine, your alternator isn't putting out power.
 
Thanks Chevelles240

I had replaced the coils and lines when I first bought the car, about two years now. They should last longer than that shouldn't they?

My car died suddenly, and I couldn't get it to turn over once it happened. Stuck in the middle of the intersection..
 
i would swing the battery and alternator by an autozone or other parts store with sufficient testers and have them test both. i know it is expensive but it is worth buying a new battery when you get a new alternator especially in your situation as it sounds like it completely drained battery and thats not good especially as summer heat comes in. but according to your description of what happened it really sounds like your alternator is shot, get a lifetime arranty one if you end up needing a new one
 
kms1990 said:
i would swing the battery and alternator by an autozone or other parts store with sufficient testers and have them test both. i know it is expensive but it is worth buying a new battery when you get a new alternator especially in your situation as it sounds like it completely drained battery and thats not good especially as summer heat comes in. but according to your description of what happened it really sounds like your alternator is shot, get a lifetime arranty one if you end up needing a new one
Click to expand...
Thanks, and yep that's basically what I'm doing. Had AAA tow it to my mechanic and sort through the mess there.
With all the problems I've had with this car, I'm at the point of wanting to trade it in, but I'm already too invested so now I've made it a rule to replace whatever breaks with something that is an upgrade/obviously better so it will last. Hoping to have this car hit 300k before I'm done with it..

I'll probably decide to replace the alternator, battery and "big 3" lines - just need to figure out which parts to get..

Looks like this is what was suggested for the big 3 lines:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

Now have to figure out what kind of battery I should get and a good alternator that both will work with a future sound system i'd want to put in.
 
Looks like the Alternator was fine, pushing out 16v - was a bad battery. I guess it could be worse.
 
Fraya713 said:
Looks like the Alternator was fine, pushing out 16v - was a bad battery. I guess it could be worse.
Click to expand...
16V seems a bit on the high side, I don't recall ever measuring a voltage that high on our P5. Was that with the alternator in the car or on a test stand?

My parents once had a car where the alternator put out too high a voltage and the only "symptom" was that it killed batteries.
 
pasadena_commut said:
16V seems a bit on the high side, I don't recall ever measuring a voltage that high on our P5. Was that with the alternator in the car or on a test stand?
Click to expand...
.

I'm thinkin the ECU, (which controls the Alt.) was tellin the Alt. to go full field in an attempt to compensate for the dead battery.

Can you test the Batt. voltage for us after the new battery is installed,... (I'm curious)
 
take it by a parts store and have the alternator retested now that it has a good battery. this will point out if the voltage regulator might be out or if it maybe is the ecu foricing it to run over 14-14.5ish volts
 
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