i think i am having altenator problems. First all the dash lights came on then the car died on me. Got a jump and car ran fine for about an hour, then it all happened again. Had to replace the power steering about three months ago because of a leak. altenator is covered in ps fluid and i hear its a really bad thing for that to happen. can someone give me any advise. i am little scared because of all of the problems that i hear of after the replacement of the alternator in these cars. anyone have any good stories about altenator replacement. Please hellppp!!!!

 

I haven't heard any bad things happening after replacing the alternator. I have suffered the same exact thing you have described above. After replacing my alternator I have not had any problems. I tried replacing the brushes in the alternator before chucking it out but I was not satisfied with it. I ended up just replacing it with an after market one. I am happy with the results and she is back on the road running strong. Keep us posted.

 

sounds like ur PS is leaking...hope these links help. http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/steering/

 

If you had the power steering leak fixed and you are now changing out the alternator,, no worries. I had the same thing happen to me. PS leak into the alternator,, car died,, fixed the leak, changed the alternator and she is running strong as ever. Not had a problem since, but I think my Power steering hose is leaking now,,,sigh.

 

Your problem is probably not the pump but more likely the reservoir O ring. It's very common and a $2 fix. Stripping the alternator and cleaning it will possibly get you going again.

 

i have heard that some after market alternators are strong enough for my car and that it can really screw things up. where did you buy yours. heard bad things about autozone. do you think it would be ok to have it rebuilt or should i just buy a new one

 

Stick with OEM reman or a Denso reman. Some non-OEM sourced ones are OK - I have a AC Delco reman that's working great.

 

my husband just told me that autozone checked it out and they say it passes the test. but the man at autozone says that their machine only tests for a certain amount of voltage and if my car requires more than that then it still could be the problem.

 

Based on what I have been reading on yor situation,, the fact that you have told us that you alternator was covered in Power steering fluid, and with the symptoms you described,, you alternator is not dead YET, but is quickly declining. Best to just go ahead and replace it.
OEM or Denso remanufactured alternators are fine to use. I have a reman Denso in my 92, replaced it a little over a year ago along with a battery ,which was beyond dead, have not had a problem since.

 

it was in fact the alternator all the brushes were burned up. had it fixed and the car runs like new again. thanks for the help

 

make sure you dont have any more PS fluid dripping on it.

 

what if your brake light starts to turn on? is that a sign of weak alternator

 

probably more like your brake fluid is low. which means you probably need brake pads.

 

oh ok thanks man......

 

we had already fixed the ps leak a few months back.