So my Indy (and me) initially believe (he did not test anything yet) I may need a new alternator. Car was running perfect thru yesterday, did about 100 miles on the highway over the w/e from the beautiful NJ shore and did a few short trips Mon/Tues- no problems. Yesterday I pulled it out and gave it a good wash,( foam cannon gun with, regular house hose, not pressure) and then blow dry with my leaf blower.

Right after, I pulled out onto the road and got a battery-alternator light and check engine light come on, but I continued to store about 3 miles away anyway. Came out and the battery was dead. Called friend to come jump start me and drove for about a mile when all sorts of dash lights start flashing and engine dies. Jumped it again, and rinse and repeat until I got it home. Put my battery tender/trickle charger on it overnight and started it without a jump this morning but still check engine light came on but was able to make to my Indy about 2 miles away without engine cutting out (whew).

Before I left I checked the volts (car off) and read 12.6Volts on old battery, then started the car and checked while running and still at 12.6 volts, so I am thinking could be Alternator, my Indy wants to do a full diagnosis. I don't have an OBD diagnostic tool BTW.
.
Q1: Indy says that new Bosch OEM alternator about $2,100; rebuilt one about half that ($1K). So with new battery , rebuilt Bosch Alternator and install about $2,200 ( good/bad/avg??). When I checked with Porsche dealership re Part, over the phone they quoted me about $2,100 for a rebuilt Bosch (WTF) ??. Looking online I see prices for rebuilt Boschs from $375; $475 -$1300+ -- so all over the place - sheesh??. Can anyone shed some light or had experience with this, and also number of labor hours and difficulty of the replacement?

Q2: My car is a 2005 C2 3.6 coupe with 51,000 miles, original owner, and I had the alternator cable replaced some years back. My concern/paranoia is that as I was washing/drying the car some water got in some place and shorted something (Alternator?) out. I thought I smelled an electrical sweet burning smell as I was hand drying (or was my imagination??). Is this just one of those coincidences to play tricks on my mind and the Alt just crapped out after 18+ years, assuming that is what it is ? Note I never spray directly into the rear lid vents, but I do spray them.

 

If not charging could just be diode pack, (if bearings ok then might not need a new alternator at all)

 

The labor it takes to replace the 3.6L alternator is about 2 hours, so $300 labor for a good indy. Sometimes it needs the coolant jacket removed and that adds to the cost. You can take the alternator out and have it rebuilt by a auto electrician for $400. So the least expensive option is probably $750.

Of course, this job by the dealer is $2500.

 

See what FCP Euro sells one for. Don't think it's anywhere near $1,000 and will be guaranteed forever.but my frame of reference is for a .1 car from when I had my short issue last year where I replaced starters and alternators a couple times during the process. I was getting that same generator warning prior but was also reading 13.5 or 13.6 v with the engine running. The alternator needs a 12v signal on the little wire that plugs into the back to initiate charging.

Maybe you got some water in that connection. It's the connection where one side of the plug is rounded and the other flat. Not sure how easy it is to reach but I'd start there.

 

I went with a refurbished Bosche. No issues after 4 yrs

 

Thanks for the replies so far, waiting to see what my Indy says today. Is it relatively common for the Porsche alternator to crap out after 18 years/ 51k miles?

 

Check out RockAuto...

2006 PORSCHE 911 3.6L H6 Alternator / Generator | RockAuto

$200-300 for a reman or new bosch unit.

Job is 3-4hr job.
Porsche 911 Carrera Alternator Replacement - 996 (1998-2005) - 997 (2005-2012) - Pelican Parts Technical Article


Replace a serpentine belt as well.

 

Regarding quality and pricing - it's all about buying power, more expensive does not always equate better quality in this segment. I 've dealt many alternator and starter shops for years, they do range - but components for rebuilding these days all come from China, bosch shifted alot of the production there. Haven't seen much of a quality drop yet.

Regarding how long should an alternator last - usually the life a car (about 200k miles) but there are too many variables and as always Paretos rule...

 

If everything going into and out of the alternator checks out, my experience over the decades with Bosch in my cars and helping others is:

- non-Bosch branded do not perform or fit as well, if at all
- Voltage regulator will fail first and it is usually a brush that has worn out. replacing it always worked. If both brushes wore down almost equally, then solder in two new ones and reinstall. If one is markedly shorter, then its slip ring on the rotor needs to be resurfaced with very fine sandpaper to eliminate the roughness causing the high wear rate on the brush
- Diodes are the next most frequent failure. Replace all three even if it is just one that failed
- Bearings are next.
- If you have to open the alternator to replace the diodes, then consider a full rebuild, brushes, slipring resurface, diodes and bearings.

Rebuild is a good way to go if you have the time. I have found a number of decent rebuild videos on Youtube. Otherwise, buy a Bosch from a reputable parts store

 

+1 on rebuild. I pulled mine and took it to a local automotive electric shop. In 24 hours they rebuilt to to look and perform like brand new for less cost and with no risk of it not being the correct fit.

 

Sporty,
In case you're looking for a rebuild, I used a shop in Chatham around 2010 with good results and they're still around.
No affiliation, but I had a good experience.
Hope this helps,
Bill

 

Thanks Bill. Is the name of the shop's initials "PM"?

 

Sporty, I just checked. The shop was JC Starters on Commerce St., but it looks like they might have closed.
It was a cool spot. The one guy wore an old school tan shop jacket and had a heavy German accent.
I know they did rebuilds for all sorts of makes.

Sorry about that,
Bill

 

Bill - yes there was a guy there as well that was my Indy "The P----M-----" (not Geno who moved his shop to Peapack?), but he since moved to Summit - I was loyal to him for a number of years, but then when I had a trial and error type situation he kept missing the mark and charging me through the nose, so I dumped him. (see an old post of mine -" I just broke up with my Indy" if so inclined) . Also, the famous Paterek bros are on that road (Commerce) as well who specialize/restore mostly older Porsches, but they go all out to preserve original paint etc. That street was pretty cool at one time for the talent that was there.

Anyway, my Indy (Dion - Drive Auto Works in Mountainside) who I trust for now is putting in a new Bosch unit and it will cost me more, but I just have to suck it up for now. Maybe after I retire in the next year, I will have more time and patience to wrench myself

 

I did follow your "Indie" post, but didn't realize it was so close to home.

Sounds like you're in good shape going with a new Bosch unit.
And you should definitely look forward to some wrenching in the near future.
It's nice to have the time to work on a project when you don't have to worry
about getting a job done within a specific time slot