nodoors

I have no conclusion to offer tonight, but more story to share. Hopefully this info will be interesting or helpful to someone.

I got home and the battery waiting for me was manufactured in Jan of 2017. I immediately took it the store to exchange as most here probably would have done the same. To make a long story short my best option (between three stores) in a time crunch was an H8 AGM manufactured 2/2018. I got it home and rushed to install skipping my normal testing of pre-install voltage. The assumption was that it would be fully charged being only a month old. On first start I got a new suspension warning and checked the voltage to find that the alternator was still not charging. OBD2 computer at idle read 11.2v - doh! I shut the car off and the resting voltage of this battery is at 12.33v. LOL. It looks like despite my best efforts I got at best a mediocre or undercharged battery. I put it on the charger, but will see what happens in the morning.

Apparently asking for a newly manufactured, charged, H9 AGM battery is a tall order these days. No wonder some dealers can get away with $850 for a battery swap!

The suspense is still strong on if I soon need to be ordering a hitachi alternator and the associated bits and pieces for the conversion. Will see what happens after a night on the charger, but I may be taking another battery back in the next couple days. I am fortunate that I can swap some vehicles out between garages and not stress about it being down for a week or two. Let it be noted again that having other cars and some patience is a must if you intend to happily own a 10+ year old CTT.

Petza914

I bought the H9 AGM I put into my 957 TTS from Napa. If you didn't try them as one of the 3 stores, maybe they have a fresher, better battery to contribute to the story.

Travis

Our CS did the, 'it's charging, it's not charging, it's charging, it's not charging' for about 3 days straight. Battery was previously replaced so I was pretty sure it was the alternator, especially since it was the original at 13 years and 185K miles.

Picked up the new alternator along with the new fittings from Sonnen. This solved the charging issue once and for all. Get ready for a fun time! (not)

nodoors

Thanks, Travis. Yeah, there was a glimmer of hope when it started that one time and was charging, LOL. I got a full charge in the new battery... no joy.
I am putting together my parts list and will be joining the club soon. While I am in there dismantling a bunch of stuff I am going to replace numerous o-rings, the belt, water pump, etc. Might as well freshen up some old rubber parts and make it worth my while.

ProgRockJunkie

Guys, I'm not a big believer in replacing things that are working before they're not, but given I'm driving an '06 with 120k and have every intention of keeping her indefinitely, and sounds like an ugly failure to have randomly, what's the group think on replacing the alternative proactively? It's easily in the maintenance budget, costing me less per annum so far than expected.

I honestly would have thought an alternator failure would be a non-event until you turn off the ignition somewhere, but it sounds like something that can leave you stranded?

nodoors

I will let you know once I have completed the project. I am waiting for it to arrive. I saw somewhere that the manual quotes 12 hours for the labor. Depending on the health of your battery and if you are quick to turn off all unnecessary systems you are going to be able to drive the vehicle for somewhere between 20 - 60 minutes before the car is a 5,500lbs brick. I am sure others will chime in on an alternator R/R as preventative maintenance at 120k miles. It depends on your risk tolerance, I suppose.

deilenberger

Interestingly enough (perhaps - or perhaps it's not interesting..) - the current draw on your alternator directly relates to brush wear (the most common age-related failure).. more current = more wear. If you have a heavily optioned Cayenne, use your heated seats, heated steering wheel, stereo at 11, you draw more current and failure will be sooner. As they say - nothing lasts forever - and 120,000 miles on an alternator doesn't sound that awful to me except for (1) the price of a new one (2) the labor involved installing it.

Unlike icspres - I'm a big believer in "while I'm in the area" sort of maintenance items. We know a water pump doesn't last forever. Porsche ones seem to be long lasting - but at 120,000 miles it owes you exactly nothing. Ditto on any idlers for the serpentine belt - and the belt itself. It's worth looking over the plastic pulleys while it's apart. Pretty much maximizes your labor value to do them all while you're doing the alternator. As nodoors said - depends on your risk tolerance. If it's a car your significant other drives regularly alone - that should change that equation and greatly lower your risk tolerance. If it's just you, and your're a thrifty individual who doesn't mind being towed every so often - that's the other end of the risk tolerance scale.

There is stuff I should have had the dealer do while my engine was out of my '11 turbo.. I had them do the water pump (no charge for labor since it was sticking out right there..) and the serpentine belt. I didn't have the thermostat housing replaced with the new bolted pipe one, and I didn't have them JBWeld the fitting on the rear crossover cooling manifold - the glued in one that comes unglued. Should have - would have added about $1,000 to the job, but priceless in peace of mind when I'm doing something like crossing the Mohave desert mid summer. It's also nice to do this sort of work when you're not rushed to complete the job, in your garage with all your tools handy, and something cold to drink. No fun doing it while on vacation 3,000 miles from home.

nodoors

^^^ Spot on as usual, Don. "While you are in there" (WYAIT) is just what smart people do. I will post the list of all things I replace in the process of saving myself time since I am doing the labor. It makes it a no brainer to throw an extra thousand dollars worth of stuff in there if it means I (hopefully) don't have to mess with any of it for another several years. Both idler pulleys and the tensioner/roller are indeed on the list as well. I post up the full parts list and more thoughts as the project unfolds. It can be a pain finding all these things, so hopefully a little extra time spent will help someone else do it right when their time comes visit this and they really want to maximize their effort on keeping things fresh.

dpatel710

reachme

What a great idea!
I'm adding that to the list

nodoors

Thanks. It is easy piece of mind if you have no intention of using them. Mine were getting a little ratty looking and starting to date the car, so they certainly weren't contributing to the appearance.

I have spent a little time on it and should have much more done after this weekend. The process is going to take a little longer than expected because there are a few more parts I need before I can put it all back together. I will have a long list of part numbers soon for those following in my wake.

ProgRockJunkie

I don't know where you got this impression, but we're of the same mind. I picked up a 2001 911 back about 18 months ago, and while in doing the IMS bearing did the water pump, oil/air separator, main seal, plugs, coils, all kinds of stuff. Car runs beautifully now, like new.

I do a lot of preventive maintenance on my pig, always considering what I should be doing. That's why I asked with no indication my alternator is bad whether I should be looking at it as preventative. And I guarantee if I'm paying for that much labor (not a diy guy, I'll be looking carefully back at your laundry list of good-to-do while in there. When you intend on keeping a car, it's only common sense.

deilenberger

You said:
Can't imagine how I got that idea..

ProgRockJunkie

Lol, fair enough. But not exactly the same thing. His alternator is in fact currently broken. And we're talking about while we are in there. I completely stand by my assertion that I'm not looking forward to doing work on things that aren't broken. That being said, if there is an accessory that I can absolutely expect to die sometime in the next twenty thousand miles, and at hundred and twenty thousand miles currently that could be a list, if one or more could leave me stranded on the side of the road I would consider proactively replacing.

nodoors

I have a long list of part numbers and sources. I will post them up soon. I have dismantled quite a bit as the alternator replacement snowballed into one large "while you are in there" project. Things on the list so far: belt, water pump, idlers, tensioner and strut, throttle body, intake Y-pipe, MAF's, all seals in the intake system, battery, alternator, associated hitachi alternator upgraded fittings, diverter valves, some hoses and vacuum lines here and there, thoroughly degrease and clean radiator/intercoolers/etc., and now I am debating some other upgrades while it is all apart... thinking about a methanol or nitrous install while it is easy to do. I have all the N2O pieces necessary for a very safe wet setup from a previous car I sold just itching to go on something. It might be this one. Has anyone played with the squeeze on these things yet to see how much of an effect a little 75 or 100 shot with a progressive controller would have? I am quite tempted right now.

A couple of notes:

1. The belt tensioner needs a 32mm socket which many may not have or may not realize. This happens to be a common size for motorcycle toolkits and cars for the axle nuts.
2. I absolutely hate dealing with the fender liners. Whoever was involved in the design, implementation, testing, etc. of these at VAG should quit and just sell hot dogs or something. I have seen others post about wrestling and cussing with them. I seem to get less patient and more frustrated each time I deal with them. If anyone has any tips for removal or installation I would gladly accept to feel less like a monkey grunting and punching at a piece of crappy plastic.