Hi.

My alternator just died at 92k miles. I had the car towed, as I didn't think I'd make the 24-mile drive to the shop on battery alone.

Anyway, they replaced the alternator, and when they started the engine, transmission fluid started leaking from the trans. cooler portion of the radiator/trans. cooler/condenser. It wasn't leaking when the car left my possession. I asked if they damaged it when the removed the cooling fans to R&R the alternator, but they insist they did not.

Anyway, I was just curious what kind of life span you guys are seeing with alternators and radiators/trans. coolers/condensers.

2013 G37x with 92k miles

Thanks!

 

2008 G37S, going on 14 years with the original OEM alternator. Even 1300 watts in the trunk hasn't killed it yet. (knock on wood)

 

What was the physical condition of the old unit? Was there any signs of fluid "leaking" onto it? Also, what led you to believe the alternator "died?"

Alternator's are generally pretty robust and are designed to last many years and tens/ hundreds of thousands of miles. But, they are not invincible and they do fail.

My 2008 just clicked 115k miles-no issues. My 1999 Ford beater pickup lasted 18 years and 230k miles.

As for the trans cooler, I do not believe in coincidences. I'd be willing the bet the mechanic broke something (likely accidentally or unknowingly). Proving that, though...

 

The alternator looked fine. It didn't look as if any oil or coolant had leaked onto it. According to the shop, it was putting out 7 V under load. Also, the battery and brake warning lights were illuminated, and it was pretty clear to me that the car was running on battery alone. For example, the power windows were very slow to operate.

The trans. cooler was definitely not leaking before I had the car towed to the shop. I was looking around the engine bay with a flashlight, looking at fuses, fusible links, battery connections, etc. I would have noticed.

Now, there is one thing I forgot to mention. A couple of weeks ago I was at my in-laws, and the car was baking out in the hot sun, so I figured I'd roll the windows down to cool down the interior. I used the key fob from inside the house (by pressing and holding the unlock button). Anyway, hours later, it was looking like rain, so I went to the car and put the ignition to "on" (I did not start the engine) so I could roll up the windows. Afterwards, I either forgot to press the start button to shut things down, or I was too hasty and it didn't take. Anyway, I ran the battery all the way down. I jumped the battery from my in-laws '06 Range Rover Sport. I guess something could have happened during the jump that damaged some component of the charging system. Land Rover isn't know for robust electrical systems.

 

British vehicles and electrics don't often play well together. Same goes for the Italian jobs as well. Another topic for another day...

It likely was just a bad combination of events that caused the alternator to fail.

​​​​Good luck getting the other issue resolved!

 

Since the potential battery drain, how long did you drive the car since that event? A number of short trips and long sitting periods won’t fully charge the battery.

 

it was driven 160 miles home from my in-laws. Couple weeks later, the brake and battery warning lights came on, and the battery started to discharge.

 

Mine died at 150k, due to oil getting inside of it. Changing it now...