2011 Honda Pilot Touring 160 K Miles
Issue: This is my daughter's car and in the past 15 months, she is on her 3rd Alternator.
I want to believe that the Alternators that were installed were in good working order prior to being installed but not sure if there is something else to look at.
My questions:
1 - does this sound crazy?
2 - should we make sure that she is having a brand new vs refurb/rebuilt alternator installed
3 - Is there a possible wiring problem that is maybe causing damage to the alternator
I do know that her mom put one of those TMobile syncup-drive-connected-car devices to the OBD2 connector in the car but that was in there since 2022 and I don't think that's causing the issue but I'm looking for anything that is possible.
Do you nice folks have some suggestions on what I should look for or what I should tell my mechanic to look into with this now recurring issue with killing alternators.
This most recent Alternator lasted about 5 months and the 1 before it lasted about 13 months.
Thank you forum peeps for your review and consideration.
-John
What kind of alternators are you installing? OEM? Parts store refurbs?
in the past 15 months, she is on her 3rd Alternator.
Have you been using OEM alternators? Aftermarket parts are extremely likely to fail. If you have been using OEM parts then you probably have a drain somewhere. You'll have to do some electrical diagnostics.
Are you sure it's the alternators that are failing? What are the actual symptoms you experienced?
if you have a bad battery (worn out, dead cells, etc.) or if you have a parasitic drain that's constantly discharging the battery, that will stress the alternator.
2 - should we make sure that she is having a brand new vs refurb/rebuilt alternator installed
I would
Is there a possible wiring problem that is maybe causing damage to the alternator
Not likely, but if the fusible link is blown, then the alternator won't be able to power anything.
her mom put one of those TMobile syncup-drive-connected-car devices to the OBD2 connector in the car
Scotty always warns against leaving anything plugged into the OBD connector. It is meant for diagnosing problems only.
Another possibility is an ECM problem. Unlike older vehicles whose alternators had an internal voltage regulator or an dedicated external regulator, modern cars use the ECM to control alternator output. When those alternators appeared to fail were they tested to see if they were actually bad?
Thank you all for your feedback.
Going to the original mechanic who replaced the last one to ask for some sort of return of money for something that only lasted a few months.
-I expect that to go poorly but what they hey. This is my daughter's/her mom's mechanic and not mine so not sure how this will play out.
@kerfaffle take it to an auto parts store and have them test the battery. It's free.