Alternator replacement?

Posted by Imperialdude94@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 7 comments

Hey, have a problem. My car (2015 Chevy Trax) alternator is likely going bad. Whenever I go above 4k RPM, my red battery light flicks on. Go back down, it goes away. I drove about 1,000 miles this past weekend for work and noticed it then. (Headlights dimming above 4k, and then the battery light)

I got the battery replaced (which wasn’t the problem but it was old anyways) but the problem persisted, so I’m inclined to say it’s the alternator. Unfortunately, my job is in the mountains, and about 50ish miles from a mechanic. I’ve driven into town with this once (dumb I know) with no issue. Realistically I’ll be able to take it into town next Tuesday ish, but then, will it start? And if it does, am I going to lose all my power and end up going into a tree? Thanks guys.

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twelfthfantasy@reddit

Take it slow and it should be fine. If it does go out completely, well, hopefully the drive to town is downhill

Imperialdude94@reddit (OP)

Yeah I’ve not been taking it fast at all. I really can’t either because my drive is through passes.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but if the red battery light isn’t on, the battery should be charging normally, so it SHOULDN’T die on me mid drive?

That's correct, but as I like to say, I've never had a great relationship with the word "should".

So I guess that you're somewhere steep enough that it has to rev that high during normal driving, not just when you're accelerating? That's a bummer.

No, thankfully my drive is not steep. Ideally the problem will persist and not worsen, I think I should really be able to make it in to town at that point. I do not have to drive it at all until then.

If the next place you're driving it is the shop, then don't worry about it. It's not going to get worse just sitting there.

Thank you, I really appreciate it.

cormack_gv@reddit

That's a bit weird but could be brushes on the alternator. If you're DIY inclined, it isn't hard to replace brushes. Amazon probably has a suitable set. Otherwise, new alternator.