alternator gone on my 04 twin turbo

[bryan333]

Well I searched through the whole site and could find very little on alternators so here it goes. Driving home last week and got a Electrical load switch off sign on the dash. Ten minutes later various things starting shuting down until eventually the truck did too. Had it towed to porsche to get it looked at, called the next day and they told me that it was just the battery. Okay they put in the new battery at a cost of $300.00 and told me it was ready. Picked it up and didnt even get out of the parking lot when the same light came on again. Went back and showed them the light and they hooked it up to see what the alternator was putting out. It was only putting out 11.7 volts with engine idling with everything turned off. Now they said it was the alternator. Okay its been in the shop for the last few days and the price they are quoting me is $2200. parts and labor. That seems very high even though they tell me they have to retrofit the new alternator (water lines) because they have changed the design somewhat. They also say they have never seen one go bad, They are blaming it on the fact that the truck has had over $30 k in techart mods and is putting out in their estimate around 620 hp. It has been running fine for the past 2 years since having the work done. What I would like to know is has anyone had similar problem and does the price seem out of line. My truck has 60k on odometer Thanks in advance

[wvicary]

I have never seen a cayenne alternator fail yet but it's going to happen. There was TSB for the power cable from the alt to the battery that would cause charging issue, I would check this first. From my understanding you need to drop the engine to replace the alt but if it has failed I would look into getting it rebuilt.

[RFM]

It takes some time to get the water cooled alternator out of the car, especially Turbo, the engine can stay in place but there are lots of parts to remove. I replaced two alternators with noise problems ( too much lateral play on the rotor ) never with power problems, as wvicary suggest.

[bryan333]

It takes some time to get the water cooled alternator out of the car, especially Turbo, the engine can stay in place but there are lots of parts to remove. I replaced two alternators with noise problems ( too much lateral play on the rotor ) never with power problems, as wvicary suggest.

Well thanks for the input guys but it seems to me if you guys have never seen one go bad and they havent either, they should do more than hook up a 25 dollar volt meter and in 30 seconds tell me my alternator is bad. There must be a couple other things to look at in addition to the cable you mentioned that they didnt even look at either! Not to mention they allready replaced my battery which I have allready had replaced once since the car was new. Also when it was in for the first repair I had them fix the famous rear glass switch which they charged me $120 for! ! Have a feeling that it isnt the alternator and then what?? Have to wait and see I guess. Okay heres another strange question for you guys.. On top of the intake, when I had all the mods done they installed two blow off valves with heavy duty adjustable springs. The guys at the dealership had a real laugh session over this as they asked if I knew I had a Porsche and not a Toyota!! Anyway I never paid it any mind but just curious to know if you had ever come across this mod and if so or if not what purpose would it serve. Also what would be the result if the valves were adjusted one way or the other?? Ill tell you the mods to the engine included: changing out intercoolers, exhaust manifolds, complete exhaust, stock intakes with k&n filters, chip, and the blow off valves..Thanks again in advance, it is nice to have such knowlegable people to get advice from!!

[wvicary]

If you're not confident in the garage then get a second or third opinion. Just because I have never seen a Cayenne alternator fail doesn't mean it couldn't happen. As for the mods in question I never recommend such things and therefor won't comment. Hope you get it sorted soon and back to enjoying your vehicle.

[bryan333]

If you're not confident in the garage then get a second or third opinion. Just because I have never seen a Cayenne alternator fail doesn't mean it couldn't happen. As for the mods in question I never recommend such things and therefor won't comment. Hope you get it sorted soon and back to enjoying your vehicle.

I dont understand why u dont recomend and you wont comment??This truck has been a daily driver for the past 40k with these mods in addition to 8 piston brembos with 15 inch two piece rotors, four piston in the rear, techart 22 formula rims and various body panels. This truck up till now has been 100 percent reliable and still posting 17 miles per gallon. The truck runs better than my sl600 twin turbo ever thought of.. The truck is living proof that the mods are not bad.. Why the sour post? Just wondering

[wvicary]

Didn't mean to come across as sour. I'm not into mods and never recommend them thats all. I think a lot of junk science goes into most of these mods and most of it is just marketing scams. Just my opinion.... you throw the dice and take your chances.

[bryan333]

If you're not confident in the garage then get a second or third opinion. Just because I have never seen a Cayenne alternator fail doesn't mean it couldn't happen. As for the mods in question I never recommend such things and therefor won't comment. Hope you get it sorted soon and back to enjoying your vehicle.

Well, got the car back last week and my wallet is much thinner now! $3000.00 to be exact.. But I want to say something that might help a lot of people out there with little electrical problems. I had some minor gliches with various electrical components on the truck such as: When playing a cd, cd would skip all the time. When turning up volume, volume would get lower before going higher. Got air suspension warning light on dash maybe about once a week, usually when raining. Headlights very dim, tailights too. Gas mileage went from a solid 17 ave. to now at 13, which is more in line with what it is suppose to get. Much more power from the engine, and much smoother too.When I raise and lower the suspension, it is much faster than before. I have had these symptoms for close to two years and now everything is perfectly fine. Could it be the alternator was putting out thw wrong voltage all this time and screwing up my electronics?? Dont know but was amazed to see all those problems go away. Also my wipers when in rain sensing mode would never work right, always too slow to clean the windsheild. Now they work perfect.. Well maybe this will help someone else who has had similar problems to mine as these alternators rarely are replaced..

[Bill_SoCal]

Didn't mean to come across as sour. I'm not into mods and never recommend them thats all. I think a lot of junk science goes into most of these mods and most of it is just marketing scams. Just my opinion.... you throw the dice and take your chances.

wvicary,

Couldn't be better stated in my opinion...

[RFM]

Electrical disturbances, alternator and/or bad battery's can give odd things on cars, Cayenne's in particular.

[wvicary]

Glad you got it sorted. Was the replacement alternator a Porsche part or a exchange unit from somebody else?

[bryan333]

Glad you got it sorted. Was the replacement alternator a Porsche part or a exchange unit from somebody else?

It was a genuine part, slightly modified from what they told me. They changed something with the water cooling on the alternator. Needed to change the fittings out. Thanks for the advice :) Also just found out my warranty will pay $1500 of the repair so im happy about that!!

[AGarcia03]

06 Porsche Cayenne V6 3.2

 

Hello Im having voltage drop and from my test looks like the alternator isn't doing its job. Its a hitachi alternator water cooled was wondering if the regulator can be changed on these or not. I was also wondering if you could possible pull of the back of the alternator without taking off the pulleys and taking out the alternator. There is some access back there but not much,didn't know if it was possible. would anything else cause the voltage to drop and stall on a idle? i have a brand new battery and was doing voltage drop before the new one its acting better then before but still has the drop and now stalls from time to time at a idle stance. 
 

Edited June 6, 2017 by AGarcia03

[lewisweller]

15 hours ago, AGarcia03 said:

06 Porsche Cayenne V6 3.2

 

Hello Im having voltage drop and from my test looks like the alternator isn't doing its job. Its a hitachi alternator water cooled was wondering if the regulator can be changed on these or not. I was also wondering if you could possible pull of the back of the alternator without taking off the pulleys and taking out the alternator. There is some access back there but not much,didn't know if it was possible. would anything else cause the voltage to drop and stall on a idle? i have a brand new battery and was doing voltage drop before the new one its acting better then before but still has the drop and now stalls from time to time at a idle stance. 
 

From my experience on the 06 v8 ctt the Hitachi and other brands seen on the cayenne all have the regulator soldered in and they are also hard to find and buy.

Also from my own opinion and experience with the alternator it is not wise to try and save money on a repair, as it's labour intensive to replace this doesn't make sense not to just replace with a genuine Hitachi new unit and have that peace of mind. Found mine via eBay seller, be careful it is not REMAN (remanufactured) or another brand they are total junk. Cost me £595.  

I did mine twice and never want to do it again total nightmare job.