Hello, I drive a '97 Maxima. Yesterday while in Walmart my car died on me. When I initially tried to start the car I thought it was the starter, after sometime I tried again and the entire car was dead. The battery was replaced (brand new) about a two months ago. I did my research on forums and have come to the conclusion it's my alternator. NOW, there's been this mechanic working on my car so far and he's trying to convince me my thermostat is bad, thus why my alternator went. Is it just me or does this sound like complete idiotic bull****??

I may be a female, but I'm far from naive. Can someone please tell me if there is any truth to this guys statement? Am I wrong?

P.S There has been NO temperature control issues with the vehicle to give off the impression of a bad thermostat

 

The thermostat housing sits above the alternator, so he might have meant it has been leaking coolant down into the alternator. I don't know for sure that coolant would cause the alternator to fail, but it makes sense that it would.

 

2nd opinions may help you decide whether or not you need a new mechanic.

Did the brake and battery lights on the instrument cluster come on?
Verify that they do indeed work too. Check that they light up when the key is turned to the ON position.

Have the system(s) checked by another mechanic. If your not loosing coolant (leaking) and don't have an overheating issue then I can't see why you would need a new t-stat.

 

While it's possible for a leaking thermostat to short out the alternator, it's not that likely. An awful lot of people have had water pumps leak, thermostats leak and it didn't phase the alternator. Alternators are designed to work while wet. Every time you drive in the rain, the alternator is getting a bath and still charges. A common response is that the car's coolant has antifreeze in it. My response is "Yes it does. So what?" If the alternator stops working (i.e., stops charging the battery), you would get maybe an hour of driving before the battery is discharged, less if headlights are on, stuff like that.

So how did the car end up at the mechanic's? Did you get the car jumped or was it towed? If you can get the car running, the voltage should be measured. A battery produces 12 volts when charged up. The alternator has to produce about 14 volts to charge the battery, so this is one way to tell if the alternator is working.

The battery should be tested. Even though it is fairly new, it could have gone bad and that's why the car won't start. There may be nothing wrong with the alternator.

It is up to the mechanic or whoever works on your car to know all this and test things accordingly.

 

The "mechanic" just so happens to be a family friend. When I got stuck, he came to me along with my father who just so happens to be a a mechanic who worked in an actual shop (Sears 12yrs). After doing alot of back and forth with the scenario, My father jumped me in hopes I could make it back to town. (I got stick on the highway, less than 10min later). That showed the battery is indeed fine, is just not being charged. Also, there is no leaking coming from my car. I honestly can't recall if the battery light came on or not. I don't recall seeing anything unfamiliar. My father ended up calling a tow truck and it was towed home

 

If your car died 10 mins later, your alternator is probably dead. Replace it and fix the thermostat leak, if it actually leaks.

 

That's my main reason in questioning his logic. The thermo is not leaking. He claims the fluid isn't flowing correctly through the tubes but if it wasn't, the car would be over or under heating. It does neither, the temp runs perfectly fun.

 

That guy is obviously no mechanic and not have him touch the thermostat. Just have him replace the alternator and touch nothing else. Only leaking oil from front valve cover usually kills the alternators prematurely.

 

Your mechanic wants to take you for a ride
To check the alternator you need a voltage meter
When engine is not working, battery at full charge will be 12.75 volts
(unless battery is discharged or bad)
and when you start the engine, the alternator voltage (with the lights on, must keep a reading 13.75 to 14.00 volts DC)
The thermostat has nothing to do with the problem
Perhaps, you should look for another mechanic

 

Thanks for all your answers. His logic was that the car was over heating, which was burning the alternator and sending a message to the computer to shut it down. Never heard of any **** like that in my life. Especially when the car was running at normal temp. He did change the alternator yesterday and I got a jump from the neighbor. I let the car run for a good half hr to 45min and she seemed pretty charged up, everything in working order. My only concern was the lights wouldn't come on inside the car. All other electrical worked perfectly fine.

Needless to say he won't be touching my car again. He does good physical work, but his mental lacks a lot.

 

I want to repeat a situation I was experiencing. my car stalled while driving. usually could restart. then once it would not restart. I thought maybe I had a battery/charger/starter problem. as it turned out, I was simply low on oil which I guess was not lubricating the crankshaft/engine et al. after adding more oil, the car has been running well.