x5 lost power

[nebilex]

Hi everyone. I was taking the x5 to the indy and I was at the traffic light and all of a sudden, I hear this "poof" sound and lost all electrical power, (radio, dash light, can't roll down window) the engine didn't shut off but it went into limp mode. The battery light, abs etc lights came on, I am not sure what's going on... I limped over to the indy and shut it off but then it wouldn't start back. I haven't heard back from the indy yet but a couple of things I suspect:
- Loose battery connection (haven't touched the battery in the past 3 years so not sure how it could get loose)
- Alternator (there was no sign of the alternator going bad, so can't see how it could just die)

Let me know what you think...

Update from Indy:
Alternator stops charging when the engine gets hot. I think he said the voltage regular may be bad.

Is it possible to rebuild these alternators or just change the voltage regulator on them? New alternator is upwards of $200.

thanks

[nebilex]

update bump!

[David.X5]

I use rock auto to get general pricing on parts like that. They do list an aftermarket VR for around $100 or a Bosch remanufactured unit for around $140. Most alternators on the market are reman. For this price difference, the bare VR seems hardly worth it.

It seems some 3.0 use a Bosch alternator and some a Valeo unit. You would have to check. The Indy will want to use his parts as they make some money there. They will also warranty it and handle the core return for the extra dough.

[Joshdub]

A new VR is pretty expensive. You can get a reman Bosch unit from FCPeuro for 200 and a lifetime warranty. Hardly worth hasseling with individual parts.

[edogg]

Mine had a similar thing happen out of the blue. Indy diagnosed the alternator as providing a fluctuating charge. They said that it's possible that the alternator can reverse polarity, which could cause a lot of electrical damage.

The new alternator was about $900. Expensive little suckers...

[nebilex]

Thanks everyone for your response...

Edogg, did u buy brand new oem at the dealer? I just checked the pricing on autohausaz pelicanpart and fcpeuro and its about $200 after core return... Granted the indy might tryto charge extra for his part which is fine but i will check if i can bring my own part and have him change... Anybody know how much labor is for alternator?

[edogg]

Originally Posted by nebilex

Thanks everyone for your response...

Edogg, did u buy brand new oem at the dealer? I just checked the pricing on autohausaz pelicanpart and fcpeuro and its about $200 after core return... Granted the indy might tryto charge extra for his part which is fine but i will check if i can bring my own part and have him change... Anybody know how much labor is for alternator?

Sorry, I had the wrong price. The parts were $600 and labor was $380 (3 hours).

I believe that the Indy got an OEM from the dealer. Warranty covered it so I was ok with the real deal vs a reman.

[nebilex]

Originally Posted by edogg

Sorry, I had the wrong price. The parts were $600 and labor was $380 (3 hours).

I believe that the Indy got an OEM from the dealer. Warranty covered it so I was ok with the real deal vs a reman.

I see you have the 4.4, mine is the 3.0, i wonder if the labor is the same for both

[David.X5]

I don't know the labor times, but the 3.0 uses an air cooled alternator that is similar to most other cars. The 4.4 uses a water cooled alternator that is more expensive and requires draining the cooling system to replace.

[Joshdub]

I don't know what the book time is but it shouldn't take more than a hour and a half.