Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Alternator warning light on >5500 rpm

The car: 99 V6 MTX

The problem: the alternator idiot light flickers on when the engine is revved in excess of 5500 rpm. No loss of function yet - the alternator still does what it's supposed to.

Should I be worried?

The brushes are bouncing in and out of contact at the high RPMs due to something being worn out or out of balance. Normal outcome with this situation is the alternator dying completely and needing a new one. -Nick

Buy one with a good warrenty! I've gone through 4 in my 98 2.5 mtx.

<imrs been like that for 2 yrs now. It won't do it at the dealer though. I have ESP wtty. and I guess Ineed it to go. At least ESP has free towing. Used it once already.

Quote:

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I've gone through 4 in my 98 2.5 mtx.

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So I guess you're prolly pretty good at replacing them now.

I've heard the alternator is a bear to remove & replace - that the lower control arm needs to come off. Is this true? In general, how difficult is the r&r process?

Most commonly done by disconnecting the passenger side tie-rod end from the wheel hub assembly. I've even heard of people who have done it without disconnecting anything except the plastic cover in the wheel well, but that seems to be a rarity and requires some considerable finesse with the alternator.

The biggest pain is the upper mounting bolt. About 2 or 3 feet of extensions on a socket wrench & access from above on the driver side is what I typically hear about.

I wish I had known all this when I tried to put new brushes in my alternator, but I didn't ask & took it to an automotive shop.