My alternator died on the highway at 2am last week

I was driving my 2002 Civic back from a late shift when the battery light popped on. Then the headlights got dim and the radio cut out. Made it to a rest stop about 5 miles later before the car completely shut down. Had to call my buddy Tom to come jump me and follow me to his place. Tested the alternator the next morning and it was putting out maybe 11 volts. Picked up a reman unit at AutoZone for $110 and swapped it in my driveway in about 2 hours. Has anyone else had an alternator go out with zero warning like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

ward.fiona1mo ago

Had a friend whose alternator went out on the same model Civic but his battery light never came on until the car was already dead. Just a fluke with the wiring harness grounding out. Sometimes that early warning light is just wishful thinking.

brooke_walker1mo ago

Yeah I hear you on that "wishful thinking" part. My old Civic threw the battery light on and off for weeks before the alternator finally gave up completely. Turned out the voltage regulator was going bad but still working sometimes, so the light would flicker but the battery seemed fine. Ended up stranded at a gas station at midnight, totally dead. So yeah, that warning light is more like a suggestion in my experience. Always trust your gut more than the dashboard.