I was having intermittent starter issues for a while, and last week they became more frequent. For various reasons, I had to ensure that the car was available this week, so I decided on Friday to buy a starter locally and do the replacement over the weekend. Advance Auto Parts told me they had a Bosch rebuilt starter available. When I picked it up, I found it was a house brand rebuild of a Bosch starter. Because of my slightly dire situation, I took the AAP house brand starter instead of waiting for a better one. I'm starting to think this may have been a mistake.
On the first start after replacing the starter, the alternator whined for about a minute, and then got really loud for 10-15 seconds, and then went quiet... and then the battery light came on. The car's onboard computer showed the battery voltage between 12.00 and 12.20 volts; normally it's supposed to be between 13 and 14. I turned it off and came back to it a few minutes later, and exactly the same thing happened. The car seemed to run pretty well, so I limped it over to its second home and borrowed a car.
After having the battery checked at Pep Boys this morning and swapping out the alternator (which was a saga in its own right -- another instance of AAP calling their house brand "Bosch"), the problem persists. Different alternator, exact same noises, exact same pattern of symptoms.
I got to speak with someone who knows automotive electronics. He thinks the starter I got might have some kind of defect, or may be missing a diode that the OEM starter had. When I get a chance, I'm planning to disconnect the power cable from the starter, seal it up tightly, and roll-start the car. I figure if everything runs perfectly and the voltage reads normal, I can conclude that the starter has some kind of electrical defect and raise a big fat fuss at AAP. Comments are welcome on that plan.
Anyone have a similar experience? Any input would be appreciated.
On the first start after replacing the starter, the alternator whined for about a minute, and then got really loud for 10-15 seconds, and then went quiet... and then the battery light came on. The car's onboard computer showed the battery voltage between 12.00 and 12.20 volts; normally it's supposed to be between 13 and 14. I turned it off and came back to it a few minutes later, and exactly the same thing happened. The car seemed to run pretty well, so I limped it over to its second home and borrowed a car.
After having the battery checked at Pep Boys this morning and swapping out the alternator (which was a saga in its own right -- another instance of AAP calling their house brand "Bosch"), the problem persists. Different alternator, exact same noises, exact same pattern of symptoms.
I got to speak with someone who knows automotive electronics. He thinks the starter I got might have some kind of defect, or may be missing a diode that the OEM starter had. When I get a chance, I'm planning to disconnect the power cable from the starter, seal it up tightly, and roll-start the car. I figure if everything runs perfectly and the voltage reads normal, I can conclude that the starter has some kind of electrical defect and raise a big fat fuss at AAP. Comments are welcome on that plan.
Anyone have a similar experience? Any input would be appreciated.
