lil_sis1919

Tues: used alt put it
Wed: car died, battery and alt bad, used alt put in
Thurs: car died, alt bad, used alt put in
Fri: car died, alt bad, NEW alt put in
Sat: car died
Mon: took to elec shop, was told nothing was wrong

What could be causing this? Wires were checked and replaced as needed, but 4 alt's in a week? Any suggestions could help...my mechanic that is. Alt's are coming from Autozone.

97 Protege
1.5 L

ProtegeMechanic

You're battery could be the problem, have it checked out. Sometimes when batteries are old, they can't and don't want to hold any more charge. Also check the fuses between the alternator and battery, if you have any.

lil_sis1919

I have gone through two new batteries this week. Car was taken in to elec shop to check all that, they could find nothing wrong, and all wires were checked and some have been replaced. No one knows what to do anymore, lol. Damn, 5 alt's in a week, and each one keeps going bad within an hour. Alt is supposedly checked and good to go before it is put in, but something keeps killing them. Two mechanics shops don't even know what to do anymore. Was just hoping someone had a similiar problem with this....

ProtegeMechanic

Wow that's really weird because I know alot about the electrical system in Proteges, are these alternators the stock ones or some sort of generic one? If the alternator runs too strong an amperage, or not enough you have these kind of problems. Also go to the Mazda dealership and see what they see and say. Most of these common mechanics know nothing about our cars, they have very fragile electrical systems. When it comes to electrical work the dealership is reasonable.