Alternator Replaced now "El Power System"

Post by **velorider** » 02 Nov 2010, 14:52

I replaced the alternator about 1 1/2 month ago after it failed. After replacing the alternator I got a message on the dash "El Power System..." The message disappears within a minute of driving. There are no codes and I've searched the forum and found posts related to the alternator and battery. I replaced the battery last week and the message still appears.

The car drives fine and the message disappears within a minute of driving. If the car has been recently driven, then no message appears.

I've checked the terminals at the battery, 13.9-14.0 volts, so the new alternator looks good.

Anyone have a suggestions as to want might be wrong? I'm trying to avoid taking it to the dealer ship.

2002 S60 2.4T
104K Miles

Thanks
John

FCPEURO · Post by **FCPEURO** » 02 Nov 2010, 19:59

El Power System?? Is that spanish??

Post by **velorider** » 02 Nov 2010, 22:07

Read that one on other posts.

I'm going with lazy english and Electrical Power System

John

Post by **velorider** » 25 Dec 2010, 20:12

Discovered something new about this today. It appears to turn off when the rpm reach above 2300. I revived the engine yesterday in the garage and around 2300 rpm the dash brighten quickly and the warnings disappeared. Given that this happen immediately after replacing the failed alternator it likely to be the new alternator but there are no other advised side effects. Hoping that the combine experience of this forum might have some suggestions short of replacing the alternator again. The replacement is a refurbished Bosch from Autozone.

Thanks
John

Post by **gshadow325** » 26 Dec 2010, 08:22

congrats on getting a defective alternator. LOL

loooks like you will have to r and r the alternator again. in this day and age, it is hard to know which ones are a good rebuild.

mine went on my XC90
@149725 miles and i put a 160amp rebuilt unit in, my oem was the 140amp version
@149782 miles the booster started hissing, put a new reman unit in
also installed a Stinger 1500D HiPerformance battery too, never can have enough juice

The alternator i get directly from my re-builder so i know the quality is 150% rebuild, the brake booster...i rolled the dice and got one from auto zone(A1 cardone re-manufactured unit) my fingers are crossed with this one.

i am @150115 right now and waiting for it to snow to see if my AWD is working properly!

Question: Did you get a 140amp or a 160? the 140 is noticeably smaller than the 160.
Question: Did you notice the pulley being larger than the old one? was it harder to install the serp belt?
Question: Did you replace the battery also?

Why i ask... Your car may have came with the 160 and doesnt like the 140(maybe). if the pulley is larger it is underdriving the alternator thus producing less than adequate current(possible if pulley is larger). Your battery may be on its last leg and worn from the dieing alternator(ie dead cell). If you are able to to check the battery and its showing 13.5+ volts

Adverse effects will be from prolonged idle the battery will eventually die or is dying. I'd chase the problem since i hate doing this.......

Post by **velorider** » 26 Dec 2010, 22:54

Hopefully it never ends up on a tow truck

The replacement was a 140amp, that matched the one that was in there. Getting the 140amp out of the s60 was a chore, it barely fits. Upping to a 160amp I'm afraid I might never get it in there.

I checked the alternator for size but not the pulley. The belt went on fairly easily so I assume its the the same or similar size.

I replaced the battery about a month later.

The car run fine and the warning message only appears occasionally and disappear once the rpms reach 2K.

Thanks
John

Post by **velorider** » 19 Feb 2011, 20:00

Here's an update.

I continued to get the "El Power System" message on most start-ups with the message disappearing as soon as the RPMs hit 2K. Well last night while driving home in a rainstorm, with the kids, a new message appeared: "Over Voltage, Stop Safety". The dash lights where twice as bright as normal, the A/C kicked on, the headlights brighten, the ABS light went on, was quite a show. Luckily I was close to home and, believe it or not, my wife was following directly behind me in another car. What luck, hey! I was able to pull over quickly.

Since the "El Power System" message appeared after replacing the alternator I always suspected the new alternator was bad but since everything ran fine and the message disappeared and I didn't want to pull it out.

This morning a friend and I pushed the car home and pulled out the alt and got a warranty replacement from Autozone, in stock! Can you believe the luck! Explained the events and asked for a replacement, no questions asked, they didn't even test it. Put the replacement in and everything seems fine, no more "El Power System" message. This was the second alt in 4 months so I was pretty good at it, less then 2 hours!

Lesson learned:

If the car gives you a message respect it! I could have been miles from home, without the wife behind me in the pouring rain. It could have taking minutes to pull over and fried the electronics. The later is still a possibility but initially no immediate electrical damage from it.

captainbill · Post by **captainbill** » 27 Feb 2012, 14:57

My message read "Power System Service Urgent" and the red battery icon lights up as well. I checked voltage and got 14 volts but it did take a few seconds to come up to 14 V. 12.5 V with key off, down to 11.5 while cranking, up to 14 V after a few seconds. No codes came up after multiple times checking. Its now 4pm and I started yesterday about 3pm on removal. Not looking forward to another Removal and Replace, but with my new found experience I'm sure it will go much faster. I plan to see my friendly small town mechanic tomorrow and have him do a load check on the battery and alternator. Anyone have any other suggestions on what to look for before replacing alternator again?

Post by **Xilikon** » 28 Feb 2012, 08:54

My guess is that the replacement alternator had a bad power regulator (it's a part within the alternator body which regulate the power output) so it was fluctuating, hence the error message.

captainbill · Post by **captainbill** » 01 Mar 2012, 18:25

I just finished installing the second alternator. Same result. Red battery icon comes up and the message Power System Service Urgent. Do I try a third alternator or is there anything else I can check?