Question1999 Chrysler 300M V-6
I have owned this car for about 6 months. A couple months after I purchased this vehicle the lights inside the car began to flash on and off as if there was a short somewhere. I took the vehicle to a couple repair shops and they could not find the problem. The problem progressed to the point to where the lights stayed on permenantly. I then took the vehicle to the dealer and they diagnosed the car as having a faulty alternator. The lights no longer stay on and they advised that I purchase a new alternator. I just wanted a second opinion on this subject and an approximate on the price. Also they stated that I needed new front brake pads and I was wondering if you could give me an estimate on that as well. Thanks for you help, I have very little knowledge on cars in general.
AnswerHi Direll,
I am at a loss to understand the reason there is any relationship between the alternator and the interior lights staying on or flickering. Most of the circuitry involves creating a path from the lights (which always have power supplied to them) to the ground (return path to the - post of the battery). If there is flickering, then it usually is a switch that is nearly closed but on the edge, and when the body flexes the switch closes momentarily. I would suspect they just found one of the door jamb switches needed to be adjusted so that it didn't falsely think you had opened the door and thus turned on the light.
The way to analyze the alternator question is to notice the needle position on the voltage gauge of the dash (if you have such a gauge). First notice the needle position when you have the ignition "on" but the engine isn't running. Then start the engine and notice whether the needle moved upscale (which it should) and it should remain upscale as long as the engine is running. If it does so, the alternator is o.k., if it oscillates up and down rapidly, or stays the same as when when the engine isn't running, then the alternator maybe wearing out. A rebuilt alternator is going to cost $100-150 and shouldn't take more that a half an hour or an hour to install. If there is no voltage gauge but rather a warning light then just notice when the light comes on regularly when the engine is running as the sign that the alternator has stopped working.
The front brake pads are assessed visually (remove a front wheel and look at the pad on the caliper to see how thick it is, measure it to see that it is at least 5/16"). Also, the brake pads may have a set of thin metallic fingers which make a scrapping sound when the brake is applied. If you hear that, it is a good indication that the pads are needing to be replaced. The cost can be quite variable depending upon the needs and the honesty of the mechanics/garage.
If you will locate the brake fluid reservoir (located in the engine compartment near the firewall right in line with the brake pedal location) it has two lids for separate containers. Remove the lids and see if the fluid is filled to the lower edge of the filler hole. If not, then buy some Dot 4 brake fluid (or what is specified in the owners manual for breake fluid type) and fill the reservoirs to the lower level. Then over a period of time check the level and see if you are loosing any fluid. If not, then the only thing you should need are new pads. If you are loosing fluid, then the caliper unit that operates the pads may be leaking, but that can only be ascertained by inspection. That is where the cost can go much higher for a 'brake job'. If only the pads are replaced, doing the front pads only should cost no more than about $100. I am so used to doing my own that I can't be absolutely certain about that price but it seems about right to me. If the calipers need to be rebuilt or replaced then the cost can go up by the cost of the units, plus about another half hour of labor.
Roland
