I Changed the alternator in my 2017 honda fit with aftermarket alternator and now I have 3 lights on... power steering traction, control and tire light And the text reads charge system....I didn't have any lights before... any ideas before I take it back out and get a oem alternator from honda for another couple hundred dollars? 🙏

 

Check your electrical connections (plug and bolt-on wire), make sure all the mounting bolts are tight.
Is it a remanufactured alternator, or "new"? Does a scan tool give you a specific error code? Was the previous alternator doing the same thing?

 

The alternator is a carquest remanufactured for 500+$ and the old alternator was making a grinding noise but I had no lights on until I changed it.. only got one code

 

Do you have a multimeter?

 

yes i got a crappie harbor freight cheap one

 

Measure voltage from the bolt-on terminal of the alternator to the engine block. It should show battery voltage at all times.

If that checks out, unplug the 1-wire connector from the alternator and the connector from the battery sensor (the block on the negative battery terminal). Use diode test (safer for electronics) to check continuity on the light blue wire between the two connectors (which is also connected to ECM pin A26).

 

I just brought it too a shop cause my multi meter wasn't working.. and they said its nothing I did they said the alternator is getting too hot they said the alternator needs to be replaced with a better one I just paid advance 550$ for a car quest remanufactured honda genuine is only couple hundred more but now I gotta do the job twice.It's crazy because an alternator that costs that much should work you would think... looks like I'm taking it back.

 

You would think, but AutoZone has a history of selling particularly flakey remanufactured parts.
That's the step after checking the car's wiring. Though considering the original alternator had a mechanical issue, the wiring is probably fine. My only real concern was that the bolt-down wire might have touched the engine block while working, popping the 100A fuse on the positive battery terminal. That would have showed up as no voltage at the alternator terminal.

Alternator repair is its own little rabbit hole, but if you still have your original alt and are competent at soldering wires, it's something you might consider. It sounds like one or both of the bearings need replacement, along with inspecting the brushes and ring terminals. You would need someone with an impact wrench (mechanics ugga-dugga air gun) to remove the pulley nut. Also a bearing puller, a heat gun (tool version of a hair drier), and a bench with a vice to work at.

 

this one is from advanced auto parts.But I read in a review that autozones, alternator did the same thing to somebody else's.So I went with advanced and hoped it wouldn't do the same for me

 

Sounds like the remanufacture houses haven't figured out and/or bothered to look at the one plug-in wire. It's a serial communications line between the alt, battery sensor, and ECM. The battery sensor has current, voltage, and temperature sensors, and appears to calculate battery internal resistance (at least it shows up on my scan tool). I didn't see any data from the alternator (probably a scan tool software limitation) but it should similarly provide data to the ECM.

 

From what I've gathered, most autoparts stores tend to use some of the same remanufactures. I may be wrong, but that's what it sounds like from reading around online.

There's likely only a few large companies that remanufacture things like alternators or CV axles and things like that. So even if you go to Oreilly for a reman. part, it may still be coming from the same place that Autozone gets theirs from, which might be where Car Quest gets theirs from, etc.

However, I tend to have good luck with Napa remanufactured parts. So I'm not sure how true any of what I said is :P

 

I've never gotten a bad part from a NAPA store. otoh I've never had to purchase an alternator from them.

 

Same. The "modernization" of their stores makes me concerned that other areas of their business are also getting "modernized", but their parts quality has always been good.

 

I haven't purchased one from them in YEARS. But did have good luck when I did.

 

It's been really weird to see. They keep so many things behind the counter now compared to 10 years ago. It's like, they have the stuff (I assume), but you can't see it. I wonder if it was to reduce the amount of returns because of incorrect purchases.