Is my alternator dead?

[92Bimmer]

I was driving today and my battery light came on. When I got home I checked the voltage with the car running and it was 11.5v. I then disconnected the battery while the car was running and it stalled. I had done the same thing a couple months ago to test the charging system out and the car would still run with the battery disconnected(like it should).

I mean obviously it IS the alternator, but I thought maybe some bimmer pros could give me some insight on what the cause really is. Did it just randomly die,
, does it just need a new regulator, is it common for the alt to just die without notice, etc..

Thanks

[PJBIMMER]

You answered your own question lol .... the alternator is bad.

[Bobkitten]

You can take it toan electrician. Chances are it just needs the brushes in it changed.

[CJH]

Take it out & go to a parts store that has a load tester. They can spin it up on the tester & tlee what component failed. Best thing to do is get a rebuilt unit, or if you're really ambitious, you can take it to an automotive electric shop that rebuilds automotive & truck starters, alternators etc.

They do fail out of the blue like that, rectifiers, regulator, windings.