My car has 50,000miles on it now and i heard Alternaters should be changed then. What exackly does it do and what could be draw backs from one not functioning properly?

 

You don't need to change an alternator unless it starts over/under charging. Or the bearings start going out.

 

First of all, it is spelled "alternator". The alternator is simply a rotating magnet spinning inside an induction coil (kind of live an electrical motor going in reverse). It converts mechanical energy to electrical energy so that your battery stays charged. If it breaks your battery will receive a weak or non-existant charge and eventually one day your car won't start and you will be SOL until you rebuild the alternator or have it replaced. Generally, having worked on hundreds of different cars, I can say that japanese alternators can easily last 100,000-150,000 miles before total failure. This is not always the case however...

 

thanks guy especially for correcting my english

 

If it "breaks" the battery/charging light will most likely come on. I've seen a lot go out way before 100k but I guess since I only see the broke ones that happens

 

Im surprised how many people own evos that really dont know much about cars in general. Evos are technical marvels and you should really spend some time to learn how everything works.

 

Not a lot of people know much about cars. The ones that think they know a lot are worse though. I work on cars all day everyday, for probably the past 5-6 years, and while it's not a glamorous job I've learned quite a bit. The guy that admits he doesn't know anything will use a manual or take it to the shop. The guy that thinks he knows everything will get halfway into a job and mess something up and it will end up costing him more in time and money.