Hey guys,

So here is something I wanted to get some opinions on.

Ever since I have bought my maxima, 01 gle then 109K ... now 186K... I have always had this "wooooo" noise as i accelerate.

The noise is most prominent between 1000-1500 rpm after which other noises drown the noise out.

The noise has not gotten worse over the time I have owned the car. I always took it for granted that this was normal.

Over the holidays, I had a chance to drive a buddy's 01 I30. His car did not have this noise which got me thinking.

I then started reading on what maybe causing the issue. Remember, this noise has been present since I have had the car... 3 yrs and 70K miles.

I found the following:
1. Timing chain tensioner.
2. PS pump
3. Alternator
4. AC compressor
5. Something inside the motor
6. Intake

I went for a short drive with a friend today, who confirmed it is not from the intake side of the motor. We narrowed it down to the passenger front side i.e. alternator area.

So about 20min back, I removed the Alternator belt and took her out for a drive. The noise is gone! phew I felt much better it was not the Timing chain or internal motor.

Now I have to find out which one of the 2 are bad
1. Alternator
2. AC Compressor

I just did my belts last month and have a new idler pulley so the noise is def not from there.

If the alternator was really bad, I would have charging issues etc. No way could she make 70K without some indicator right? Same for the AC, it is working just fine.

Is it possible the pulley on either the AC compressor or Alternator is bad?

If so has anyone been able to only replace the bearing or pulley and get it back together?

Looking for options here. I looked into the FSM but I dont see how to take the pulley off either so any input will be most appreciated.

Thanks.

 

The general concensus on the both the AC compressor and the alternator seems to be to replace the whole part. I have never heard of anyone just replacing the pulleyor bearing from either of those.

I know of 2 ways to find out which it is. The first is to take a long screwdriver and put the tip on the alternator (metal housing). The put your ear right on the end of the screwdriver handle. If its the alternator, the noise will be very prominent through the screw driver. Then repeat that for the AC compressor if you can reach it.

The other way is to take the belt off the pulleys and give them a spin with your finger. They should be smooth and quiet. If you hear anynoise coming from either them the bearing is shot.

 

Have you figured out the problem? I am having the same issue, though my alternator has less than 10K miles on it. I think it might be the tensioner pulley.

 

I have not been able to make progress on this.

This weekend I thought I would buy the alternator belt from NAPA as many of the 4th gen drivers use to bypass the AC compressor.

For the life of me I could not get the belt to work on the 5th gen.

So basically I am back to square 1.

My next step is surely to get the alternator checked.

Once I rule that out I will make way to the compressor.

One thing I have confirmed is that both alternator and compressor pulleys spin freely but they seem to make a little whine so I maybe hearing the combo of both.

Well.. on one side its annoying.. on the other I am glad the original Alternator is still going strong at 185K and there are no motor issues.

 

I figured mine out. It was the alternator. Autozone was able to diagnose it in 15 seconds. The output voltage was only 12.68 as a result of a bad diode. You can also test it yourself if you have a multimeter.

Both pulleys spun freely on mine as well.

 

Yes, 1st thing to do is to check the alternator charging voltage. FSM says 14.1~14.6 volts. If you are well below 14.0 V, gotta be the alternator.

I do have a whining sound and I think it is coming from the PS pump. For now I live with it. I had my Alternator fail recently, but before it failed, it gave out a different howling noise. A day later, it won't crank. After going through the checks, the battery was holding charge, the charging voltage was low.

Alternator was replaced.

 

I too continue to live with it

I have had the noise for 3 yrs now so I dont know if it truly is the alternator.
I would have surely stalled by now.

However, the fact it goes away when i remove the alt belt tells me it is either the alt or ac comp .... just havent had time to dig in... the guy at advance did tell me that it is possible alt is fine but the bearings are shot!

 

Have you made a decision?

 

So with the awesome deal at Advance Auto parts today, I bought a new Alternator.

Just got done doing it and the noise is gone.

There is a faint and i mean very faint noise still there which I am sure is coming from the AC compressor pulley. Will attend to that later.... I have to say, I am almost reliving a new car experience, the call simply hums are idle instead of a mid pitched constant woo!

I took some pics which I will add the other alternator thread.

 

What was the awesome deal at Advance Auto?

 

Did the noise happen all the time or only when you had the air on? I get a whining sound, but not when the air is on.

 

I am not allowed to start a new thread until I have 15-posts. So I am asking for help here because it is the newest posting that deals with a whining sound.

I have a 2004 Maxima with 100k miles. I get this whining sound when the air is on and when i am going uphill. The dealership charged me $90 to adjust the belt tension and the noise is still there. I went to a local shop and they "think" it is the alternator. They think when the air is on the extra load on the alternator causes the whining noise to appear, especially when I am going uphill. The cost to replace the alternator (parts and labor) is $500. However, there is no guarantee that this will fix the noise. Any thoughts?

 

Are you handy working on the car at all?

You should be able to remove the alternator and ps belt and see if the noise goes away.

Mine was the alternator but i also have a different sound from the ac compressor pulley which i need to replace when i get the time.

 

The car doesn't make the noise when it is sitting in the shop. You have to be driving, with the air on, and a slight incline helps. At that point the intermittent whining sound appears pretty regularly. At 100k mileage, the alternator probably won't last too much longer, I guess replacing it is not such a bad idea.