Yesterday evening a loud humming and grinding kinda noise started in my car near the alternator and there was a bit of smoke coming out.i couldn't find the exact place but it was smelling like some electrical stuff burning.I am pretty sure it's the alternator because the battery check light in the dash board did'nt come on when i turned the car on.I sprayed some DURALUBE near the alternator and the Idler pulley and surprisingly the noise has reduced , sounds more like a whine now.
Has this happened to anyone or any ideas??

as always TIA,
Jay

 

Did you check the tention of your alternator belt?

 

What color was the smoke that came out? I think this happen to me twice. The smoke that came out of my car was a bit whitish.. not dark at all. I haven't been able to fix the problem yet. But when it first happen the sound was hardly noticable. Now my car whines really loud. A while back I had taken my car into nissan dealership to fix some things and i also mention this problem. Later on they told me my alternator needed replacing. I havne't gotten around to fixing my alternator and I sure as hell didnt want to pay them 600 + dollars to do it. So it could be your alternator. Let me know what you find out. I should be getting my alternator fixed soon, hopefully.

 

Hey buddy,
it is a white smoke and not very dense, i am quite sure that it's the alternator as i could smell electrical stuff burning.I took it to a local mechanic and he asked me to run on the same alternator till it dies completely.When the noise becomes unbearable he's going to replace it for me.I estimate the costs to be around $400 and $600 is a way too expensive.Take care and hope it works out cheaper for you!!

 

Hey buddy,
it is a white smoke and not very dense, i am quite sure that it's the alternator as i could smell electrical stuff burning.I took it to a local mechanic and he asked me to run on the same alternator till it dies completely.When the noise becomes unbearable he's going to replace it for me.I estimate the costs to be around $400 and $600 is a way too expensive.Take care and hope it works out cheaper for you!! [/B][/QUOTE]

Another thing which could cause the smell and noise is the A/C compressor clutch. Does the A/C still work properly? It could very well be your alternator but if the battery light still isn't on I would look elsewhere to cover all the bases. Have a load test performed on the alternator to make sure it is making full amperage (not just voltage) before you make an expensive repair.

Just a friendy suggestion...

 

Well, for me my a/c works fine. I'm about to go to an autozone when im free to have them test my alternator. Somebody else a while back said it could be a messed up water pump. I dunno tho. I'll check out the alternator first since the dealership themselves said it was messed up. But you never know with these money grubbing dealerships.

Another thing which could cause the smell and noise is the A/C compressor clutch. Does the A/C still work properly? It could very well be your alternator but if the battery light still isn't on I would look elsewhere to cover all the bases. Have a load test performed on the alternator to make sure it is making full amperage (not just voltage) before you make an expensive repair.

Just a friendy suggestion... [/B][/QUOTE]

 

It will leave you on the side of the road. Essentially, once the alt fails, the car will run until the battery runs out of juice. Then it will begin to run rough, the lights will dim, the gauges will get wacky and eventually the car will stop. (assuming you haven't blown out the bearing and it throws the belt and trashes something else..., in that case it will stop NOW, rather than later!).

If there is a decent alt shop in the area, they might be able to fix it cheap. You could DIY. However, you will suffer some downtime during the removal, bench time to fix, and replacement.