Whining coming from Alternator?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 40
Likes: 11
Whining coming from Alternator?
Hi,
Purchased a C5 a few months back, now i have a high pitched whine coming from i believe the alternator, when signal light or brake light is activated the whining then pulsates with the blinker. Also when headlights are engaged it take a few secs before the gauge cluster lights up(very slowly). any thoughts? The battery at the terminals is reading 13.1 volts, it is a cheap battery(O'Reilly special) though i'm wondering could that be it as well? battery dated 3/18 so its newer.(but that doesn't mean anything in AZ)
Thanks for your help.
Purchased a C5 a few months back, now i have a high pitched whine coming from i believe the alternator, when signal light or brake light is activated the whining then pulsates with the blinker. Also when headlights are engaged it take a few secs before the gauge cluster lights up(very slowly). any thoughts? The battery at the terminals is reading 13.1 volts, it is a cheap battery(O'Reilly special) though i'm wondering could that be it as well? battery dated 3/18 so its newer.(but that doesn't mean anything in AZ)
Thanks for your help.
Last edited by brivette91; Dec 20, 2018 at 12:18 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,258
Likes: 544
From: Appleton WI
When you are hearing the whine, are you sitting in the car or are you standing outside? If sitting inside, you need to exit the car and determine the location of the sound. The whining sound could be the alternator but it could also be the fuel pump. The fuel pump is located behind the driver's seat so you need to confirm location of the sound. A whining fuel pump is actually pretty common and can become louder after long periods of driving.
The fluctuation in the whining when the turn signals are on is simply the current draw on the system. Not sure what the cause of the dash lights being slow to light can be. Maybe the light sensor on the dash isn't working well or the dash lights are adjusted low.
The fluctuation in the whining when the turn signals are on is simply the current draw on the system. Not sure what the cause of the dash lights being slow to light can be. Maybe the light sensor on the dash isn't working well or the dash lights are adjusted low.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
He has a 97 A4.. All A4s have a DE-COUPLER pulley on the alternator. They can and do go bad and can cause weird noise. So, he is going to check that and then do an Output test on the alternator to see if it has any AC on the output.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,258
Likes: 544
From: Appleton WI
Thanks for the update Bill. I must have had an old browser open because there were no replies when I read the post yet my post was hours later than the previous person's post. I wouldn't have replied knowing he was in capable hands. It will be interesting to find out the final diagnosis.
Drifting
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,695
Likes: 490
From: Denver, NC
If it needs a decoupler - here is a post I did when I replaced mine.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...placement.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...placement.html
Last edited by Ed Ramberger; Dec 21, 2018 at 03:29 PM.
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Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 40
Likes: 11
whining alternator
found the problem, the starter solenoid is defective. i found a place in town here in the Phoenix area,(Copper State Alternator and Starter) they confirmed my starter solenoid was defective, they had a replacement for me. Also they carry rebuilt alternators in stock, the correct Valeo for our cars. Thanks for everyone's help!(at least the knowledgeable ones!)