Their is a sort of grinding noise coming from the alternator or belts. The battery has not died so i know the alternator is working. What could be making this noise?
Thanks
Thanks
Alternator making noise?
- Thread starter mkiii 4 life
- Start date
Double check it is the alternator by putting piece of wood or something rigid on it and listen through it on the other end like a stethoscope. I use a hammer with a wooden handle. Mind you don't get your tie caught in the belts and get sucked in. I had one alternator get so hot when it went bad you could fry eggs on it but it was still charging.
I just pull the belt for the alternator. If the noise goes away, it's pretty obvious who the culprit is.
i just did the hammer thing and it is the alternator. So im guessing the next step is to buy a new one. I looked up how to do it and it looks somewhat easy. Do i need a thing to check the tension on the belt after i replace the alternator?
I was going to buy a belt tension device but there were a few different ones and I couldn't figure out which one to buy. I used the following ghetto method. Before I changed my belts I placed reference marks on the threads and brackets of all of the belt adjustment points. My supra is red and the red touch up paint worked great. If you read the tsrm the belt tension for a new belt is slightly lower than the setting for a used belt. So I tightened up the belts shy of the old marks. Visually you don't want to see them bouncing on the pulleys as well. Once you drive around and stomp on the gas the belts will let you know if they are loose. Senior members please correct me if I am wrong.
Edit..Before you buy a no name alternator give Jeff Watson @ Champion Toyota a call.
Edit..Before you buy a no name alternator give Jeff Watson @ Champion Toyota a call.
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Yea i was thinking i may be able to mark the belts because i dont have a tension device. I will ask my car buddies and see if they have on i can borrow, if not it looks like i will be marking.
I just took the belt off the alternator and the noise is still their. So my next guess is the a/c compressor?
Hmm... living in Florida, I guess just leaving the AC off isn't really an option. Good luck with that!
^^^Its tricky not having AC in Florida. When its not raining its 99F and 100% humidity. When it is raining (every afternoon) the windows fog up.
mkiii...If you are in the Palm beach area give "Franks Guaranteed AC" a try. They know their stuff and are one of the few shops that still reclaim and charge R12 systems.
mkiii...If you are in the Palm beach area give "Franks Guaranteed AC" a try. They know their stuff and are one of the few shops that still reclaim and charge R12 systems.
Kckazdude;1270785 said:
Im not sure. The noise is their when the a/c is not on so i don't know if it is the compressor
Spin the tensioner pulley by hand, is it smooth or gritty? Sometimes they will make the noise if you can spin it fast enough too
The alternator of my car actually spitted out sparks 
.
Had left it off at a repair shop and they told me when they tested it out it caught fire. I had to buy a new one.
.Had left it off at a repair shop and they told me when they tested it out it caught fire. I had to buy a new one.