MDS

Has anyone had to replace his or her alternator due to bad bearings? I ask because my dealership recommended I do so. The technician who made the call based it on a whining noise he claims comes from my alternator. To me, it is the same whining noise my engine has produced since day one. (It is a medium-soft high-pitched noise that increases directly with rpm.) He did not test the alternator’s output, but it seems to work fine. However he left me with the impression the alternator is on its last leg and will need replacement “soon.”

This technician was young, and I hope that in his exuberance to do “good,” he made a bad call. (I would really be upset if I learned he’s just trying to drum up business and charge me the $630 the dealership wants to replace the alternator.) But since I am pretty much incompetent with regard to mechanics, I am very curious to know if anyone is aware of this type of alternator problem. (My 2005 Max now has 39,000 miles.) Thanks in advance.

VigilanteMax

iTrader: (4)

Go to autozone or advanced auto and have them test it. It is free.

Shoey1

if he is new (im assuming you meant younger not just new the the dealer) maybe you can ask for a second opinion from another tech.....the noise may be from an idler pulley, tensioner, or something else.

esmooth

I agree with ^^^. I had a similar whining noise at 34,xxx miles. There is a TSB for this issue and the problem is in the timing chain area. All the parts above and more are to be replaced. This fixed my whining noise. Covered under warranty.

MDS

I appreciate your help. If this noise is related TSB NTB07-042, it is a cam tensioner issue and a potential $1,500 repair. In light that my car just came out of warranty (38,888 miles), I can’t help but feel my dealership is negligent for not noticing this earlier and fixing it under warranty. As it is, I am currently waiting for a right, rear wheel bearing and hub assembly to come in. It seems my wheel bearing is shot. That will cost almost $300 to repair. I need to confirm this TSB whining noise and the long-short term implications, but the thought of dumping $1,800 into my car so soon after the warranty expired is very worrisome. Thanks again for your help.

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

My car did the same thing. It also did it from day one. I had NCSU_Max and Madmax_SE look into it. They said it was fine.

Almost everyone else said that I needed a belt or tensioner pulley.

It was one of those sounds that was chirp-like, nothing more.

scrui

I also though of the alternator.
I get a small squelling noise when I start the engine, it goes away as soon as i drive for a few minutes.
It's way more noticeable when the weather is damp or rainy, then it's really loud. but after a good five minutes on the road the noise stops.
Once washing the engine and i wet around the area of the alternator and the squelling noise actually stopped. from that day on i just figured I would need a new one.