Guys a couple of hours ago I was driving and then my "SRS" light came on, a little while later I started to smell a scent as if something was burning. I popped my hood and there was smoke coming out of the alternator. I drove home, and i noticed there was a fairly loud whine as I drove home. I got a couple of questions and if anybody can help me out, it would be appreciated.




Questions
1. I'm pretty sure, but just to make sure, the above pictures are the alternator right, because that's the part that was smoking.

2. Since my system got ripped off about 2 weeks ago I haven't been putting it under any unusual load in recent time. So what could be wrong?

3. Is that belt that goes around the end of the alternator the timing belt?

4. Do you think I will have to change the entire alternator, or can it be either repaired or partially replaced (i.e. like just changing some coil or something inside of the alternator), because list price on an entire brand new alternator is almost $400.

5. How much would you guess is the cost to repair this?

Thanks in advance.

 

you can change it your self. that belt is not the timing belt. tho the belt above looks fried. usually the bearing inside the alternator goes. look at this

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...ype=11&ptset=A

dont go to acura to get a new one... go to autozone or somewhere equal. like i said before make sure you change that belt too.

come to think of it, try changin the belt first. its alot cheaper and has to be done anyways... if you lose the back of the belt all that keeps the belt intact is the ribs. which would make the belt squeal and smoke. it looks like your thru the back of the belt and goin into the ribs.

 

i know it says 99 but its the same part. and if you want to just go in and change the year just to be sure.

 

you can change it, not a hard job.

be careful not to crossthread the bolt that goes into the block, as its aluminium.

 

it's easy. Holy shit it's hobo!?

 

Delfi alternators seem to burn up after a while. The stock alternator is the same as are used in many domestic vehhicles. The new one from O'Reilly's will cost you around $165.00 with a $25.00 core charge. So when you bring the old one back, you will get part of the money back. It is a normal thing for them to fail and wine. On mine, the regulator failed and the output was eratic at 800ma rather than 105 amps as it should have been. And definately change those belts. They are in bad shape. How many miles does your 3.0 have on it. if it is ove 90,000 you will need to have the Timing belt and water pump changed as well.

Good luck.

p.s. You can not see the timing belt because it is hidden behind a shroud, but you should have it changed if the car has more than 90,000 miles on it. Main reason, if it breaks, you will ruin your valve train. But keep in mind, the alternator failure is completely unrelated to your timing belt.

 

yah fuck buyin brand new alternators for 400$.

i remember i toasted 3 alternators because i was drivin around w/o a downpipe for a week. shifting at 3800.. even yet, i still toasted them.

got a down pipe the following week later, and bought a rebuilt alternator from this dude for 100$ and its still kickin

 

been mostly in ramblings, lifes been busy

 

The same thing happened to me but the the sound came first before the alternator burned out. The whining noise is not from the alternator it is from the air conditioning. The bearing in the air conditioning unit is the whining sound, and is not covered by any warranty. The dealership checked it out and fixed everything. The alternator was related to the incident and was changed too. Insyone is right the alternators are about $400.00. Hope you can do it yourself cause labor is gonna be $$$. Good luck!