Hey guys I was driving down to the strip tonight and out of no where i start hearing this metal chattering sound from the right side of the mtoor (where the altenator is) I pop the hood about 20 seconds later and smell a burning scent. I couldnt visablly see anything, it was dusk, so i threw the hood down and kept driving.

About 10 minutes later when I hit my first stop light the cars rpm's started dancing between 750 to 1200 to 500 and repeating. During this time all the lights would dim and the motor felt like it was about to choke off.

The metal clanking sound sounds like a loose screw in a hole. The sound is only apparent under mild to lightly moderate acceleration.


The car did not heat up at all duyring this time. Also the thick return hose next to the altenator was very very very wet, i dont know if its supopse to be this wet, but the hose was exxtreemly wet (however i came home 45 minutes later and it was dry).

Im thinking that its a couple of things:
1. Something stuck in throttle body
2. A biolt on the altenator is really loose (although i just did a quickl check and nothing noticable)
3. Something else?



So any insight guys? Thanks

 

it could be .......... ohh nm check dealership

 

Wet like coolant was leaking?


Either way, it almost sounds like the alternator seized up, or at least momentarily for some reason, and the belt kept spinning on it, thus the burning smell.

 

no coolant .. i saw it and tasted it (yep tasted) and no coolant .. just heavy condensation.

i was thinking it seized but yea ... idk ? beacuse it still works fine ?

 

Take the belt off the alternator pulley and spin it to make sure it's not seized.

For future reference, please do not lick anything that coolant might be present on. It is toxic, after all.

 

Guess you don't want to be 'hear' much longer. Antifreeze is poisonous.

 

i didnt swallow it

 

also my altenator belt was just replaced by the dealership because the belt fried itself recently (no idea why).

could this have anything to do with the altenator ?

 

The belt fried itself? What was wrong with it?

It could be a tensioner problem, it could be an intermittenly seizing alternator, etc. Like I said, take off the belt on the alternator and spin the alternator pulley to see if it is seizing up at all.

 

Sure this wasn't an A/C compressor issue? My car makes a similar chattering noise from the right side and it's the A/C compressor. I have to have this checked. Although that doesn't explain RPM fluctuation.