Out of the 3 acuras ive had this one has been such a pain. So not long ago i had a whining noise coming from the engine bay and it was interment along with a burning electrical smell. Then the battery light came on so i was like hey it must of been the altenator so i bought a new one and threw it on it. sound disappears and the burning smell gone. two weeks later i be damned if the smell isnt back and its whining again. I mean i know the altenator is rebuilt but a two week life span i didn't even have a chance to get the oem altenator repaired yet. makes me wonder if something deeper within the electrical system is going on causing the altenator to fail. may god be with me to find that issue out

 

so, lets get this straight, you threw parts at it not knowing the cause and you expected the part to cure your problem.

sorry, sir, but you'll have to do a lot more trouble shooting.

 

well sir when the battery light comes on that indicates charging failure and after lots of reading from what i could pull the altenator will whine when its going bad as well as smell so i put two and two together when i put in a new altenator since both symptoms i had where failing altenator symptoms. Now if something else is causing the alt to fail idk but how could i possibly know that?! all i know is after putting a new altenator in its smelling again as well as whining again.

 

Are your belts tight? What kind of whining noise? Does the noise get worse or lessen when you rev up the engine?

What kind of alternator did you put on there? Have an autozone or local auto parts store test it... its not rare that they go bad quickly.

 

The belts are tight im starting to question if the belts are too tight. i really don't know how to tell if they are too tight but they are most def tight. It's a faint whine it does increase with the engine rpms but it seems to disappear after 2k. It's an autozone altenator..i have it as a temporary until i got he oem one repaired since i hear the crap out quick but i didn't think it would be that quick. when i get home imma check the volts with everything turned on headlight, ac, seats etc.

 

in for more test.
although, i think i remember teejay replacing his alternator with an autozone one and it not working correctly. but im totally not sure.

in for more trouble shooting.

 

Haha exactly what Justn said. You gots ta troubleshoot properly instead of just slinging parts. But the alternator failed and you replaced it. Completely logical.

In for more troubleshooting too. Check the belt tension and all of the pulleys to make sure the mechanicals are in order. Check for belt alignment too.

If an electrical load is causing your alternator to fail, then start with a load test and definitely test the battery to make sure it's not the root cause.