Minor Whine

lpb,

Alternators can all of a sudden start whining. Mine did, and it won't shut up! It sounds just like a noisy gear drive. Did you mess with anything at all before you noticed the whine? Play with any wires?

Your whine may be mechanical, but the alt is a possibility, even though remote.

Michael

The only thing I have been doing is dogging it...as in burnouts, an drag racing.

Have you checked the fluid level in your ZF? It could whine if the fluid level is low enough.

Michael

If it sounds a little like a whistling too, it could be the U-joints.

Michael

I had a minor wine myself last night... It was an Italian wine, a Sangiovese, and while it wasn't bad I would definietly qualify it as "minor".

(ps - that's why I don't make my living as a comedian...)

I just checked it, It is full of clear sythetic.I have one tiny drip out of each axle seal over a 2 day period. I know it can add up over time, but still full at this point. How about an additive?

Michael,

A whine coming from an alternator indicates a bad rectifier, I have also heard bad rectifiers sound like a grinding bearing.

You've been warned.

the bearer of bad news, George

George,

What does the rectifier do?

I've got a new alt in my garage waiting to go in should this one be bad. It's another item on my winter 'hit list' if needed.

Michael

I greased my new u joints for the first time yesterday, also I stopped an exaust leak, I thought I had fixed it.... Ill try running at speed with the alternater unloaded. Mine pulls 50 amps when I run the A/C and those 2 monster fans at the condenser.

Good morning Michael! (actually, it's already afternoon in Conneticut)

If memory serves me right, there are 3 rectifiers inside your alternator, they form a bridge circuit that converts the alternating current (AC) from your "alternator" into direct current (DC) which your Panteras electrical system operates on.

your friend on the PIBB, George

Good morning George.

Thanks for the 'alternating' lesson. My Pantera will be off the road in about a month for winter, and I'll be going over things starting then. Hopefully, nothing ugly will surface!

Michael

Bill,

don't let a muted "whine" that you are hearing for the first time cause too much concern. Wait a couple of weeks & see if you continue to hear it. We humans sometimes "feel" and "hear" things that have always been there, just never noticed them before, AND we also feel and hear things that AREN'T there. Our bodies just get sensitive to certain stimulus, or we emotionally are "off" and it is indicated by our senses.

A loud whine, a vibration that shakes the chassis or steering wheel, a grinding noise, the smell of something hot or burning, those are problems. The subtle things that we feel or hear, even though the vehicle seems to be operating just fine, are most likely us, not the car.

I had an exhaust noise 2 weeks ago that was gone last weekend, even though I did not work on the car. It was me.

Your freudian friend on the PIBB, George

George, You better check the tightness on your headers before you burn a gasket. As if I could actually predict what was going to happen next, HA! I think you are right about us humans and what we perceive. If I just had someone to drive that I trusted while I ride in back with my stetiscope I would feel better. I did jack it up and turn and twist the rear wheels. Seems fine. It will either get worse or stay the same. I'll give it a couple of weeks, Thanks for the input....LPB

lpb,

Just my personal preference here, but I like hearing gear and mechanical whines coming from a car that looks the part! It's mechanical music to my ears!

If it suddenly pops up, though, we do need to hunt down (even if it is in your head)!

Michael

quote:

Originally posted by Charlie McCall:
I had a minor wine myself last night... It was an Italian wine, a Sangiovese, and while it wasn't bad I would definietly qualify it as "minor".

Charlie, I think I've experience the same, but if I recall, it was less of a wine and more of a plonk.

(Also not making my living as a funny man...)

Lastpushbutton,
Mine too makes a whining noise when I lift the throttle and only in third and fourth gears.
I asked RBT Transmissions - he suspects minor wear in bearings and shims (though he has only my description of the noise to work with).

I think a rebuild is inevitable but it's not urgent - so I'm putting aside some money to get it done in the future.

I found it, I think. The rear pad on that side had a rivet hitting the rotor. A wheel off inspection would have found it sooner.