'97 XLT Loud Whining Noise... (not my wife)

[dvan_heerden]

Hi all:

I am new to the forum as a member, but I have viewed it many times. Thanks for some really helpful posts.

I apologize in advance if this is a duplicate post... I searched and came up with nothing on the forum that sounded like my problem...

PROBLEM:

My '97 XLT AWD 5.0 has recently developed a loud whining noise from under the hood. The noise has progresively gotten a little worse, but has been around the same decibel level since the noise started about 2 months ago... and trust me... the noise is EXTREMELY annoying!

The noise and whining gets louder and higher-pitched as the engine revs increase... it is definitely an engine-related noise, as oposed to a wheel/road noise.

A friend of mine took a quick listen and said it sounds like the Alternator bearings are starting to go bad...

I have subsequently been keeping a close eye on my Voltage guage and the guage has been reading normal, until a load is applied (lights, wipers, turn signal, A/C, radio, and window button)... the needle drops very close to the "LOW" line, which never happened before "The Whine" with the same load applied.

I have priced out reconditioned Alternators and can find one (a 130A Alternator) shipped for about US$45, with 30 day warranty. Good price?

Would anyone have any suggestions? Any help will be very much appreciated.



FYI - The vehicle has got around 120,000 miles on it.

Thanks is advance... I look forward to any/all feedback.

[way2old]

On a reconditioned alternator, the prce you pay is usually what you get. If you like to keep changing them out, the 45$ is a really cheap price. We purchase ours for about 180$ each and we are a government fleet facility.

[bumpinkicker04]

Originally Posted by way2old

On a reconditioned alternator, the prce you pay is usually what you get. If you like to keep changing them out, the 45$ is a really cheap price. We purchase ours for about 180$ each and we are a government fleet facility.

Check rockauto.com. On new parts i find them hard to beat. An easy way to see if that is the problem is to take the tension off of the drive belt and see if there is alot of play in the pulley on the alternator from front to back. If I were you I would check the water pump while your at it as they sound the same when the bearings go out. Good Luck!

[dvan_heerden]

way2old - Thanks. I was kinda thinking the same thing (get what you pay for).

bumpinkicker04 - rockauto is a great website - thanks for the link! Is the water pump a difficult part to replace myself?

Seems to me that buying a new Alternator, or even a $200 Alternator for a vehicle that already has 120,000 miles on it, might be a waste...? I wouldn't mind buying one for about $100 or so, but much more that I don't think would suit my needs.

Also... in my mind, this makes sense, but please correct me if I'm wrong.....

Can my fuel economy be affected by the Alternator going bad? And by affected, I mean I am getting +/-100 miles LESS PER TANK!! It's totaly ludicrous!

My non-mechanical-background theory:
Since the Alternator is run by the serpentine belt, and the bearings are going bad (or whatever), it seems to me that the my poor little 5.0 is working overtime to push the failing Alternator...

Is this a decent theory? I just need to know if my gas mileage will go from $hit to ok once I replace the Alternator.

Please help!

[bumpinkicker04]

I don't know about the gas mileage it might help. The water pump is not that big of a deal to replace. The only thing i hate about water pumps is you have to get almost every trace of the old gasket off of the engine or you will have a leak. If you want i can post the procedure from out of the book. Any way good luck!

[mab6680]

i agree rockauto.com is a dam good site used them for a couple of months now with out any problems

[bumpinkicker04]

Originally Posted by mab6680

i agree rockauto.com is a dam good site used them for a couple of months now with out any problems

The only thing I don't like is that when your car is sitting in the driveway and you don't have a way to work then waiting for a part in the mail is kind of excruciating.

[dvan_heerden]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

bumpinkicker04 - if you wouldn't mind, I would very much appreciate if you could send the water pump change procedure if you have some time. I'll probably take your advice and replace alternator and water pump together. Don't think the water pump has been replaced yet - @ 116,000 miles, it seems like a good idea to replace the pump before it goes bad (if it's not bad already). Fortunately, the truck is still driveable, so waiting for the parts will not be an issue.

We're expecting some decent snow tomorrow here in New Jersey... it'll be the first time I drive the Explorer in snow (only bought it in July). Is the AWD going to be reliable in the snow/ice/etc? I guess I'll need to go to a desserted parking lot and test the limits of the AWD so I feel more comfortable on the roads. I had an accident this past January in my FWD Nissan Altima - hit black ice and flipped the car. So needless to say, I'm a little weary of the winter roads... which in effect is why i decided on getting the Explorer.

Anyway - thanks again. Looking forward to some more responses.

[bumpinkicker04]

I will post the procedure tonight as i don't have the book with me right now. As far as the explorer on snow.....they are fine going forward as you get traction pretty well. But stopping they are the same as any other car they will slide. As long as you use some common sense (no speeding, tailgating, etc.) you should be alright.

[dvan_heerden]

Originally Posted by bumpinkicker04

I will post the procedure tonight as i don't have the book with me right now. As far as the explorer on snow.....they are fine going forward as you get traction pretty well. But stopping they are the same as any other car they will slide. As long as you use some common sense (no speeding, tailgating, etc.) you should be alright.

Thanks again. I appreciate it.

Will post again to let you know if I had fun with the truck in my work parking lot tomorrow!

[[email protected]]

Another thought about your "bearin" noise. It could be caused by the a/c clutch bearing as well as all the other suggestions. Obtain a mechanic's stethescope and listen to the husing. You will find the source immediately.
Ernie

[bumpinkicker04]

If I were you i would just wait on the water pump until you have to replace it. But I will post it anyway. Of course drain the cooling system completely before you start. Remove the cooling fan and shroud. LOOSEN THE BOLTS ON THE PUMP PULLEY AND THEN PULL THE DRIVE BELT OFF. Detach the hoses from the water pump. (If you have the original factory alligator clamps then i would go ahead and replace them with the screw type). You may have to take the alternator bracket off to get the pump out. remove the bolts from the water pump (8 for the V8 and 12 for the V6).
Make sure that you pay attention to where each bolt goes as some are different lengths and sizes than others. If the water pump won't come loose by hand then smack it with a rubber mallet a couple times. Now go ahead and take off the pulley. Keep the bolts and pulley as you willl need it for the new pump. Remove all of the old gasket from the engine and then clean the surface of the engine and the bolts with lacquer thinner or acetone. Now put a thin bead of RTV sealant all the way around on the side of the gasket that is going on the engine. Next put the gasket on the engine and just stick a couple bolts through to hold the gasket on the engine. Now put a thin bead around the mating surfaces of the water pump. Then install the water pump. Make sure that you do not tighten them up to much or the pump will warp and you will have a leak (V6 is at 72-108 inch-lbs and the V8 is 15-21 ft-lbs).
Reinstall everything including a new belt. Once you get the belt on you can reinsatll the pulley and tighten it down. Make sure you refill the coolant. And then run the engine and check for leaks.

[dvan_heerden]

Hi all:

Finally got rid of the noise. Thought I would post and let you know what happened:

Long story short... bought the reconditioned alternator - US$100. Installed it. Whining noise still there!

Used mechanic's stethoscope (I don't actually know why I didn't think of that before!) and narrowed the whining noise down to the Idler Pulley, located onder the Alternator.

Idler Pulley was a dealer part... Auto Parts places only carried the smooth pulley... I needed the ridged pulley. Total cost for Idler Pulley - US$25.

Whining noise gone!

Decided to leave the rebuilt alternator in there... until 3 days later the alternator failed!

Pulled that alternator - sent it back for my US$100 back! Inserted my original alternator (which I THOUGHT was bad) and the problems are solved! No more whining!

The ONLY problem is.......... my gas mileage STILL SUX!!!!! What gives?

Thanks for all your help everyone.