Possible Alternator Troubles.

[dap20]

Hi. I have a 2008 Accord Euro. On occasion it has been a little slow to start. Sometimes not turning over until the second turn of the key.

Anyway, this morning the battery light came on as soon as I started it and remained on. There was also a "whine" noise coming from the engine. I managed to get to work ok. On inspection the noise is definitely coming from the vicinity of the alternator, belt etc.

I didn't start it again until I finished work, and it turned over fine. I drive strait to a battery place and they put a multi meter on it. The battery is fine. So this leads me to think it possibly the alternator.

So my question is, how much ball park would it be to have an alternator replaced and/or refurbished? I think replacing it myself is probably out of my ability.

Should I just take it to an auto elec before it dies? Is it likely to just pack up soon or might I be able to get around to get some stuff done first?

I also have to take to get a smash repair quote as a truck from the battery place reversed into me as I was getting it checked out. Good times! :p

[ChaosMaster]

Cold days = harder to start. Belt whine is normal when cold. It should disappear after a few KM when the engine warms up. Since you have a multimeter, I would recommend checking the voltage while the engine is running. Anything around the 14v means it's running fine. 12v+ when the engine is off is fine as well.

[dap20]

Cool. I drove probably 4km to work. It stayed on the whole way and was on the whole way home too. I'm kinda just hoping it is that. Because my battery should have been flat if it was the alternator. I didnt have any lights, stereo or climate control running however. Hopefully its ok in the morning.

[Chestnuggets]

Hey i am having the same problem. Do you think it is the alternator? Because i got a jumper lead and connected 1 end to a mates car and 1 to mine. Left his car running for about 15 minutes to see if it charged up. I drove home (about 2km) and then the lights started to die.

I'm not too sure if it is the alternator but i am thinking it is because the battery was replaced 6 months ago.

[egcarbz]

definitely alternator, mine whined for 2 days, then the battery died. all the lights flickered on the cluster, and the car eventually died

[Chestnuggets]

Yeah exact same thing happend to me. Not sure how long it will take to replace but it will be a good experience of trial and error.

[Fredoops]

$20 and get an alternator/battery tester from Supercheap and test it out yourself.

[ChaosMaster]

Yeah, as explained earlier, grab a multimeter maybe one of the easiest ways. Set it to 20v DC, then check the battery with engine off, if it says 12v+ then it's fine. I've seen some batteries where a cell of the 6 in there dies, and voltage drops to 10-11v. If the battery seems fine, turn the engine on, and check again. A good alternator will make 14v, which is a bit more than what the battery makes and is what it's supposed to do (as it charges the battery while powering the electrics in the car). Anything less than 14v with the engine on, even if it's 12v, means you got a problem with your alternator.