Well earlier today I wrote the thread where I thought my SAI pump went kaput. Well today after work I parked the truck in the garage and started testing. There is also a humming noise that goes with terrible "plastic burning" smell while the engine is running. Well the smell is terrible and like I said there is also this humming noise. I checked the charging and it charges at 12.6V on the idle. As soon as I cranked the heat, both fog lights, heated seats, defrost, etc. it went to 11.3V. The noise is coming from the alternator as well, as I tested with the stethoscope. Also the smell seems like it's coming from that area as well!

Have you heard of this before? Noise and terrible smell?

Would you drive the truck during the day without the lights, heat, etc. (as long as it doesn't go below 12V) as I need the truck to get to work or should I hitch a ride with my wife?

Also is there any other vehicle alternator out there that will bolt on and work as OEM?

Suggestions and as always.......THANK YOU!

Boris

 

Charge the battery overnight, drive it the next day using as few electrical things as possible.
Carry jumper cables in the car with you.
Once back home charge the battery again.
No big deal, just keep it local and remember starting it is the biggest draw on the battery, then the rear defroster and the head lights.
Dont use the stereo, etc. Just turn it all off.

 

IMHO you will need a very well charged battery. With nothing running except ECU and fuel pump, etc., you will be drawing 15 - 18 amps at idle. Your alternator is not putting out at all, or at best very low amps. It can't make the 13.8 - 14.2 expected at idle. So battery is not being charged now. When you turned on the other stuff, battery volts dropped because of the load and would continue to drop. If you were to drive the truck with a fully charged great condition battery at 80F you might get two hours running time, depending on stops, traffic, etc. Like Spike says you can do it, just have jumper cables and friends. Would not plan on a 50 mile commute.

With alternator smelling burnt, rebuild of it is unlikely. Mass market rebuilt (Auto Zone, etc.) with a warranty, keep copy of sales ticket in the truck in case it dies in another town (warranty is good at lots of Ato Zone stores). About $250 plus core. Junk yard nearby?

 

Actually you will have over 4 hours of run time with minimal load.
When I was having all of my alt problems I drove for a week during December with a non charging alt.
I charged the battery everynight and then drove to work, truck sat in the ~20*F parking lot all day and then drove back home.
During the summer, I drove 100 miles with no working alt, it was summer, turned off the a/c, cruise and stereo, rolled down the windows and enjoyed the ride with the tach reading zero and the red battery light glaring me in the face.

When I was a kid my uncles raced cars, no alternator was used to increase horse power, they would race all night on a standard car battery, granted the only electrical load was the ignition system, mechanical fuel pump, distributor, and mechanical gauges.
No fuel injection either, Holly 4 barrel double pumper.

 

Each battery state of charge will be different (age of battery, etc.). And D2 minimum amps will be more than our D1, because you can't turn off the SLABS, BCU, and other electric parts. Average new battery has a 125 minute reserve rating, which is based on 25 amp discharge. But if old battery is reduced capacity, reserve time will be less also. Be prepared, take jumpers, and if headed to work take your charger and extension cord - might be able to charge while working. See what it will be like to own a Nissan Leaf..... I've done this dance at night, unplugged one head light and one tail light to extend running time. 1 - 4 hours, depending on a number of items. But what happens if you go dead on side of expressway? A jump start won't get you going.

Bris - forgot to send link about alternate alternator - see http://www.discoweb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=64631 for another Bosch part #

 

All very good point's Buzz.

 

Great!
Big thanks to both of you.
I took the alternator out and I will be going to the shop to see if they got a rebuilt one and if not maybe they can rebuild mine?
I checked the battery and it's at 12.5V (battery is about 18 months old) after I did all the testing and shut the truck off. I don't feel like pushing my luck with the truck and having my new belt break and wrap around hoses or what not. It might even cause more damage than just a bad alternator.
What really got my confused and I thought it was my SAI pump, was the really bad plastic/rubber burning smell. But it makes sense.......alternator is burning and the fan is pushing all that smell to the corners of the firewall right where the SAI pump is. And of course because it's plastic and the smell is now (thanks to the fan pushing it) there.....I honestly first thought it was the SAI pump!
Took me about half hour to locate the frickin problem!

Anyways...thanks again guys, I will take the other part number with me to the alternator shop tomorrow and hopefully they'll be able to fix me up one way or the other. Those alternative part numbers are really helpfully. Gives me options now!

I will keep you posted!

Cheers,

Boris

 

Good luck.. Also, should someone be faced with driving a truck with a burnt alternator, you would want to remove the large hot lead going to alternator (in the underhood fuse box) or the 150 amp fuse link. The melted wiring might still be placing a ground on the system and drain that reserve battery even quicker.

 

Boris, just so you know, your alternator is shot, it is outside the voltage requirements of 13.6 to 14.4 volts, time for a new one, not a recharge every day.
Go to British Parts of Utah for a new 130 amp Bosch, do not buy a rebuilt that have a high failure rate.

 

Got the new alternator in and it works great.
Cost.....$660.00 for a brand new OEM (that was the only one available).
Truck is back on the road....minus the 3 Amigos!

Thanks everyone!

Boris