I got home and was able to get some light on it in the garage. Started it up and getting about 12.6-12.8 at warm idle. With a little bump in the RPM get up to 14+. Thinking the alternator may not be the problem? The burning smell didn't return. Sniffed around before starting it again and it seems to be coming more from around the battery. Is is possible that it may give off an odor being new as it warms up? Perhaps the "new" burning off it?? Was just a thought. Double checked all connections and all are tight. Contacts were cleaned before installation of new battery.

Still significant "whining" noise that varies with RPM. Tried to isolate it and best I can do is middle to left side standing in front facing the engine. Worried it could be a pulley bearing about to go?? Could be time to introduce myself to the local independent LR mechanic. Wizard Werks here in Chicago has an amazing reputation and reviews for LR service. Open to suggestions if anyone has any in the area. I checked the list on the forum but nothing.

 

I would introduce yourself unless someone chimes in real quick. Initially the meter showed you the fresh battery voltage before applying the throttle, then it rose to running voltage. That isn't usual. How does the belt look? Does it look wet or dry? Is the belt warm or hot? A chirping sound is what the pulley's will make when the bearings are dry. Whine is usually the power steering when low on fluid or can be the alternator with an internal problem. Batteries off gas while charging which smells like sulphur - hard to miss. A belt slipping would give off an odor of rubber.

 

Many who have had the alternator go have had it smoke and give off a burning smell. It also kills batteries. I would leave your battery disconnected when not in use and get it to your mechanic to test the alternator.

 

Thank you very much to all for the replies and advice. Seems fairly certain the alternator has or is in the process of dying. I've disconnected battery (tested and new battery is still good) and ordered new alternator. Should be here Friday so my "honey-do" list priorities have now shifted for this weekend to include a new first place: 1) Replace Alternator !! Thank goodness for a garage since it will be back in the teens here in Chicago.

 

Thanks once again to all who replied. Was definitely the alternator. Got the new one put on today and it works great! Meter showing 14.75 at idle, noise is gone, and no burning smells. Couldn't have done it without the forum and those who took the time to provide assistance. Hope this helps others with similar problem. Followed a few threads here with how-to tips and found several videos on YouTube for guidance. The process was just as described with no suprises.

 

No more stranded family, yea!

 

Good to hear and I certainly don't miss Chicago in the winter, Georgia winter has been very welcome this year

 

I had a similar issue right after buying my 06 HSE. My wife left a door open overnight (it should time out after 30min), but apparently it put a decent amount of strain on the battery. When I went to crank it up, I got it to start, but immediately smelled an electrical smell from under the hood. I went to turn it off and sure enough I had a battery icon staring at me on the dash. The smell was certainly coming from the alternator. I metered my battery and it was 11.5v. I put a trickle charger on it overnight to get it back up to 100% charge (it was at 69% according to my charger). Then my wife had to drive it so I cranked it up and no battery light and no smell. I let her take it into town and I knew I'd probably get a phone call lol. It didn't come back on until the next day and when I used my ScanGauge II it was only doing 12.5 to 13.2 tops. I went ahead and ordered a new one (70.00 online) as my LR buddy said it doesn't matter if you buy a LR one or a 70.00 they're all gonna last the same as it's located down near the hot exhaust and it gets wet vs older LR's that had them mounted up top. So I grabbed a new unit off of Ebay and slapped it in. The quality of the unit was top notch and when I cranked it up I was looking at 14.4v then it went down to 13.5v.

What I think happens is with a good battery the alternator isn't under load much, and over time it fails internally. Then when the battery drops below a certain amount the alternator has been maintaining all this time a much bigger load is placed on the alternator and it can't handle it and it goes out with a lovely electrical smell.

It wasn't as quick & easy of a job as say a D1/D2, but it wasn't hard by any means.