whining noise/alarm question

[theplayer]

I have two questions some of you might help with. There is a high pitched whining noise or whistle coming from my alternator. I am pretty sure the alternator is the source. Does that noise mean there is a problem with it? Also, does the alarm detect shock such as window breakage or a hard hit? Does it only detect the door being opened?

Hi there,
Normally, a whining noise coming from the alternator indicates that there is a power, ground, or internal problem with the alternator.
First check your battery connections, terminals for acid leakage, and anything loose.
Then, look to see if your digital display for your volts is fluctuating more than .3 volts when idling.
Let us know and the alarm will NOT detect glass breakage or impact.
Allthebest, c4c5

[theplayer]

I will check and report what I find. I wonder why the alarm won’t detect shock. It seems like you would want that on an expensive car.

[theplayer]

My connections are all tight and there is no corrosion on the terminals. My voltage goes from 14.2 to 14.4 when at idle. I forgot to mention that the whining noise goes away after the car has run for a few minutes. It has gotten louder over the past month. Could it be a bearing going bad in the alternator or something like that? At first it sounded like sucking air so I thought it was a leak in the intake. I took a screw driver and put it on the alternator and I could hear that noise through the screw driver. That’s how I narrowed it down to the alternator.

HI there,
The electrical load on the alternator is higher when you first start the vehicle, so that might be why you are hearing it more when you first start it.
As for the rest, please keep us posted, c4c5