Alternator

[huntingwiley]

I have noticed that there has been a high pithced squeal coming from my Alternator. It is not the bekt becaue you can remove the belt and spin the shaft with your hand and hear it a little. Is this an indication it is going bad?

If not is there any thing I can do to get rid of the noise?

Thanks

[chpthril]

Could be an alternator bearing, but they typically make more of a growling sound then a squeal. Impellers are known to squeal but hard to tell with belt off because they dont spin freely.

Before you start swapping parts, I'd try to confirm the source of the noise: With the engine running, on a fake-a-lake or in the water, take a long screwdriver or ratchet extension and use it like a stethoscope, or pick one up at the auto parts store. Carefully place the tip of the "stethoscope" on the suspected component and listen for the noise. It should radiate the loudest from the source. Again, be careful around the moving parts.

[dogbert]

Depending on how old your boat is, the squealing could be coming from the pulleys. What you're hearing is the bearings going bad. I had to replace mine a couple of years ago because they were starting to whine a bit. I suspect it just gets worse from there.

So, like chpthril recommends, until you find the source of the squealing, swapping out parts could be a waste of time. If you've ruled out the alternator or impeller, try removing your belt and check the pulleys to make sure they are spinning freely.

[huntingwiley]

Thanks for the info guys. I have checked the pullys and they are good. So it is either coming from the Alt or water pump. It really sounds like it is from the alt side. Also the Battery guage has been going from 10 to 13 volts when running on the lake. But I have checked the Alt with a Volt meter and it is putting out 14.56 everytime. I have also had the battery checked and it seems to be good.

[ktmrider1]

What a coincidence. We were all set to take the boat out last night. When I turned the key, the belt made a loud squeal and then nothing. I shut down and opened up the engine cover. The belt had snapped.

Upon inspection, I found the alternator had seized up. It looks like the water dripping between the edges of the cover cushion had caused the bearings to seize. I remember reading a thread awhile back about this and a drip tray that was fabricated to avoid happening again.

Looks like some good deals on Ebay for alternators.

[chpthril]

What a coincidence. We were all set to take the boat out last night. When I turned the key, the belt made a loud squeal and then nothing. I shut down and opened up the engine cover. The belt had snapped.

Upon inspection, I found the alternator had seized up. It looks like the water dripping between the edges of the cover cushion had caused the bearings to seize. I remember reading a thread awhile back about this and a drip tray that was fabricated to avoid happening again.

Looks like some good deals on Ebay for alternators.

Bearings are cheeaaap, I would look for a reputable local shop and just have it rebuilt.

[dogbert]

What's this drip tray of which he speaks?

[ktmrider1]

This was from mtnsmith in a post a few months back. I should have listened to him.

I'm not sure how your sunpad to transom area is, but if saltwater is dripping off the bottom of your sunpad onto the "front" of the engine, since it is essentially backwards in the boat, then you will get corrosion on the pulleys and toast an alt pretty quick, as I did. I made a gutter to catch the water and divert it away from the accessories on the engine. I'll take a couple pics when I get home so you can see what I mean. Also, my dealer that I've given you the phone number of here in Largo has come up with a set of grounding wires to hopefully help prolong the life of the steering cable. I can take shots of those too if you would like. Or you can give him a call and he cal tell you exactly how to make a set.

mtnsmith,
Have you had a chance to take any photos?