Nissan 370Z Forum  

Alternator whine

Has anyone noticed a whine coming from the alternator? I am not talking about noise coming into the radio. When the alternator is not charging, and you are driving on

Go Back   Nissan 370Z Forum > Nissan 370Z Tech Area > Engine & Drivetrain


Like Tree2Likes
  • 1 Post By JARblue
  • 1 Post By SouthArk370Z

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-28-2016, 04:22 PM   #1 (permalink)
Base Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Lexington, SC
Posts: 12
Drives: 12 370Z Touring A7
Rep Power: 12
cwhawk is on a distinguished road
Default Alternator whine

Has anyone noticed a whine coming from the alternator? I am not talking about noise coming into the radio. When the alternator is not charging, and you are driving on a smooth road, you notice a whine between 2000 prm - 3000 rpm. The Nissan dealer changed the alternator at a cost of $800 to the extended warranty company, but the new alternator is just as noisy. They are checking with Nissan to ask if something else is causing the whine. As an old timer, I believe it is the alternator - new or not. When you reduce rpm, the whine decreases. If you have the AC off, and are sitting still, you can make the whine go up or down as the RPM changes. When the alternator is showing 14.4 (charging), the noise is not there.
If anyone has this problem or has had it corrected, please let me know.
cwhawk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-28-2016, 04:48 PM   #2 (permalink)
A True Z Fanatic
 
JARblue's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Austin, TX
Age: 43
Posts: 36,450
Drives: 11 Z34, 98 E36 M3
Rep Power: 2684440
JARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond reputeJARblue has a reputation beyond repute
Default

Pretty sure you are talking about the ECU whine. It is a known issue that bothers some and not others. Depends on your hearing. Younger women have the best ears for hearing it. There was one guy who took it to a dealer, and they didn't want to acknowledge the problem until the young secretary rode along and noticed the whine immediately. The fix is replacing the ECU.
Spooler likes this.
__________________

2011 370Z 6MT Sport Gun Metallic | ARC | CJM | Ecutek | FI | Fujimura | R2C | SPL | Stillen | TWM | Z1 | ZSpeed |
JARblue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-28-2016, 05:48 PM   #3 (permalink)
Premium Member
 
SouthArk370Z's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: South Arkansas
Posts: 8,435
Drives: 2014 Challenger
Rep Power: 324198
SouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond reputeSouthArk370Z has a reputation beyond repute
Default

You need to figure out where the noise is coming from. If from the cabin, then JARblue is probably right about it being the ECM. If it's coming from under the hood, use a mechanic's stethoscope or a piece of hose to pinpoint (being VERY careful around moving parts).
TBatt likes this.
__________________
Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub
Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma
SouthArk370Z is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2016, 11:31 AM   #4 (permalink)
Base Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Lexington, SC
Posts: 12
Drives: 12 370Z Touring A7
Rep Power: 12
cwhawk is on a distinguished road
Default Update

The alternator was replaced but the whine remained. I was told it was the idler pulley so they replaced that. Next, I was told it was the power steering pump so they replaced that. The noise is now gone, so it was the power steering pump even though the noise was not there if the alternator was charging but present if not charging.
So, after three "guesses", and a cost of $2700 to the extended warranty company, it is fixed. The vehicle is a 2012 with 34,500 miles.
cwhawk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2016, 12:25 PM   #5 (permalink)
A True Z Fanatic
 
Zbrah's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: The370Z.com
Posts: 4,956
Drives: 370Z
Rep Power: 5452
Zbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond reputeZbrah has a reputation beyond repute
Default

How much was for the power steering pump replacement? I have had the same whine exactly as you described it for two years now. Took it in to two different Nissan dealers, one acknowledged the noise but refuse to warranty it and the second dealer (Fontana Nissan) said they can't hear anything and ran my car into a street light
__________________
Zbrah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2016, 12:39 PM   #6 (permalink)
Track Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Houston
Posts: 551
Drives: 2011 G37S sedan
Rep Power: 10
Slartibartfas is on a distinguished road
Default

Toss a diamond necklace under the hood. That'll stop whining every time.
__________________
2011 Journey Sport sedan 7AT | SPL front, SPC rear camber arms | ARK Grip cat-back |
Slartibartfas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2016, 10:31 PM   #7 (permalink)
A True Z Fanatic
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: socal
Posts: 1,108
Drives: 370z
Rep Power: 13435
nis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond reputenis350 has a reputation beyond repute
Default

Does the ECU whine has any adverse impact on the operation or durability of the ECU?

Quote:
Originally Posted by JARblue View Post
Pretty sure you are talking about the ECU whine. It is a known issue that bothers some and not others. Depends on your hearing. Younger women have the best ears for hearing it. There was one guy who took it to a dealer, and they didn't want to acknowledge the problem until the young secretary rode along and noticed the whine immediately. The fix is replacing the ECU.
nis350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2016, 01:16 AM   #8 (permalink)
Track Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: chicago
Posts: 783
Drives: '12 G37 6MT
Rep Power: 15
Jsolo is just really niceJsolo is just really niceJsolo is just really niceJsolo is just really niceJsolo is just really nice
Default

I had this whine too. They replaced the P/S reservoir, no more whine. There was a tsb for this on the infiniti side. I imagine there's one for the 370z too.

http://www.infinitig37.com/TSB/ITB12-035.pdf

Now it is possible your noise was indeed due to a bad p/s pump. Mine sounded like a supercharger whine. It was present mostly after the car was warmed up, especially in ambient temps over 60F. Just turning the wheel one way or the other while stationary would cause the whine.
__________________
G37S Sedan 6MT, Eibach swaybars, Invidia Exhaust, Weaker Clutch Pedal Spring

For sale links
Jsolo is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Max Alternator Output Juleous Audio & Video 24 05-25-2020 01:10 PM
Alternator failure pokeyl Engine & Drivetrain 7 03-22-2014 09:58 PM
Getting rid of Alternator Whine TXSpeedDemon Audio & Video 14 01-05-2014 05:52 PM
1st Gear high pitched whine, and super high pitched whine downshifting into first wdkwang Engine & Drivetrain 18 04-10-2013 04:55 PM
alternator (whine) spool sound samb03 Nissan 370Z General Discussions 2 12-22-2010 02:10 AM


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:56 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2