New Member & Wnining Noise

[PeteZ]

Great Site.
Just joined.

Just bought a one onwer 1994 3.4 GTP 60k miles i previously had 1993 Lumina Z34 (sold)
I also have 1991 Corvette ZR1 32V DOHC ET's 11.30's
2001 Seville STS Stock
I also have a lift in my garage so i can play with my cars.

Love the GTP since i bought it,it makes a whining noise on the hiway it sounded like a supercharger first thought PS Pump changed it,noise still there pulled the belt noise was gone got the stathiscope out it's seems to be the damn alternator,oh well alternator time.
Hope not the trans i get no noise in park or in drive with a slight brake torque.


Pete

[pontiacdohc@gmail.com]

befor you go buy an alt. buy the ten.pulley you will want to Kill your self if you change that alt. It is not a fun Job and if you dont have a 10mm ratching wrench you are SOL!!! plus the pulley is like 19.99 at the most and the alt. is 149.99. I just put an alt on a 2005 trail blazer thinking it was the alt to it had a crazy whine to it. after getting it the new alt on it still whined I had to return it and get the ideler pulley and that fixed it. I thin there is a post on here on to do the alt. its not fun. you have to pull the cv shaft lower ball joint spalsh gaurd and there is a air duct that snaps into the alt its a bitch to get out also a real bitch !!

http://www.60degreev6.com/showthread.php?t=24972 they pull the whole hub assm. in these directions I found it just as fast as removing the lower ball joint....

[PeteZ]

befor you go buy an alt. buy the ten.pulley you will want to Kill your self if you change that alt. It is not a fun Job and if you dont have a 10mm ratching wrench you are SOL!!! plus the pulley is like 19.99 at the most and the alt. is 149.99. I just put an alt on a 2005 trail blazer thinking it was the alt to it had a crazy whine to it. after getting it the new alt on it still whined I had to return it and get the ideler pulley and that fixed it. I thin there is a post on here on to do the alt. its not fun. you have to pull the cv shaft lower ball joint spalsh gaurd and there is a air duct that snaps into the alt its a bitch to get out also a real bitch !!

Thanks pontiacdohc i will try that first thing tommorrow.
If that is the problem that will be great,i wasn't looking forward on doing the alternator,i will let you know.

Pete

[Hal H]

Signs when the alt goes out

Great Site.
Just joined.
Love the GTP since i bought it,it makes a whining noise on the hiway it sounded like a supercharger first thought PS Pump changed it,noise still there pulled the belt noise was gone got the stathiscope out it's seems to be the damn alternator,oh well alternator time.
Hope not the trans i get no noise in park or in drive with a slight brake torque.

Pete

Pete - when the alt's go out on these (I'm on my 4th one over 15 years) usually its one of the rectifiers- the symptom will be low (or almost no) output and it will whine / drone at all speeds and not stop doing so under any condition.

Heat is the biggest issue with the alt. It's on the backside of the block, down low. The tight spaces with the DOHC installation is the nature of the beast with these cars.

If you live in an area with hot summer tempertures, you'll notice the voltage output will drop some in hot weather/low speed driving. Get on the highway where airflow will cool things off, and the voltage output goes back up.

It seems the later production alternators are more durable - there are some applications that list a HD version - might be higher rated rectifiers or larger heat sinks.

From all the posts I've read over the years and the service manual procedure, you want to make sure other items are eliminated before tackling the alt. I've not changed my own, but it doesn't look like a job I'd want to deal with...

[PeteZ]

Well i elimanated the Idler pulley.
Now i have to yank the Alternator

Thanks
Pete

[silvergtjrad]

welcome to the site, you are pretty close to my area!

I heard a story on another forum about a ZR1 racing a mini cooper->

I was on my way to work last night and saw a ZR1 heading up 83 the same way I was going. It was an older guy driving. You rarely see a ZR1 on the street so Im gawking at it in awe. Then all of a sudden these 2 kids in a Cooper S come flying past to catch the Vette. They caught a light. Im thinking to myself "LOL, this is gonna be great." The S is reving the shit out of his engine letting the ZR1 hear its blower whine. He probably thinks its just a standard C4 Vette. Light goes green......the S launches hard and the ZR1 eeks his tires. Then at about 30 he goes WOT and blows past the Cooper. He gets up there fast enough to beat the next red light. So the Cooper is at the head of the light and I get up next to them and start laughing my ass off. I was pretty obnoxious.

That wouldnt happen to be you would it?

[PeteZ]

welcome to the site, you are pretty close to my area!

I heard a story on another forum about a ZR1 racing a mini cooper->
That wouldnt happen to be you would it?

Thanks
No that wasn't me,but there is a few ZR-1's out in the west burbs that i know.
What color was the ZR-1?

Yeah i always get that when they think it's just an old C4 vette and they think i was spraying even when i'm at the track.

Pete

[OldSkoolGP]

Having a '94 car he should already have the updated alternator. The way you know is if the connector on the back of the alternator is a 4 wire connector instead of a 2 wire. Also, in an attempt to keep the alternators cool, GM installed vents for the alternators that clipped on to the back side and drew in air from behind the oil pan. Not terribly efficient, but better than nothing. Make sure that is there, it may have dropped off or not been reinstalled by a careless mechanic.

BTW, welcome to the site. I'm drooling over the thought of that ZR-1.

[pontiacdohc@gmail.com]

one wire??? ive seen the 4 wire set up but never a one wire set Up mines a 93 it has the two wire set up and My friend had a 92 z34 and it was also the 2 wire setup ???