Cadillac Owners Forum banner

What's this winding noise?

727 views 5 replies 2 participants last post by  FuzzyLogic 
#1 ·
I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, so bear with me. I'm trying to do some remote diagnostics before I get off work today. This morning, I started my car and pulled out of the garage to the end of the driveway. I stopped, turned it off and got out for a moment, then got back in and started it back up.

There is now a pronounced winding/whining noise coming from the front at idle. I drove down to the end of the street. It is significant at idle, so that I can feel a vibration in my clutch pedal. It is noticeable up to about 30mph then it gets drowned out by the other car noises. I live relatively close to work so I was nearly there by the end of my test drive so it's in the parking lot here. I noticed no leaking fluids, but it was dark and I was running late so I wasn't terribly thorough. The car has 99,4xx miles on it. Any thoughts?
 
#3 ·
Yeah, I believe there was a slight alteration when I turned. The alternator was rebuilt about a year ago when I was having battery voltage issues (it turned out to be a bad connector thanks to motor mounts) and it was only preventative maintenance so it should be ok!

Check: Watched that video and that is -exactly- my noise. Holy cow, do I ever love forums. I'll check the fluid but it seems like it's alternator time. At least that's cheap! I didn't check my voltage... FYI I'm buying a forum membership right now.
 
#5 ·
Believe it or not, after work I went out and popped the hood and started the car. I did a walk around and looked to see if the fluids were all in order. The power steering fluid reservoir had some oil pooled up around the little lip somehow?? Anyhow, the noise was gone. I made sure everything was right as far as my knowledge allowed, then drove home. I went to Walmart and now I'm home and it remains silent. I'll just be watching it closely I guess. Perhaps there is something loose. Thanks for the tips and Fuzzy, if you can give me a source for the $90 part I would greatly appreciate it as I will likely be needing it soon.
 
#6 ·
The AD-244 alternator (145 amps) is easy to find if you frequent eBay or pick-a-part type places. I have one of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHEVROLET-4...Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a2ac4e92d&vxp=mtr

$90. This particular vendor only sells one at a time--perhaps to keep prices steady at $90. Once someone buys one, a day or two later, he'll list another one. I prefer this option over what people usually do--just grab one for $50 from a wrecked truck. If you prefer to buy brand-new, and don't mind an Asian-built part, try the Tuff Stuff 8237 for $135:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/tff-8237/overview/

http://www.jegs.com/i/Tuff-Stuff/908/8237/10002/-1

While you're at it, you might want to consider doing a Big 3 upgrade. It'll buy you an extra 0.5-0.8V at 100A load over the stock wiring. I'm actually considering replacing the Racetronix wiring kit with 1/0 AWG as well, since that's a really long run and easy to do at the same time. It will really come in handy when I upgrade to dual fuel pumps.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top