I'm now super charged... sorta

[audisnapr]

the audi got a ton of attention this weekend as you can see from my other post - painted the front bumper friday night. saturday, polished and waxed the entire car, pressure washed the engine bay, wet sanded and polished the bumper, etc, etc.

but I did encounter a problem and wonder if anyone else has experience this... during and after the pressure wash of the engine everything was great. the car was idling during the wash to make sure everything was warm and would help evap any water in the system. everything seemed fine after and I moved on to other things. Sunday morning I started the car to move it out of the garage and I heard what sounded like the whistle/rotary sound of a super charger. popped the hood and located the sound to the alternator.

Did I screw up the bearings of the alternator? Is this something that will go away or did I ruin it? Drove the car last night for a few miles, got on it a little bit, but it didn't go away. Drove to work this morning and its still there. Anyone have this problem before?

[AudiRacerS4]

the audi got a ton of attention this weekend as you can see from my other post - painted the front bumper friday night. saturday, polished and waxed the entire car, pressure washed the engine bay, wet sanded and polished the bumper, etc, etc.

but I did encounter a problem and wonder if anyone else has experience this... during and after the pressure wash of the engine everything was great. the car was idling during the wash to make sure everything was warm and would help evap any water in the system. everything seemed fine after and I moved on to other things. Sunday morning I started the car to move it out of the garage and I heard what sounded like the whistle/rotary sound of a super charger. popped the hood and located the sound to the alternator.

Did I screw up the bearings of the alternator? Is this something that will go away or did I ruin it? Drove the car last night for a few miles, got on it a little bit, but it didn't go away. Drove to work this morning and its still there. Anyone have this problem before?

i just replaced my alternator two days ago and it is making this same noise too

[audisnapr]

crap. was it still working and was just noisy, or was it not charging/running the electrical system? Mine seems to still be working just fine - just sounds like I'm super charged.

[ct1.8t4me]

Speaking of alternators - can it be done without going to the service position or taking the intake manifold out?

[AudiRacerS4]

Speaking of alternators - can it be done without going to the service position or taking the intake manifold out?

you dont need to put it in the service position but you need to remove the throttle body to slide it out

[Nebone]

That dreaded noise. Its definalely bearings. My buddies saab is due for a replacement as well. Much easier on the A4 tho.

[audisnapr]

any leads on the best prices for a replacement alternator?

[AudiRacerS4]

any leads on the best prices for a replacement alternator?

try your local auto parts store. i got my valeo 90amp alternator for $200 with a $40 core charge

[Ewok_Fetus]

With you being a 2000, I am sure you will need the alternator ending in "G" but "E" will work also... E just has the free spin pulley on it... All it does is extend the life of your belt... And no, the pulleys are not swappable... The shaft on the "G" unit is thicker than "E"... As long as it is the same BRAND and AMPERAGE as your stock unit, it will work... Cannot use Valeo with Bosch and Bosch with Valeo...

[AudiRacerS4]

Cannot use Valeo with Bosch and Bosch with Valeo...

yeah i found that out the hard way

[tamadrumr88]

don't pressure wash your engine next time. a simple spritz of degreaser, quick agitation of large areas of dirt with a soft brush, and soft rinse is enough

[Ewok_Fetus]

Hey racer... How did you get the alternator out without doing the service position? I find that the easiest way... The lower mount bolt will not come out without removing the fan clutch... Fan clutch cannot come out without going into service position...

[mnsirtee]

that's just weird, mine did the same thing after I changed new alternator. It went away after a couple of starts. It would come back when ever I erase any codes or unpluge battery. Try buying a can of alternator cleaner in you local autoshop.

[Eurotuned_A4]

i have always wanted to celan my engine bay, but i dont want to have problems like this. i think im just going to pay someone to do it whenever i actually get it done.

[audisnapr]

for what it's worth - since owning the car in Nov. of '99, this is the first time I've cleaned the bay. I had always been fearful of audi/vw's electronics so I avoided it. I used to pressure wash/clean my honda's bay every month. Whether or not it was a coincidence that the alternator decided to scream the day after the wash will never be known, but I took every reasonable precaution to prevent any damage to the engine while washing.

I'll keep an eye on it for the next couple of days and see what happens. Worst comes to worst, I buy a new alternator to replace one that is nearly 9y/o

[alen]

I actually have the same thing happening on my 2000. It started a few months ago, sounds like an electric car when you rev it. I pinpointed the sound to the alternator as well. Now just waiting to grab some time and money to swap it out. Thanks guys for info in this thread about version numbers.

Alen

[Ewok_Fetus]

I forgot to mention... ATW and AWM are the only compatable with each other... The others like AEB have a 5 spline pulley and the ATW and AWM have the 6 spline and are also smaller than the AEB...

[AudiRacerS4]

Hey racer... How did you get the alternator out without doing the service position? I find that the easiest way... The lower mount bolt will not come out without removing the fan clutch... Fan clutch cannot come out without going into service position...

I have an EFK so i have no fan clutch

[Just Quaff]

Generally that sort of whine noise is caused by overtightening the belt on the alternator, and the noise you are hearing is being cause by the belt putting strain on the alternator bearing. loosen your belt a bit

[Poopie]

that belt is auto tensioned. I have a whine too...Not sure which bearing is whining though

[Tifun]

You can try a hard mix lube. Get some mobil red grease and mix it with 0w40 oil in a 50/50 ratio. Lightly lube a few times by hand and rotate to let soak in with an oiler. We do this to bearings on a daily basis at work. It's worth a shot and might save them. I imagine you just pushed the lube out.

[Solaris]

I've replaced my alternator without putting the nose in service position and without removing the throttle body. You can remove the fan pulley (single allen head bolt from behind) and let it drop out of the way enough to get access to the alternator bolt. I had to remove the upper radiator hose and throttle body hose. It's tight, but possible.