Best Cars to Insure
Is it safe to drive your car when the alternator is smelling/sounding weird?
I turned on the engine and looked under the hood its rattling and making a funny noise. It gets really hot within a matter of minutes of running. And I noticed it has a "burnt hair" smell coming from it. I'm going to get it looked at but I have along way to drive before I can get to a repair shop. Its a 1994 Cavalier
Public Comments
- You are the first person that I have ever heard of saying that their alternator is smelling funny... If you are hearing and smelling things then it is something other than your alternator and you really need to get the car looked at as soon as possible to find out what the real problem is.
- If you smell an electrical smell, it will be wise to not drive the car. If you are up there smelling the alternator after running it and the alternator is hot, sometimes they will smell a little. Since you said it is sounding weird, it probably means that the front bearing of the alternator is out and the smell is the heat from that. Change the alternator, both should go away. if your car is new enough to have a serpantine belt, or even with reg v belts change them also. might look at you hoses when you are changing alternator
- Yes. Check the owner's manual. Make sure it's not someone in the car full of "gas." You don't want to blame your car for what someone inside did.
- No, you;ll just kill the battery, and get stuck. If you check the alt. and change it, you'll be ok, if you don't you'll get an alt AND battery, AND a belt.
