Hey guys,

I recently brought a 98 Verada 3.5ltr and the alternator was on it's way out. I went to Repco and brought a brand new one and switched it over. Car starts fine but a whistling noise is coming from (I presume) the Alternator. After letting it idle for a little bit I start to smell a burning rubber smell and then a little bit of smoke comes up from underneath the alternator (that's when I turn the car off). Any ideas?

Doesn't sound good.
Did you feel how hot the alternator got after you switched off?

Sounds like it is working flat out, they can make a bit of a whistle noise when you start, but not for long.

The smoke and smell would be the insulation overheating.

Either an internal short or defective diode pack or regulator, is my guess.

Better find your receipt and go back to Repco, I think. Not a recon one, but a real new one?

Is it actually a whistle or more like a whine?

If it's a a brand new Bosch unit then whine is normal, nothing you can do about it, as for the smoke, are you sure its from the alternator and not a belt or the exhaust?

Yeah it's a Bosch one!
http://s10.postimg.org/xt814iosp/image.jpg
What's that in the picture? That came off the back of the old Alternator but the new one didn't have one on it?

Is it actually a whistle or more like a whine?

If it's a a brand new Bosch unit then whine is normal, nothing you can do about it, as for the smoke, are you sure its from the alternator and not a belt or the exhaust?

That whine or whistle usually only appears at startup, it fades away after a few seconds as the alternator backs down from it's full charge. (assuming the battery has a good charge).

OP needs to put a multimeter on the battery to see if it reads 14.4V at startup, and feel how hot the alternator gets when the smoke comes out. An alternator with an internal short can get too hot to touch very quickly.

Picture is a radio noise suppressor.

Just keep running the alternator. Your battery may be really flat, and the smoke may be some manufacturing oil heating up. It's more important to measure the output at the battery (14.4V) and monitor the temp of the outside of the alternator. Should get hot, but not too hot to touch.

I spoke to an friend who is an auto elec when I was getting frustrated about the whine, he explained it all really technically, basically my whine, is noise from a physical action inside the alternator, nothing can be done without a rebuild, however it's no a problem with the unit apart from it being noisy.

Max is right about the suppressor, you don't need it, hell I modified one to fit the aftermarket alternator, made no difference at all.

I brought an alternator/battery tester thing from Supercheap and everything is green. I haven't tried to touch the alternator I might turn it on soon and video it!

Is It possible that it could be the belt at all?

https://youtu.be/494VqKaiKGM
Just uploading this video! The sizzling noise that starts near the end, it usually starts after roughly 1 minute on idle! Could that be what's causing the smoke? I remember hearing that sizzle with the old alternator in so I'm not sure?

That whine Is normal for aftermarket Bosch units, bloody noisy, you get used to it though.

Is it smoking still?

That noise sounds like the splitloom that goes over the wiring is rubbing on something. When you bolted the terminal onto the thread of the alternator did you use the plastic washer and have the plastic lid over the end?

The sizzling noise? Yeah I have the plastic lid over it! It starts to become a constant sizzle once the engine warms up and then the smell comes and then the smoke

Smoke coming from the unit isnt right. Have you spoken to Repco about it..? Might be a faulty unit. Smoke isnt coming form the belt slipping is it..?

The sizzling noise? Yeah I have the plastic lid over it! It starts to become a constant sizzle once the engine warms up and then the smell comes and then the smoke

First the smell, then the smoke, then the flames! lol

Take the thing out, return it to Repco. The burnt smell from the windings should be enough to convince them they sold you a dud.

(Probably a good idea to get someone to eyeball your car first though, to see if you installed it right, eg belt tension.)