MX-3.com

hi i have a 93 mx-3 (australian eunos 30x). recently ive had a weird high pitched noise coming from engine, followed by smoke. from what i can see, i think its coming from the alternator - the smell of the smoke also points towards an electrical fault.
has anyone had this problem? any help greatly appreciated.

cheers,
maciek

Sounds like your alternator is dying.. I would work on getting another one

It looks like a dead alternator -

But it could also be water or oil or some other fluid getting in there and burning off....
It could also be a bad belt or seized up pulley.....

I doubt it's a seized up pulley..but it could be a bad belt. is there any way of finding out - or is pulling everything apart the only way?

i also have ak8 and had the same problem not too long ago. i saw smoke comin form the hood one day and looked like it was my alternater and it was lol. so i ended up putting two more in and they both burnt out and i was like what the hell lol. i ended up havin a short somewhere or something my dads friend said it was a reverse polarity or something lol that was burning out the alternater. so yea get a new one and see what happens

Check wiring maybe?

If you need an alternator, I've got a 90amp from a ZE.

great! so it's the alternator..
now, does anyone know how to fix the short circuit...? thanks jbud1291 ill go get myself a new alternator tomorow..
just out of curiousity..how long did your alternator last before it completely burnt out?

well i didnt really try and find out because it was smokin pretty bad and it smelled like burning oil and i wasnt sure at first what it was so i didnt drive it for a few days. But my dads friend( fixed the car) said that the 2 alternators he put in did not last long at all before they burnt out so maybe your wires and stuff are ok and your alternator is just getting old. just get a new one and see what happens

yeah that sounds about right, because it has been happening on and off for a few months but recently got bad..didnt get around to getting a new one yet but will definately start looking tomorow!
thanks guys

You can always put a ZE engine in if all else fails

keep an eye on it at least. My valve cover gasket was dripping into my alternator, and eventually caused it to start on fire. Didn't spread, but had to replace a bunch of wiring.

well the fire extinguisher i bought yesterday will at least come in handy
yeah i will definately have a look if any fluids are dripping into it. once again, thanks for all the help!