[JennJe.]

I have a 2001 Odyssey with 198k. A week ago all of the door lights, ABS and battery light started flickering on and off. Of course when I got home and told my husband he checked and it was doing nothing wrong. I know the sign all to well of an alternator or battery going bad. Just replaced alternator 6 months ago along with serpentine belt. Fast forward to yesterday and it does it again on me and now there is a burnt rubber smell coming from under the hood. I remove the battery, take to test and all is good which leads me to the alternator. Today while everyone was at work/school I remove the belt and alternator. I take it to the local parts store and have it tested. He tested it 3 times and continually showing good. The belt still looks brand new from when we replaced it last. Came home checked all connections that plug into alternator, along with all the pully’s to make sure they are turning as they should. Nothing seems out of sort. Placed the alternator and belt back on and go for a drive. A few minutes into the drive the lights start flickering again and you can hear the motor kind of lose rpm’s when idling when the lights flicker. Again the burnt rubber smell is there and looks to be white looking smoke coming from around the back side of alternator close to motor or on motor, can’t tell.
I also know that my van needs breaks and there is a slight squeaking noise from the left front side when going extremely slow not touching the breaks. Like something seems like it’s rubbing. This I don’t think has anything to do with the other since the smell and smoke is on the opposite side of the lower squeak/rubbing noise. Considering I spent all day pulling this apart, putting it together, with no luck, I am at a loss and overly frustrated.

 

[dvpatel]

Betting its the alternator especially since its the cheap auto parts store one. These vans are picky. The auto parts store (life time warranty) ones are pure junk and keep dying. You need to get a rebuilt Denso and be done with it. I would NOT drive on that alternator as there's no telling when that smoke will turn into a fire.

Remove it and tell the parts store run a long test with load on the alternator.

 

[2011.2017.odyssey]

+1 on the above advice, unless youre looking to file an insurance claim.

 

[JennJe.]

Thank you, I will go that route. If it had full coverage insurance as much as I cussed it today that would have been an option. Lol

 

[JennJe.]

Also, will most auto parts do that test if asked? I wonder because it does have the warranty and I am wondering if I can get them to put the funds towards a Denso and pay the difference.

 

[spiritof76]

For anyone reading this, never trade in the OEM alternator for the core charge. Always keep it even if you have to buy a new one (such as a failure on a road trip), and get it professionally rebuilt or rebuild it yourself. then re-install it. Did this with the accord that my daughter had away at college. She had an aftermarket alternator installed out of necessity, but I had her keep the OEM unit. The aftermarket one started failing within two months, so I had the OEM one rebuilt and I reinstalled it. Still working great after 4 years.

 

[nitely2]

If you see smoke coming from the alternator at idle - hood up, then get that thing replaced asap. What are you waiting for? Its free replacement. But if the smoke is just in the belt area and you are not sure the source of it, could be the ac clutch going bad or the pulley tensioner.

 

[Pixburd54]

For anyone reading this, never trade in the OEM alternator for the core charge. Always keep it even if you have to buy a new one (such as a failure on a road trip), and get it professionally rebuilt or rebuild it yourself. then re-install it. Did this with the accord that my daughter had away at college. She had an aftermarket alternator installed out of necessity, but I had her keep the OEM unit. The aftermarket one started failing within two months, so I had the OEM one rebuilt and I reinstalled it. Still working great after 4 years.

spiritof76, are there special shops which will rebuild your own alternator, and not just sell a junky rebuilt?

 

[spiritof76]

Pixburg54, Yes, I used one in my area recommended by a buddy who does all of his own car repairs. The rebuild included new diodes. They also rebuild starters and other DC motors, especially for marine applications. And they apparently do work for some local car dealers. That type of shop may also have true OEM rebuilds off the shelf as well. Look at the ratings (Yelp, Google) and comments to assist in choosing a shop.

 

[JennJe.]

If you see smoke coming from the alternator at idle - hood up, then get that thing replaced asap. What are you waiting for? Its free replacement. But if the smoke is just in the belt area and you are not sure the source of it, could be the ac clutch going bad or the pulley tensioner.

Thank you. I will replace it. Luckily I have 01 Jeep I can drive until I can tear it apart again next week. Thanks again.

 

[lozawa]

OP. Very common problem. Discussed so many, many, times on this forum. When replacing Odyssey alternator, must be OEM. Will cost more, BUT will avoid the issues you are having now.

Do not let, "lifetime warranty", persuade you into purchasing after market. Unless, you enjoy, forever changing your
alternator, for free.

 

[riverman]

OP. Very common problem. Discussed so many, many, times on this forum. When replacing Odyssey alternator, must be OEM. Will cost more, BUT will avoid the issues you are having now.

Do not let, "lifetime warranty", persuade you into purchasing after market. Unless, you enjoy, forever changing your
alternator, for free.

A burning, slipping belt gives off a differnt odor than electrical wiring or an overheating alternator. Hot rubber from a belt smells different than melted insulation from an electrical issue. An overheated alternator gives off a third scent. I suspect a slipping A/C clutch is still another scent - never smelled one. Turn off the A/C to eliminate this one.

Maybe this will help your diagnosis.

 

[megatron]

Indeed I concur with everyone else here. It is very likely the alternator even if it's a new aftermarket one. I have seen this on multiple J35 motors before and I just replied on another new thread about this issue. The easiest way for me to test the theory is to disconnect both electrical connector and + connection on the alternator and then fully charge the battery. Your van should run until the battery drains.... which in the daytime with no accessories on should be more than several hours for sure. I had to do this to get my vehicle home once when this happened out on the road. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why my car was losing electrical power... even if the alternator just went out, I would have had a fully charged battery to limp me home with a battery light on. But it was a short inside the alternator that would drain your battery at the same time. That causes you to not be able to run your motor. I disconnected the alternator from the circuit and was able to drive home on battery alone. This also proves it's a short in the alternator.

Hope this helps...