Battery Light on and Funny Noise
Q: Battery light on and whining noise
When I started my car tonight about 50 yards down the road the battery light came on and the car started making a whining noise sounds a bit like the belt . I turned off the heater and it made no difference either . It's a 2008 Vauxhall zafira cdti
My car has 87000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.
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It sounds like you may have a failing voltage regulator or failing alternator. As you may know, the alternator is responsible for charging the battery while the engine runs by generating amperage and recharging the battery while the engine turns the alternator. The voltage regulator is a unit that regulates the charging of the battery by the alternator and maintaining a certain amperage while the engine runs. When the alternator is not working properly, this may result in the battery quickly losing charge and the car losing all power as you have described. You may also notice a whining sound as a result of the bearings inside the alternator begin to fail. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your charging system.
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