Alternator whine coming from stereo speakers just occured

Hello all - I've owned my 1996 for 7 years. Yesterday for the first time I heard a "whine" coming out of my radio speakers; it would happen only when I took off from a stop light; the faster the engine revved the higher pitch the sound was. So I did what any rational person would do; I turned off the radio.

Went online and all they said was it was a "bad ground" somewhere. Nobody mention the cause could be the alternator was starting to go out.

Does anyone have an idea what is causing this noise?

Thanks for the help.

 

Got a Amp ?

 

Nope. It's a regular-looking CD player JVC deck that was in the car when I bought it. This just happened yesterday after 7 years of ownership. As long as it's not a diode or corroded ground wire from the battery, or the future death of my alternator, I'll just happily drive on without a damn radio. I'm as broke as a joke and can barely afford gas in my rig right now.

 

I would start by cleaning your ground from the battery to chassis, possibly over time it rusted or loosen up.

 

You just got yourself a supercharger

 

Thanks, but it's a new ground terminal (old one was corroded) I mated to the old ground wire. Hope that doesn't mean the ground to the body is rotted. BTW if you trace the ground wire from the battery, where does it attach to the truck?

Battery is just 2 months old. But it's good news that no one is saying my alternator is dying. So far so good

 

Yes, check the ground at body/frame. I notice on my truck I didn't have one from battery to frame so I added one.

 

Thanks. When you traced the ground wire and it didn't attach to the frame, where did it attach to?

 

There should be a bolt or a threaded hole on the top of the frame right next to the battery.

 

It very well well could be a shorted rectifier diode in your alternator. But check all the easy / free / cheap stuff first, connections, cables…

Do you have a multimeter? Or know someone that does? If you can get your hands on one, set it to AC volts (not DC), and put the leads on the battery terminals with the truck running. Report the reading.

 

Thanks. I saw that, right next to the battery. But I did not know that one tiny bolt is the only ground

 

I'm sorry, I read you post wrong. That bolt is just what I used to add a extra ground to the chassis, it's not a factory bolt that toyota used for a ground. i feel the toyota grounding system isn't that great in these trucks so that is where I added a extra ground at.

 

Really the most hungry thing on your truck is the plug ground.
and the round about way the engine sensors get their ground....
as these truck grow old and connections corrode.

I run a strap from neg post to the head in any jap car I've ever owned..
usally right on the engine hook on the head....having a round-about ground thru the body panels is crazy....they build them as cheap as they can...

And then off that line....drop another 18" straight down from that one.
tie in on to any of those many bolts on the block...
This is a good way to save your alternator too....dont want it starving.

Just a body ground.... crazy toyota....