[Dagofast]

Wife and I went to dinner
6 miles round trip
Pulled into garage and smelled electrical fire and smoke coming from engine bay
Immediately pulled garden hose out and start spraying engine
Was coming from pass side of engine

Got it up on my quick Jack’s to look underside and I can’t really narrow it down

This tube that looks empty and goes to alternator smells like the fire when you put your nose up to it and also the alternator after 30 min was still pretty warm

Couple things to note
I hopped in car and turned key on and didn’t get any power lights or anything.
I disconnected battery before I crawled underneath and inspected
When I came back up plugged battery in and I had power but a dead battery
Wouldn’t turn the car over but all interior and electronics turned on??

Another couple notes
Since I haven’t had car long
This was the first time I’ve had it out at night with
Both heated seats on full blast
Heater in full blast and fan all the way up
(Wife was cold)
And obviously the headlights on as well

So if indeed it’s the alternator does any of this tell you guys anything?

Thanks

 

[DiabloClyde]

That hose cools your alternator, it was not your heated seats and it was not the heater being on. You have an electrical short in the alternator or a ground or loose wire in your battery connection. My immediate thought is your alternator has shorted and blown which is why your battery is now dead even after a drive and that short was continuing under battery or failed alternator power causing a near fire condition. You are NOT in a drivable condition - have it towed to a mechanic if you do not know much about the electrical parts of your car. The ECUs on these cars need to be protected as well, which is another reason you do not want to be dealing with shorts.

sorry to hear this but this in a few more miles would have ended up in a fire situation, and there is no guarantee is that that could not have been a serious health if not fatal condition. You may have gotten off well. Keep us posted!

 

[AngelOfMurci]

That hose cools your alternator, it was not your heated seats and it was not the heater being on. You have an electrical short in the alternator or a ground or loose wire in your battery connection. My immediate thought is your alternator has shorted and blown which is why your battery is now dead even after a drive and that short was continuing under battery or failed alternator power causing a near fire condition. You are NOT in a drivable condition - have it towed to a mechanic if you do not know much about the electrical parts of your car. The ECUs on these cars need to be protected as well, which is another reason you do not want to be dealing with shorts.

sorry to hear this but this in a few more miles would have ended up in a fire situation, and there is no guarantee is that that could not have been a serious health if not fatal condition. You may have gotten off well. Keep us posted!

Why does that cooling hose have a square rectangle cut into it? That doesn’t look like it was created by a fire. Strange. Could be reason alternator overheated??? No airflow.

 

[DiabloClyde]

It looks like it was intentionally cut and I’m betting it was a former hose clamp that someone used a knife to try to cut off. That in and of itself would not have affected the cooling of the alternator but it certainly is not a natural cut. Bigger issue is something causing too high of heat source from the alternator and, given the amount of current the alternator is generating under load, it is an electrical problem within the alternator or wiring surrounding it. His battery was also dead meaning the alternator was not re-charging it while driving. he had enough juice to light the dashboard lights but not enough to crank the motor.

take my comments with a grain of salt as I know very little about electrical components but I do know enough to have a professional look at that issue.

 

[EvanK]

Sounds to me like the bearings in your alternator have failed, causing lots of excess heat. The coating on the armature and/or stator windings could have started to burn or the rectifier electronics could have started to burn due to the excess heat either of which would cause the alternator to be dead. Take the belt off the alternator and try to turn it free hand, obviously it should spin with very little resistance. I'd give that area a sniff test too. Hopefully it's that simple, just drop in a new alternator and you're good to go again.

 

[manuelram16]

Didn't know there was a cooling hose to the alternator, it should be inspected at every oil change and make sure it's not damaged and attached correctly otherwise alternator overheating will happen.

 

[Dagofast]

So I am assuming the alternator is shot and which return overcharged the battery. Not sure why it would be fine starting battery and then go flat with only 5 miles of run time. And I plugged the battery into the charger overnight and my charger is showing fault.
So battery must be shot also

my plan is to change battery hopefully today
Then fire car up and see what alternator is putting out for voltage
I’m guessing alternator is needing replaced as well

 

[carloz]

That square cut is likely to allow moisture / water to drain out.

 

[FontusBluG]

I agree, everybody has this on the right electrical issue track. Battery may have gotten to borderline condition (but didn't see any note of last time driven) and subsequently put the alternator over the edge having to work harder. Especially w/ all the current draw requested. I would be Concerned with the way it Failed, that's not a typical battery/alternator failure scenario!! There should be safety features, fusible links in place to prevent that unless they were removed or bypassed during some other service event..... Unless EvanK is correct with his take on it, definitely a possibility. Easy to check the belt, that could be a dead giveaway for a failed/failing bearing situation.

 

[AngelOfMurci]

That square cut is likely to allow moisture / water to drain out.

That would be janky, for numerous reasons. I don’t think the cutout is standard coming from the factory. If it’s for drainage, the square cutout should have been on the bottom of the hose. An opening in a hose is a guaranteed invite to critters to make a nest in it, over the winter months. I personally would seal the hose up. I agree with DiabloClyde, it was the remnants of a torn out hose clamp.

 

[TommyBalboni]

Please don't just install a new battery WITHOUT inspecting the alternator. You may find as has been said here, the alternator may have "grenaded" and just installing another battery will be a waste of time. Check your belt and connections prior to doing anything. Good Luck.

So I am assuming the alternator is shot and which return overcharged the battery. Not sure why it would be fine starting battery and then go flat with only 5 miles of run time. And I plugged the battery into the charger overnight and my charger is showing fault.
So battery must be shot also

my plan is to change battery hopefully today
Then fire car up and see what alternator is putting out for voltage
I’m guessing alternator is needing replaced as well

 

[FontusBluG]

Good catch there Balboni. Do the visual inspection first. Maybe you don't even need a battery, but now is a good time to see what the Pro-date on it is (if it's in a place where you couldn't before). Anything close to its' rated life-span or more, then you might consider replacement at this time as well once the issue is sorted