Plugged my dongle in while hot and now I'm whining

Recently I got the Torque pro app and a wireless dongle. I made the mistake of plugging in the dongle while the 99 TC was running & instantly my dashboard lit up like a christmas light display. I fried the voltage regulator/alternator! So I replaced it with an advance auto parts "tough one" alternator and now I'm hearing a whine that increases in pitch with RPM.

Is there anything quick & easy I can do to stop this whine?

etifosi wrote: Is there anything quick & easy I can do to stop this whine?

Cut the belt?

Sounds like the new alternator has a bad bearing.

Also I've never had an issue pulling my dongle out while her motor is running.

etifosi wrote: Is there anything quick & easy I can do to stop this whine?

Stop playing with your dongle?

My dongle definitely doesn't whine. I do all the whining.

tighten the alternator belt. a bad alternator bearing would sound more like a bucket of bolts being spun around a dryer.

That's interesting, I'm not sure if I've ever plugged mine in while running, but I've pulled out while hot many times, nothing bad has happened so far.

I wonder if your dongle is defective?

HappyAndy wrote: I wonder if your dongle is defective?

That would be rather unfortunate.

In reply to captdownshift:

Ford 4.6 = self-tensioning

I'm with bgkast on the bearings. Is it an OEM alternator?

Perhaps everyone voting up "cut the belt" would assist me by trying to plug in a wireless adapter to their obd2 port while the engine is running?

In reply to N Sperlo:

advance auto's site claims it's built by oem supplier but it is not a Motorcraft part.

try hooking up an OBDII reader and see if it's throwing any codes

I've plugged in OBDII dongles up while vehicles were running plenty of times. I find it odd that it shorted something, honestly.

I wish I could hear the whine. One of the guys I work for has a high amp alternator that whines, but if I didn't know, I wouldn't notice it until the engine is shut down. If you think yours has the same effect, I would question the build.

It sounds like an audio tachometer feeding back through the speakers, even when I'm not playing Metallica cassettes.

Reman alternators are always a big gamble.

I plug and unplug my dongle hot all the time. Especially when my phone loses connection to it.

etifosi wrote: Perhaps everyone voting up "cut the belt" would assist me by trying to plug in a wireless adapter to their obd2 port while the engine is running?

I do it all the time with ELM327 and Torque Pro. Either something is bad, or it was coincidence. Are you getting a whine through the speakers/electrical system, or is it mechanical?

Edit...nevermind, saw your response. Make sure your battery cables are clean and properly attached to the battery and chassis. I've only fried an alternator in this method by pulling off a battery cable while the engine was running.

In reply to Tyler H:

Due to the timing: plug in dongle + immediate dash lights, I think my $11 dongle from Amazon via China Post might be "irregular".

Thank you for the battery cable idea, one is new and one does need to be replaced so that might be a factor.

Another person here that has had no issues plugging in or unplugging the Bluetooth thing while running. It might have just been the straw that broke the camels back in terms of electrical load maybe?

In reply to Lancer007:

Negative. "The straw that broke the camels back" theory is coincidence. Coincidence is when things like this happen to other people. This is most-likely a conspiracy of some sort, because it happened to me.

Get out a mechanics stethoscope (or a long screwdriver) Find where the sound Is coming from. Repair replace as needed.

In reply to etifosi:

Eh, that's all I got then. Best of luck.

Tyler H wrote:

etifosi wrote: Perhaps everyone voting up "cut the belt" would assist me by trying to plug in a wireless adapter to their obd2 port while the engine is running?

I do it all the time with ELM327 and Torque Pro. Either something is bad, or it was coincidence. Are you getting a whine through the speakers/electrical system, or is it mechanical? Edit...nevermind, saw your response. Make sure your battery cables are clean and properly attached to the battery and chassis. I've only fried an alternator in this method by pulling off a battery cable while the engine was running.

Thanks Tyler, positive cable was pretty hinky. Replacing it took care of the whine.

etifosi wrote:

Tyler H wrote:

etifosi wrote: Perhaps everyone voting up "cut the belt" would assist me by trying to plug in a wireless adapter to their obd2 port while the engine is running?

I do it all the time with ELM327 and Torque Pro. Either something is bad, or it was coincidence. Are you getting a whine through the speakers/electrical system, or is it mechanical? Edit...nevermind, saw your response. Make sure your battery cables are clean and properly attached to the battery and chassis. I've only fried an alternator in this method by pulling off a battery cable while the engine was running.

Thanks Tyler, positive cable was pretty hinky. Replacing it took care of the whine.

I'm willing to bet failure of the positive cable contributed to the demise of your last voltage regulator....but I wouldn't plug that $12 dongle back in, just for good measure.