My 2010 has developed a quiet "squeaking" sound.
Brought to honda and they found the noise tone coming from the alternator.
Said the earrings were making the noise and need now to replace the alternator.
99,000 miles (no grass under the tires!!) and car was purchased brandy new in 2010.
Has anyone else experienced this "squeaking" noise?
Anyone know of a quicker (cheaper) fix than buying a new alternator?
I would swap them if it comes down to it in irder to avoid the overly high labor coat at the dealer.
Thanks

 

rebuilt: $210 plus tax at Autozone.

It might be the drive belt though. If that hasn't been replaced I'd put a new one on first and see if it makes a difference. Sometimes it's hard to tell.

 

Squeaky alternators are usually caused by bad bearings inside the alternator or bad carbon brushes. The bearings are the more common failure.

You could, in theory, pull the alternator out, disassemle it, look for bearings numbers and then order replacements from a parts store. You can also order bearings by dimensions if you have a good parts guy or look them up online in an application guide.

I know this because we have had bearings fail at the shop on more than one occasion and have not been able to get a replacement component fast enough. We have purchased bearings by dimensions and replaced them. It wont be an easy thing to do but possible and cheaper.

If you do decide to order by size then measure all the dimensions and look them up. Even if you measure them pretty close you will find that there usually aren't two bearings so close in size that you cant figure out which one you really need. There are some fairly common bearings sizes that are widely used in the industry.

You can check these sites for bearing dimensions:

Catalogs

or

Bearing Search | NTN Bearing

Good luck!

Look what I just found:

Honda Automotive Parts

I dont know what factory your Fit was made at or if you have an a/t or m/t so I recommend going to the site and entering your specific info and see if they have parts listed. Very cool exploded view and the bearings are $18 each. Brushes are only $10 so replace them too. Plus you get the experience, the fun and the satisfaction of repairing what you have!

If you do decide to do this, clean everything and polish the area where the brushes touch the rotor with the finest steel wool you can find. Basically just get the surface clean. You should, in theory, put it on a lathe and resurface it but finding a shop with a lathe like that wont be easy today since we replace everything and dont rebuild in house anymore at shops. The steel wool will refresh the surface and the soft carbon brushes will wear into the rotor after time.

 

I have a slight noise myself on my 2010. I know it's either the alternator or belt, but it comes and goes with the weather.

If try a new belt first, it's about time to change it anyway at 100k.

 

Does it squeek at an idle?

If so, get out a squirt gun or garden hose and soak the belt with water while it is running. If the noise goes away briefly then the noise is the belt and not the alternator. I had one vehicle that I replaced the belt 3 different times with different brands each time before I eliminated the squeeking.

 

So, any update on the squeak?

 

I ordered an alternator from the site:
Ahparts.com
Acura Honda Dismantlers
The price was great and the donor car was the same as mine.
So the fit should be perfect.
It will be arriving on the 21st and I will swap the old one out for this one. I will also replace the belt, as it may be time for that to go also!!!

 

The cost for the used alternator on haparts.com was a little shy of $80.00!!!
Much better than the $400 (or around that price) from the dealer!!
Simple swap being that it is easily accessible from the front of the car!!

 

It should be an easy swap and shouldnt take that long.

 

while you're in there, change the drive belt with a new Honda part. Maybe even change the tensioner with a new Honda part. Anecdotal accounts from others on the forum have had bad results from aftermarket tensioners and belts.

Typically the drive belts are changed with the timing belt between 60 and 110K, but as the Fit has a timing-chain that's life of engine you don't get the benefit of that service (heh).

The water pump is another timing belt linked maintenance item, but that was because you had to remove the belt to get at the pump, and the pump leaking would compromise the belt. On the Fit it's on the outside and is no longer a maintenance item; I'd let it go until it wails or leaks.

 

So I order the alternator from AHparts.com, it arrives. No issues.
Ready to do swap and decide I am going to check about my warranty on the car.
Creeping in on 100,000 miles, I remember opting to get the extended warranty (6 years / 100,000 miles) when I bought the car.
Turns out it's all covered under the warranty!!
Nice surprise, but couldn't they have told me that when they gave me the estimate?
Anywho, the car will be in the shop at Hackettstown Honda (very nice people by the way, free plug) at 9:00 am tomorrow morning for a "couple" hour job.
Nice surprise, but now I have an extra alternator.
Anyone need an alternator for the GE8?
Thanks all!!