The title really isn't an accurate description of my problem. The lights, all of them....dash, park, headlights increase and decrease in intensity....you can hear the alternator charge whine increase and decrease with with intensity of the lights..this is at idle....still does the same if I increase rpm.....OK...put a meter on it....shows 14.5~15 volts fluctuates less than .5 of a volt....I can hear the whining of the alt up and down like a wirring noise only the tach stays steady......so...I replace the alternator with a new one...same problem....replaced the battery at the same time as it was 5+ yrs old....checked and cleaned all grounds....I'm hitting a wall here...any help is really appreciated....this is my first unsloved mystery with my car ....hoping others had the same problem and found the solution.

the new alternator whines as loudly as the old one? that's bizarre.

exactly....this isn't a complex circuit....but I'm hitting a wall.....thanx for taking a second to say something.....Karl

The folks in audio/electronics might have something for you ... towing there.

When you tested with the meter, where did you test? At the alternator or at the battery?

Thanx oxc....I took the readings at the B+ Junction block under the hood....I did take a Battery reading as well...forgeting the results...I'lll take them both again....also the problem varies somewhat...after a sit and its cold its not so bad sometimes gone....however after a drive and everything is hot its much much worse....the charge whine from the alternator is worse too...I can manipulate it with increased load...IE...toggle the power window switch... I can almost toggle out a tune from the alternator...and the light intensity will will syncronize with the sound....also all stereo equipment is off...all acc turned off...I can turn my stereo on and work it with no difference.

bump....................anyone?

i have the same problem with my '93 318is. After a day of driving and having the engine still warm. I tried to start the car and it would not start. Had a friend jump my car, thenit started up but the cd player turned off, headlights went very dim and power to acclerarating was very weak, as if i only had ten hps pulling the car. Had alternator checked, came out fine; replaced battery and still it runs poorly.

i have the same problem with my '93 318is. After a day of driving and having the engine still warm. I tried to start the car and it would not start. Had a friend jump my car, thenit started up but the cd player turned off, headlights went very dim and power to acclerarating was very weak, as if i only had ten hps pulling the car. Had alternator checked, came out fine; replaced battery and still it runs poorly.

suggestion 1: stop threadjacking.
suggestion 2: check your mainfuse, check your ignition wiring, check to see if your car is an EWS car
Suggestion 3: Report back your findings in the thread for your problem, not this one

This reply is repeated in ALL of your posts

didi you get a new voltage regulator with the alternator?

Thanx oxc....I took the readings at the B+ Junction block under the hood....I did take a Battery reading as well...forgeting the results...I'lll take them both again....also the problem varies somewhat...after a sit and its cold its not so bad sometimes gone....however after a drive and everything is hot its much much worse....the charge whine from the alternator is worse too...I can manipulate it with increased load...IE...toggle the power window switch... I can almost toggle out a tune from the alternator...and the light intensity will will syncronize with the sound....also all stereo equipment is off...all acc turned off...I can turn my stereo on and work it with no difference.

Thanks for posting....yes I replaced the voltage reg...twice, just to be sure....its much worse now....I have the weekend off I'm going to get it figured out.

Those who e-mailed me thank-you....the noise from the alt is the charge whine it makes..not bearing or anything like it....same noise it makes if you hit the system with a heavy load from an AVR machine.