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For the last few weeks, my 2017 manual Chevy Spark has made a high-pitched whining noise, especially while idling. I ignored it.
Then today my car showed a check engine light and code 84 (“limp mode”). I couldn’t drive it anywhere until I turned it off and on a few times.
I took it to a mechanic and they said it pulled the following codes:
P0651
P0641
P0697
P06A3They told me we need to replace the alternator and drive belt, and it would be $890 (in Nashville).
1. Is there any way these codes relate to an alternator? The internet said it’s just a computer thing that needs to reset.
2. If it is indeed an alternator, am I getting ripped off?
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You have 2 separate issues. The noise could be a bad bearing on the alternator or it could be just the belt. Have them replace the belt first and see if the noise goes away. But that has nothing to do with the codes. Those codes mean the PCM (ECM) needs to be reprogrammed. Some independent shops can do the reprogram but no idea if the shop it’s at can do that. If not, it needs to be done at a dealership (or a shop that can do it). As for the cost of replacing the alternator . . . the part itself is only roughly 30% of the total cost. Labor makes up the bulk of it because of it being buried. I don’t know about a Spark but in some cases you have to remove the wheel and the strut just to get to it. Good luck
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