My 1996 Chevy Corsica is having a problem and I need to know what it could be. It?s a 4 cylinder. Tonite while I was driving, I had the defrost on and the battery light came on, my defrost quit working then the battery light went out and the car started making a loud humming sound. What could it be? I just replaced the battery a month ago. The sound gets louder when I press on the accelerator. Thanks,
Have your alternator checked Becky.
As well - open the hood and see if the serpentine belt which wraps around all of the pulleys in the front of the motor is in place. There is an idler pulley which goes bad. Sometimes it just growls and sometimes it separates and then the belt will fall off the other pulleys. The result is that your charging system quits working. The loud humming suggests something along these lines.
Defrosters and other electrical loads will be shut down by the car automatically, if it senses that the charging system is not keeping up with the demand. It's an effort to keep enough battery voltage to enable you to limp to someplace for a repair.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.