I have a high pitch whine coming out of the alternator area. It has been there for about a month. Today while driving around 50 the car suddenly died. DEAD.I got it to stop and with traffic and bad winter up here it was interesting. I put it in park and it starts great. Has anyone had this happen to them? Could it be the alternator? I don't have a clue how a car can just die like that considering I have a new battery.

i've had that happen on a previous veichle of mine, the a/c compressor clutch locked up and stalled the engine... look around, make sure it is the alt maken that noise, if it is, its the bearings inside, and time for a new one... witch could have siezed up for a sec and stalled the engine as well

Check your pullies, make sure none of them wobble or make noises they shouldn't.

I had an idler pulley start screeching on me a couple days ago, I thought it was the alt. Better to check than to have a pulley shred to pieces and leave you stranded.

On my old s-10, the alternator didn't really make a whine when it went out. about the only clue I had was the ampage fluxuating severly (made for a trippy light show though, headlights diming in and out). When mine started that whining noise, it was the ac clutch... didn't want to put the money in it so I spent like 100 and put a bypass pulley on it.