We were about 2 hours from home today in another town. At one point we could smell something burning and a whine noise. Pulled into our destination and opened the hood.

The alternator was smoking. At this point also noticed that the caps on the battery were all popped up. A couple hours later we were ready to go home. I felt the alternator and it was still warm.

Started the van and all sounded normal. Drove home.

At home I tested the voltage while running 14.6 volts. small whine sound from alt. Caps on battery fine... Shut it off and an hour later still have 13.8 volts on the battery. Smells burnt too in the garage.

Whats going on here? Thanks for any help you guys can give on this.