I started smelling a a burning smell almost like burning wire coming from underneath the hood. I took it to a guy that had tuned my car in the past because I couldn't pin point where the smell was coming from. After he had looked at it he said that my alternator was going bad. My question to you all is that have you all ever heard of an alternator doing this before it goes bad? And do you think that I need to get it replaced as soon as possible because he said that it just need to be replaced in the near future? Thanks

 

I had a mazda 323f GT a while back and had the same thing, i got a strange burning smell for a few weeks, then the battery light started flickering on and off for a while, then lit up dimly all the time, then the alternator died completely....replaced the alternator and the burning smell never returned. I would imagine that the brushes inside are worn...so you can either get a complete new one or have it reconditioned