I filled up my car with premium

It's hard to tell without knowing the age of the components. Did the alternator get replaced when the engine did? If so, how many miles does the engine have? How old's the battery?

I don't think it's the belt. If the belt were slipping, it would make a squealing sound, not a humming sound.

First, can you replicate the results in the same test again? How about when the car's cold first thing in the morning? Warmed up after a long drive? Have you ever noticed this sound before? Do other Ford products with the same alt make the same noise? Check the voltage gauge by your speedometer (most Fords lack that but T-Birds have it) and see if the needle moves any when you're doing these tests.

At least the alt is easy to get to, since it's right on top of the engine between the two cylinder banks, right in the front. You will have a belt tentioner to deal with, though.
 
It does squeal sometimes. I can't replicate it, every time I start driving I try to get the humming to happen but it doesn't work, and every time I park at wherever I want to be I try to replicate it and it doesn't work. Don't know if this is coincidence or not but the humming noise has only happened twice, both times were in the vicinity of a gas station. Maybe it's a conspiracy by the oil companies to make you think you're dangerously low on gas and to get you to fill up :rofl4:
 
Well, I figured that was it, but then the humming was louder all the way home from school. So I turned on the defroster and the headlights and looked at my panel, and the battery voltage went down to like 11-12 when I was braked and in drive (and the humming got louder), and went up to 14-15 when I pressed on the gas (and the humming got softer). When I put it in park the voltage returned to the middle, but the humming was still there until I turned everything off.
 
Sounds like an alternator to me. Maybe the bearings in it are starting to go out.

Did the alternator get replaced when the engine did, or is it the original alternator?
 
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