Alternator help needed

My alternator is dying, some alternator"whine" in the headset, and only comes on line at 2000 rpm and above.
I strongly suspect a diode failure.
I'm wondering if it will do any harm to use the alternator under these conditions to get home. I'm currently at a back-country strip in Idaho.
Thanks......

Plan A

It will run until it quits; 5min or 5 miles or?? If you have mags, you are good to go! Shed the elec load until you need to use the radio, then light it up again & get on the ground. Almost ANY alternator shop will have a diode board to sell you, and changing that out is a 20 min job once the cowl is off.

My second plane is a 65hp Champ, so no elec is not problem for me - as long as I can get it started.

If the alt bearings are good (no crunchy noises), you can continue to a place where you can get parts. If the alt sounds bad too, cut the belt and get out of there.

Best,
Mark

Thanks for the answer. Plane is home safely now, the alternator put out about 12.3 volts, and slowly decreasing amps for about 4 hours of flying before it failed completely.

Was able to fly the last leg on battery power only, and turned the master off for most of the leg.

All's well that ends well!

Glad you made it home, Pete! And that you were not flying one of these newfangled all electric ignition and injection systems.

How was Idaho and where did you go?

Idaho and the Total Eclipse were GREAT! We landed at a strip 1 mile east of Atlanta, ID (55H). My first back-country experience!