Alternator Squeaking: Can it wait?

[eddie95]

Ok, so my explorer developed a squeak towards the end of fall, and I could live with it, and it didnt seem too bad. Well, eventually I got sick of it and tried the following:

1. Belt dressing (BAD IDEA)
2. Degreased and scrubbed the pulleys to get all residue from the dressing off.
3. Replaced the contaminated belt with a new Dayco
4. Dayco belt squeaked and I got a replacement under warranty.
5. Still squeaked so I replaced the tensioner (fixed other noises haha)
6. Read bad reviews about the Dayco, so I returned the Dayco (thumbs up autozone!) and got a Duralast. I scrubbed the pulleys again to clean off any remaining residue.
7. Still squeaked, so I replaced the Idler Pulley

Well, it still squeaks, but now it is much quieter, and it goes away once the engine is warm. But, I finally got the idea to take the belt off and turn the alternator by hand. It had a quiet squeak when turned by hand. I also used a stethoscope and could hear the squeaking through the alternator bracket.

So here is my dilemma: I am a "poor" high school student who doesnt really wan't to drop a $90 on a new 130 amp alternator on ebay. Am I going to have big problems if I just ignore it for a few months?

 

[Turdle]

Try this.

Remove the belt again, and start the truck cold. Does it squeal without the belt?



http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161590&highlight=chirp

 

[eddie95]

Try this.

Remove the belt again, and start the truck cold. Does it squeal without the belt?



http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161590&highlight=chirp

I'll try it tomorrow. I only have 120,000 miles so i'm thinking that it isnt the camshaft position sensor, and the stethoscope seems to point to the alternator, but I will definitely check it out. Thanks!

 

[my98nnj]

Remove the belt, turn each drive pully by hand. If you feel one has a bad bearing it should be replaced or rebuilt.

You can put new bearings in an alternator for just a few bucks.

 

[2TimingTom]

Being a poor HS student and driving an Explorer- probably not the best idea.

 

[eddie95]

Being a poor HS student and driving an Explorer- probably not the best idea.

Hey, I paid $2000 for it, and its an Eddie Bauer and everything works on it with 120,000mi on it. Except for this one noise, it runs really smooth now (I did a full tune up on it) and i can get 20mpg on the highway with it so no hating lol. Just kidding. I live in the northern part of the Midwest, and i'm heading farther north for college so I wanted to get 4wd (not to mention I'm really tall and the Chevy Cavalier just didn't work anymore haha). And it's not that I'm poor, I'm just a hard working cheap dutchman , which is why I have never taken my vehicle to a shop for servicing. I'd rather learn the skills now and save money in the long run.

 

[yavapaires]

Replace the alternator bearings before it costs you a lot more money when you can least afford it

 

[Joe Dirt]

I agree- I'd pull it and replace the bearings if you know it's the alternator. Otherwise, in true Explorer fashion, it'll let go at the absolute worst time in the absolute most desolate location.

 

[2TimingTom]

In the spirit of this thread, I just ordered a rebuild kit for the alternator on my commuter car. It's been squeaking (usually when cold only) for several months. The other day I heavily degreased the engine and that area of the engine in particular- the squeaking got worse. I've replaced several alternators before, but I've just always gone for the parts store swap.

So $30 shipped vs $85 + tax for a "rebuilt" from the local parts pusher.

 

[1996BLKBauer]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=348332

Read post #6 and down, should help you if you need a cheap ALT.

 

[eddie95]

Well, it is the alternator. I didnt run it without the belt, but i sprayed the shaft for the alt with silicone spray and it didnt squeak. Actually, it hasnt squeaked since. My deal is that I have the money, but I just dont want to spend it haha. I decided that if it comes back I will fix it at the end of the summer. Since I only put on about 4,000mi a year it should be fine until then.

Rebuilding the alternator myself sounds interesting. However, I am a little nervous about taking it apart. Does anybody have the part numbers for the bearings? I have found a few sites that sell bearings for 4G alternators, is that what I need? Is there a front and rear bearing or just one?

I appreciate all the help, Thanks!

 

[eddie95]

I found this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Motorcraft-3G-IAR-Alternator-Repair-Kit-Regulator-brushes-bearings-92-02-/190617553206?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c61b10936&vxp=mtr#ht_558wt_952

EDIT: I found out that you have to torch the alternator to heat it up so that it can be disassembled, which I'm not so sure about doing. So I will be replacing with a new one when it becomes necessary most likely.

 

[jremington59]

Mine was squeeking for about 6 months and a couple weeks ago the light came on and it was discharging. I had another used one I've been using but I think I'm going to get a new one anyways. $123.00 from Rock Auto with a lifetime warranty.

 

[eddie95]

Well, here is a little update:
I was able to keep it quiet by spraying a little silicon spray on the pulley shaft every few days. It was actually quiet for a couple weeks straight. Yesterday it started squeaking really bad, I sprayed it, and I went to work. On the way to work It squeaked but i also thought I saw the lights flicker a little. After work I went to AutoZone and I bought a new alternator and installed it on the way home. On the way home, the original alternator did not squeak as the lube had penetrated and it was quieted significantly.

Well, then I installed the new alternator. I start it up, and it is whining really loud. HOWEVER, this is just a whine. The slower squeak, squeak, squeak was gone! But the new noise is worse than the first

Does it sound like I just got a bad replacement alternator?

 

[SoNic67]

If you got the cheapest one from AutoZone (Valucraft), you are probably right... whining means that it will fail sooner than latter. Probably after 1 year and 1 week.
I did install an aftermarket alternator (Advance Auto Parts) in my Explorer and has no noise. But was the "new" and with "lifetime warranty" one.

 

[eddie95]

If you got the cheapest one from AutoZone (Valucraft), you are probably right... whining means that it will fail sooner than latter. Probably after 1 year and 1 week.
I did install an aftermarket alternator (Advance Auto Parts) in my Explorer and has no noise. But was the "new" and with "lifetime warranty" one.

Yeah, you are absolutely right. I generously lubed the front and rear bearing of my old alternator and threw it back on. Dead quiet.

 

[Papa]

Have thought of trying a salvage yard for a used alternator?

 

[eddie95]

Have thought of trying a salvage yard for a used alternator?

It turns out that it was never the alternator. The belt that I am using isn't that great. I think that I was getting overspray from the lube on the belt and that was keeping it quiet. Now the sqeak is growing more and more intermittent, and it doesn't happen at all when it is hot out. I'm sure that if I got a goodyear gatorback, it would be fine. However, now that I know what the squeak is it doesn't bother me all that much.

 

[windsors03cobra]

So your $120 into a 2000 dollar truck that runs and works well and now your going to cheap out on a $25 belt ?
Yes by all means wait until it falls apart, comes off, wraps around the crank pulley, takes out the trans lines. You wont overheat the truck because you'll only go about 3 miles till all the trans fluid is pumped out and the trans is frying itself. Or maybe it will just fall off peacefully and you'll overheat it and crack the heads. Cool, a $25 dollar belt just cost you a thousand or three.

Good luck.

 

[eddie95]

So your $120 into a 2000 dollar truck that runs and works well and now your going to cheap out on a $25 belt ?
Yes by all means wait until it falls apart, comes off, wraps around the crank pulley, takes out the trans lines. You wont overheat the truck because you'll only go about 3 miles till all the trans fluid is pumped out and the trans is frying itself. Or maybe it will just fall off peacefully and you'll overheat it and crack the heads. Cool, a $25 dollar belt just cost you a thousand or three.

Good luck.

I had put on a new alternator, it didnt fix the problem, and then I put the old one back on. The belt is also BRAND NEW (which you would have seen if you had read the beginning of the thread). It was an autozone belt, and I exchanged the belt twice. Each time it was good for quite a while and then it started squeaking. The belt itself is totally fine functionality and reliability wise. This thread is older as well, and I have done a lot of maintenance myself since then. This includes completely new brakes all the way around, new rear shocks, wheel hub/bearing, alignment, tires, etc. So trust me, from what I have found out by working on it, it will be totally fine . I just try not to spend money on things that I don't have to, which prompted my original question.

The $2000 on my explorer was a steal as well, and I could easily sell the vehicle right now for more than what the total cost to me has been so far. If I were to ever have a problem with the belt, I would pull over immediately and replace it with the SPARE that I keep in my tool kit and replace it and keep going.

I don't mean to jump down your throat on this, but what you said was a little bit overkill for the point you were trying to make.