Bad Alternator Pulley Bearing - Please Help!

[762mm]

Hi,

For some time now I have heard a chirp coming from the drivebelt pulley area in my truck (125k km). I figured that it's either the idler pulley or the tensioner pulley. Today, I decided to replace both + the belt. Went out, bought the stuff (+- $100 alltogether), came home and started working on it... As soon as I took the belt off, I spun each pulley to listen for noise. And, as my damn luck would have it, the alternator is the culprit - as I spin it, it starts making a constant chirp that sounds really nasty (like a rusted out door hinge chirping, except that the chirp is continuous).

So, my question is: where can I get a new bearing or pulley for that sucker? Can it be done, and how hard is it to do, besides unbolting the 15/16 nut? I did a search, and the only thing I could find was Aldive's Underdrive bearing/pulley conversion... So I figure the bearings are out there somewhere and the alternator should be serviceable in that respect. I need help ASAP, as the truck is sitting on the driveway, and needs to be fixed tommorow... I really don't feel like dishing out $200 on a new damn alternator just because a bearing has gone on it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, as well as suggestions on where to buy the required parts/pointers on what to watch out for. Thanks in advance...

P.S. The idler and tensioner pulleys have been replaced - piece of cake, even though the old ones were 100% quiet and running good ($45/both for piece of mind, why not. Two less things to worry about a few months down the road).

 

[IZwack]

I dont think these alternator are servicable so you'll have to replace the entire unit . Even if you can get it opened, I have no idea where you would get new bearings.

 

[762mm]

Damn... That's what I didn't want to hear, but I sort of figured it'd be the answer (car corporations today can't make things too easy on the end user, huh? - God forbid we'd start fixing parts ourselves & spending less in maintenance costs, lol)... This really sucks.

Thanks for your answer though, I appreciate it. I'll still wait for more people to give their 2 cents, maybe someone has ventured that way before and can shed some light on it, even if it isn't a "standard procedure" (heck, there are places the "rebuilt" those things, right? So I guess it's feasible in theory). But... if parts aren't available, I guess there will be no choice and I'll have to resort to a new unit.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Certain shops can rebuild alternators, but its just better to buy a remanufactured unit from a parts store and replace it as a unit. Most come with a pulley on it, whereas in the past you had to change it over.

I just replaced an alternator, 3 idler pulleys and a belt to the tune of a couple of hundred dollars at 140k miles, but the peace of mind is worth it.

 

[762mm]

Certain shops can rebuild alternators, but its just better to buy a remanufactured unit from a parts store and replace it as a unit. Most come with a pulley on it, whereas in the past you had to change it over.

I just replaced an alternator, 3 idler pulleys and a belt to the tune of a couple of hundred dollars at 140k miles, but the peace of mind is worth it.

3 Idler pulleys? Did I miss something? I thought there was 1 idler and 1 tensioner pulley, and that the rest of the round moving stuff was accesories...

 

[IZwack]

3 Idler pulleys? Did I miss something? I thought there was 1 idler and 1 tensioner pulley, and that the rest of the round moving stuff was accesories...

He's got a different engine.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Keep in mind, I have a 5.0. It has an extra pulley for the crazy belt configuration.

 

[762mm]

Keep in mind, I have a 5.0. It has an extra pulley for the crazy belt configuration.

Ohh... I see... my bad. Still, 3 idlers seems kind of - excessive, lol. I guess this is the first time ever that I can say I'd rather have the SOHC over the 5.0 302, lol!



Thanks for the input guys... I guess the situation looks grim for me... I can already see myself being off to the parts store tommorow, in the rain, on foot - and the store is about 4 miles away. I'm considering making a return of my old alternator to Ford - I'll drive by as soon as I put a rebuilt in and throw the damn thing right through the dealership's front window, lol... They can consider this as an off-warranty return for a ****ty product (hey, maybe they can "learn" from it and make better ones in the future, hehe). Seriously though, 125 000 km isn't much for an alternator to crap out like that. we've had cars that had 180 000+km with original alternators that were still quiet and 100% good (and the best part? - one of those cars was a Chrysler, the other a Honda!).