Bad Alternator/Pulley Noise?

alexv702003 · Post by **alexv702003** » 11 Aug 2017, 17:15

Here is my alternator off the car. Notice how the pulley wobbles when I spin it and it sounds rough. Can I just replace the pulley and not have to purchase a new alternator? If i can replace just the pulley, which pulley would be a good replacement?

Post by **SuperHerman** » 11 Aug 2017, 18:27

What mrbrian200 says before you start spending money. Your video does not help.

alexv702003 · Post by **alexv702003** » 13 Aug 2017, 16:11

So I put a new alternator in and the sound is gone. I just have a very faint scraping noise coming from the serpentine belt area. Maybe I need a new serpentine belt or idler pulley because the pulley had a little play in it.

Post by **SuperHerman** » 13 Aug 2017, 16:39

If your idler pulley has similar miles and spins freely - the oil is mostly gone and will fail at some point.

You can try repacking it (some have) - buy an entire tensioner assembly with pulley - or just replace the pulley.

All bearings that are sealed have a finite life.

In the end what was the issue with the alternator? Was it an internal bearing or the pulley?

alexv702003 · Post by **alexv702003** » 13 Aug 2017, 21:05

Well the pulley would wobble when I would spin it by hand and when it was on the car, the pulley would move in and out with the noise. Also, the shaft that the pulley is attached to had pieces of metal missing/falling off. So i'm not entirely sure what was wrong with it since this was my first time doing an alternator. I just didn't want to mess with replacing only the pulley and there was a problem in the alternator itself.

alexv702003 · Post by **alexv702003** » 13 Aug 2017, 21:06

Is the idler pulley suppose to have a tiny bit of play back and forth if you use your hand or is it suppose to be solid and not have any play at all?