Hey Guys,

So today I notice a squeak coming from the serpentine belts, so I'm thinking I might have a bad idler pulley. Turns out that its my alternator squeaks pretty good when turning it by hand. Anyway to fix this or is my alternator basically toast?

Thanks you guys have already saved me a ton of cash.

You could rebuild it, but it'* easier to just get a rebuilt one and install it.

Thanks Dan. Yeah I guess I'll just get a rebuilt one and put it on there.

Sucks too cuz I think that the cheap belt I put on last year was too tight and is causing the alt bearing to go bad...

Carry a spare around until it howls. That'* what I did with the truck. Changed it in a rest area while my Wife sat in the warm truck. Gotta make sure I get the full use out of all the parts.

Here is a horror story for you.
Driving home from work I see a *-10 Blazer on the side of the road with smoke coming from the open hood. I pull over expecting he overheated. The guy tells me his alternator actually caught fire. The bearing went out, ground into the housing enough to heat up and catch fire. I took his Wife down to the parts store and got a new one. Parts guy said to disconnect the battery before installing the new one. He said they can short out if the battery is connected when you install it. Good to know.
Mike

Haha, I doubt I'll take it that far. I don't want it to shred my belt when the bearing seizes up...

funny story tho