Belts/alternator

[lousailor]

Recently the car has developed a loud squeal. Reminds me of those cars whose power steering is going out. It's coming from the Alternator area. I had originally thought it was the belts, but using belt dressing makes no difference. Could it be the alternator bearings themselves? Can I take out the alernator and have it reworked or do I have to replace the whole thing? Thanks

Louie

[AFJuvat]

Belt Dressing may or may not be effective. You might try changing the belt, making sure it is properly tensioned (should be really tight) If that isn't it, you may be able to have the alternator rebuilt - call around your area for shops.

AFJuvat

[Roger Hall]

change the belts

[IceShark]

Yes, the alternator belt is a ribbed design and belt dressing might not stop the noise. Look at the inside of the belt while pressing/flexing it. If you see a bunch of cracks in the rubber, it is toast.

The alt can be rebuilt by a local shop and the bearings can wear out, especially if you have not had the heat shield and/or cooling hose hooked up. Heat just destroys these in our hot engine bays which is why Porsche put the shield and hose on.

If you are going to work on the alt and pull it make sure you put in a new voltage regulator that is set higher at 14.3 to 14.4 volts. Part cost should be at to under $20. That will make a big difference in your electrical system by charging the battery up faster after startup. The stock Bosch regulator is set too low.

[lousailor]

Thanks for the info/input. Of course you won't believe the problem I uncovered when I went to change the belts. One of the bolts attaching the tension rod for the A/C compressor was missing (the rod was hanging free) as well as one of the pivot bolts! A quick trip to the metric bolt/nut bin at the local parts shop and everything went back together. Another missing part seems to be a nut at the front of the power steering pump bracket. I found a nut that fit, but there's no way to tighten it behind the pulley. Do I need to order a special part from the dealer or do I just need a spacer. Thanks

[AFJuvat]

As I recall, I installed my pulley after I installed my new pump.

The pulley isn't hard to get off, 10mm socket. Just make sure that the mating surfaces on the pump and pully are clean when you re-install it. Also, use locktite blue on the bolts when you replace it.

AFJuvat