In the morning and just after start up my CRD would chirp. At first I thought a bad serpentine belt or tension-er but after reading some of the threads on this form I focused on the alternator clutch pulley. The sound did appear to come from the general vicinity of the alternator so I ordered a new clutch pulley ($75 + shipping) for the alternator.
Using some tips I learned from this forum and experiences with other serpentine belts, I had no problems removing the alternator.
Tip 1) Use a serpentine belt tool with close clearance. After removing the belt leave the tool attached to the tension-er under tension. This helps in the reinstall.
Tip 2) Use a small rope or large string to hold the belt in place after removing it from the alternator. I wrapped the other end of the rope around the around the oil inlet spout.
With the alternator removed I now attempted to remove the pulley using an electric torque wrench and a 17mm hex head socket. Others have successfully used this technique with positive results. After 30 minutes of repeated tries the pulley would not come off. So, I tried an air impact wrench with no luck either. Then, I created a tool using a 10mm 1/4 socket and a short extension to a breaker bar. I put this on the alternator shaft and used a hollow 17mm hex head socket on the pulley. I must have used at least 100lbs of force but no luck. The pulley would not come off the shaft.
OK, So now I put a good coating of PB Blaster on each side of the pulley and let it sit over night. The next day I tried the electric torque wrench again this time allowing the alternator to spin in the clockwise direction then immediately reversing the tool creating the maximum low speed torque. I know what you are thinking you think it finally came off but it did not. So I tried home made tool again and it also did not work.
I saw the post of using a vice to squeeze the pulley but I just do not have a vice that strong.
The proper tools for removing the pulley cost almost $100 with shipping so this was not a viable option.
Advanced Auto Parts sells a re-manufactured alternator with a new style pulley for $159 + $60 core and they provide a limited lifetime warranty. I ordered the rebuilt alternator.
Now, where I live it takes up to a week to get parts so I had to reinstall the old alternator. The reinstall went without a problem. All of the attempts at removing the pulley must have freed the clutch so my chirp was gone but now I had a momentary metal shrill
sound when accelerating.I received the re-manufactured alternator after a few days. I installed it with out any problems. The voltage output was good. So now my problem was finally solved.
Tip 3) Unless you are feeling lucky (or have the correct tool), Just order the re-manufactured alternator in the first place and save yourself some aggravation.
