I had replaced the alternator decoupler pulley on my last CRD because it made the belt squeal and jump. That pulley was froze up, so it was obviously junk. My current CRD has what I believe is a bad pulley too,
however the symptoms are different. I get a faint squeal at 1400 - 1600 rpm and goes away below that. If its still squealing above this range, I cant hear it. And yes plenty of red dust on both sides of the dust cap.So, today after work I released the serpentine belt to check the pulley. Much to my suprise, it is not froze. It does turn but makes a creaking noise. I also noted that I can get movement side to side on the front edge of the pulley, about 1/8" +/-. There is no play in the alternator shaft. All seems solid there.
Anyone else had these symptoms?
So, replace whole alternator or just pulley?
