Noisy alternator pulleys. Permanent fix for that rattle!

1710 Views 8 Replies 7 Participants Last post by BillGrissom, Mar 3, 2021

RTech82

Discussion Starter · Mar 1, 2021

Every one of my Caravans ('03, '05 and three '07s) made that rattle sound. One had 30K, one had 165K.

I replaced the pulley on one of them (my '07) with a solid one and drove it for 35K miles without issues so I did the other four. No problems, no noise, no bull poop. I have a total of 80K miles between five vans with this modification in place and not a single problem.

I did replace the idler, tensioner and serpentine belt on each van when I installed the pulleys.

The pulley I used has this PN:
2482273SLD
google it and you will find the source. Cheaper than a new ADP and lasts forever.

You will also need the special tool to get the ADP off, and I recommend soaking the shaft with penetrant. Aero Kroil is my favourite. An impact gun zips them right off. Into the scrap bin they go, the new pulleys come with nuts and a lockwasher.

I removed the EGR valve to get the alternator out, you will need new gaskets. MAKE SURE THE LOWER EGR VALVE BOLT GOES IN STRAIGHT. Very easy to cross thread.

I wanted to wait and get some time/miles on these to verify that they work without issue before posting about it.
The ADP makes sense and I think they're a good idea in theory, just not reliable or cost effective. I've never had a problem with any other rig that had solid pulleys so I figured it was worth a shot. The earlier 3rd gen and later 5th gen rigs have solid pulleys from the factory.

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Special Edy

· #2 · Mar 1, 2021 (Edited)

When you got a hot date but the shit box wont stop squeling

#cars #****box

youtube.com

You're welcome.

I found this- he's talking about Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler needing the overrunning clutch because the belt pops off at 6200-6600rpm upshifts, though I think the 4th gen probably has a ~5500rpm forced Upshift

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RTech82

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 1, 2021

Special Edy said:
When you got a hot date but the shit box wont stop squeling

#cars #****box

youtube.com

You're welcome.

I found this- he's talking about Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler needing the overrunning clutch because the belt pops off at 6200-6600rpm upshifts, though I think the 4th gen probably has a ~5500rpm forced Upshift
View attachment 61470

Thanks for that. Looks like an early 90's GM TBI engine. I've had a few, and they ALL do it. Vortecs too. My '98 1500 has had about four sets of belts, idlers and tensioners over the years for that same noise. I want my hot dates to be the ones squealing and thinking of a different belt.

To the belt throwing, I haven't had the courage to wind 'em up that high

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Willie1

· #4 · Mar 1, 2021

Thanks for the info. I was getting ready to assault the rattle on mine in a few weeks. I see you have several 2007 G/C C/V's listed. I have one with 325k miles on it. It still runs and shifts well.

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Carbuff2

· #5 · Mar 1, 2021

RTech82 said:
The ADP makes sense and I think they're a good idea in theory, just not reliable or cost effective.

We had a '96 Gen3 for several years, and it threw a belt within 40K miles. Gave the van to our father, who suffered another thrown belt on a trip. So, I never considered the OAD a waste.

Litens OAD™ Decoupler Pulleys

(Our '02 DGC with 165K miles has needed replacing the pulley only once.)

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LEVY

· #6 · Mar 1, 2021

People, if you can, stick with the Decoupler Pulley.

If you just want to be cheap, use a solid pulley.

If money is an issue (you just can't afford a Decoupler Pulley), then do what you had to do to keep your vehicle running, nothing wrong with that.

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Drunken Elvis

· #7 · Mar 1, 2021

I had a 99 Caravan Sport model that threw 3 belts in a two month period. It had an aftermarket belt tensioner on it that felt a little loose as it pivoted. Replaced with a Dodge OEM unit and problem solved.

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Carbuff2

· #8 · Mar 1, 2021

One nice thing about the decoupler pulley is, the noise is a warning that action needs to be taken...this is LOTS BETTER than having the belt break or pulley fail in the middle of a trip, and leave you stranded.

Newbs to the site should watch the comparison videos on that Litens site I linked 3 posts up, to see how the OAD pulleys reduce stress. It's not surprising that inexpensive tensioners would fail.

when ours failed, our auto electric shop charged ~$100 USD for a new Litens pulley, alternator brushes, and a complete check of the alternators and its bushings. (A no-name AOD pulley was offered but I spent the extra bux on the genuine Litens)

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BillGrissom

· #9 · Mar 3, 2021

Those AOD pulleys used to cost more than a rebuilt alternator, but there are affordable ones today. I bought one for $30 on ebay. I found the factory one had a broken spring inside when I swapped alternators many years ago, maybe 220K miles (2002 T&C 3.8L). I forgot the details (in my log book), but recall installing a rebuilt alternator years ago thinking a noise was from it. Maybe some noise, but I later found a cracked flex-plate which made its own high-freq noises. The rebuilt alternator stopped charging years later (I have a DC clamp-on meter to verify). I then installed the OE alternator w/ new AOD pulley, after replacing the diode-brush pack (to be safe) and also in the rebuilt one. No problems w/ the cheap AOD pulley and now have a spare alternator on the shelf ready to go.

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