Posted by Vaughn on Friday, January 03, 2003 at 9:42PM :
After I replaced my generator with an alternator, I got this strange noticeable vibration and sound that I hadn't had before. The vibration was located only in the steering wheel and would come and go during speeds of 30-35 mph or while accelerating through the gears. The sound was similar to an out-of-balance driveline, very strange. At the same time I had replaced my intermediate shaft U-joints, so I wasn't sure where the problem was. I double checked the shaft; everything seemed fine, I now was looking at the alternator as the problem. I thought maybe the mounts I made were not strong enough, but when I grabbed it to move it I couldn't move it so they seemed strong. So I decided to pull the alternator back off and put my generator back on. After I pulled off the alternator, I gave it a spin and I noticed the pulley had a wobble to it, which is a common thing. I started looking at it a little closer and that’s when I noticed the rotor shaft has a slight bend in it. This bend was the problem. Now that my generator is back on, things are working ok. I’m glad that alternator was a free one. I will probably look for a GM 140amp and try it again at a later time. It’s strange how the alternator created a vibration that I only felt at the steering wheel.
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