Does the generator pulley turn freely? The pulley turns freely then stops

My serpentine belt broke in half. Only 116000 miles. The idler pulleys turn freely, the power steering turns freely. The pulley on my generator turns but stops and you have to force it to turn. Is that normal before I replace the belt?

 

i assume you mean alternator?

yes it should spin freely

 

That could be what broke the belt.

But I've not seen a generator in a US vehicle since the mid 60's

 

It should spin somewhat freely but a little stiff. It sounds like you’re saying it spins, stops, then it’s hard to spin?

 

Thats bad the pulley should spin with little resistance

 

Yes. I mean alternator. It does not spin now. All the other pulleys spin freely.

 

What would be cost of a new alternator and labor?

 

I recently replaced my factory alternator with a carquest(advance auto) which cost me about $200, I think it took me about 1.5 hours to replace. I would guess booktime is no more then 2 hours so say $120/he = $240 + alternator $250 + fees/tax = $500 roughly

 

Others will correct me if I'm wrong, but many will say go OEM, which I believe is Denso, BUT, I believe all you can get from the dealer as a part is reman at a fairly hefty price. You can get a reman Denso from Rock for $120 (plus core).

OR

You can get new anywhere from $126-$326 from Rock.

Not quite sure if it applies to DENSO branded remanufactured, but an issue with most reman items like alternators is that it's just saying WHO remanufactured it - but not who made the ORIGINAL alternator that is being sold to you as remanufactured (supply chain on used parts being what it is).

I don't THINK you can get a new DENSO alternator, but I've never tried to hunt one down.

 

Check your location for a quality electrical shop. Rebuilding your current unit can be cost effective and produce a better product than a parts house reman unit.

 

I might even just have a bad bearing or two.