1992 Eldorado alternator bearing

No, you would have to completely disassemble it, regardless if it is the drive end or brush end bearing. You may also find that service parts are not available for the unit, unless you have already obtained one. Component service is kind of becoming a thing of the past, as replacing the component is more cost effective.

Hi guys. This is one real pile that GM came up with. Repair parts are available now from aftermarket suppliers but it's a huge waste of time trying to fix it. By the time you unsolder the stator windings from the flimsy tabs on the diode block, that block will be junk. You can't test the voltage regulator so to be safe, you might as well replace it too. At that point you've spent more on parts than a rebuilt one costs. Most of the early generators were sealed too. Snapon, and probably the other tool truck guys, have tools to get the sealed ones apart.

Evey year in my Automotive Electrical class, I had my kids disassemble alternators to see how they worked, and to test parts. We don't do that in the real world anymore because time is too valuable and if we mess something up, we have to warranty our own repair. Unit replacement is faster, more efficient, and saves the customer money in the long run.

Every year I made sure at least one of my students tried to disassemble an '87 or newer GM generator to see how long it would take before they were ready to throw the pile on the floor and stomp on it! They had probably the world's second best generator up through the '86 model year, so they had to change it.

I should mention too that repeat failures of these generators is extremely common, not for locked up bearings, which are also common, but for shorted diodes and failed regulators. The cause is the huge voltage spikes these units develop due to their design. To reduce the repeat failures, many professionals are finding out replacing the perfectly good battery at the same time is the solution. As they age, they lose their ability to dampen and absorb those spikes. Besides taking out the diodes and voltage regulator, those spikes can radiate into computer sensor signal wires and make the many computers do strange things. Very often you'll hear that someone's car runs better when the small plug on the generator is disconnected. Usually a new battery solves that.

In that case, good luck on the repair. The only advice I could give is to check and make sure the armature is not scored. Since there is noticeable play in the shaft, the bearing has been wearing for a while and the armature may be damaged. You are going to need some sort of driver to get the bearing out of the housing, a socket, some round stock, or a bushing/bearing driver.