Vehicle: 2002 Dodge Caravan SE (3.3L, V6)

I took my vehicle in to Speedy to diagnose the rattling noise coming from my engine:

** this was shot from underneath the car, passenger side, front, the splash shield is being pushed out of the way to reveal the pulleys. I'm filming upward toward showing the bottom of the alternator and harmonic balancer.


He checked around and stated it was the Harmonic Balancer / Vibration Dampener pulley. He pointed to the fact that it was wobbling and from the harmonic backside (engine side) the rubber looked uneven as if a part of it was slipping out.

TODAY, i got underneath the car to inspect the noise again. In the video you can hear the noise and it appears to be coming from the Alternator.

My Questions:

1. Is the issue BOTH the Alternator Pulley and the Harmonic Balancer pulley?

2. If the alternator is involved does the entire Alternator need to be replaced or can i replace just the pulley itself?

3. The noise has been going on for several months now, steadily getting louder. IS THERE ANY RISK / CONCERN i should have or is it ok for me to wait until SPRING to tend to the issue?

Besides this noise (and a check engine light - P0171 - but i will get to that another time) the car is running fine.

 

I replaced the alt pulley on my '03, so the answer is yes it can be done. That said, your van has WAY more noise than mine ever did. Has there been any change in performance to go along with this increasing noise? Have you tried removing the belt and running it for a few seconds to see how much (if any) of the noise goes away? And if you can listen at various points aound the engine with a mechanic's stethoscope, that might provide some information as well. And I can't help wondering what the steam/smoke is all about, and also how much oil it's been losing. If it were mine, I wouldn't wait until Spring (which looks like it may not show up until the middle of Summer anyway).

 

Thanks so much for the reply!

Firstly, the smoke is actually from the exhaust. I was filming while the wind was blowing the wrong direction (my direction) so no worries there.

You mentioned removing the serpentine belt and running the car. I didnt realize that was possible / allowed. So to be clear i can remove remove the belt and then start the engine and have it running without worrying of the engine overheating or anything (eg. i was concerned about the water pump pulley). But then you did say "a few seconds" so. ;P

I purchased a mechanic stethoscope just now so will give a listen later tonight. Good idea

I will check the oil but i should mention i did have to replace the front cover gasket a month ago HOWEVER i did not replace the cover on the backside of the engine due to the cold and hassle -- figure i could wait. The front side had lots of spillage but the back i did not see anything.

I'll update y'all shortly....

 

"You mentioned removing the serpentine belt and running the car. I didnt realize that was possible / allowed. So to be clear i can remove remove the belt and then start the engine and have it running without worrying of the engine overheating or anything (eg. i was concerned about the water pump pulley). But then you did say "a few seconds" so. ;P"

Common diagnostic test. Don't let it run more than a minute at a time. Nothing will be charging your battery or circulating your coolant.