Alternator pulley bearings going out - 2005 Chevy Aveo

[Kirby]

The alternator pulley bearings on my 2005 Aveo LS are starting to complain pretty loudly (makes a wobbling sound & gets worse as the RPMs go up)

The car has 150,000+ miles on it & it's probably not worth replacing the alternator since it's still charging.

Is it possible to replace the pulley only on the alternator?

What I've read online makes it seem like replacing the alternator is fairly difficult & includes removing the throttle body & mounting bracket.

If I can just do the pulley, I'm sure I could replace it myself but the PIMA factor of replacing the alternator makes me more inclined to use a shop if replacing the alternator is my only choice.

If it's possible to just replace the pulley, does anyone have some suggestions where to pick one up at?
I saw a "Mr Gasket Alternator Pulley" on a number of sites but the pictures don't appear to match the part so I'm not real confident on making the purchase...

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[avguy]

I remembered reading a good thread on alt removal, and when I pulled it back up, I noticed you had posted on that one as well. If you reread this thread, it appears the removal is not a really tough job if the bracket is removed along with the alt (working from underneath). I've not had to do this job on mine, so I can't confirm that. But I will definitely try it that way, if and when my alt goes south.
I've removed the pulley from the alt on my Caravan using a home-made removal/installation tool. This turned out to be just a moderate job, and actually quite a bit easier than I thought it was going to be. The tool that I built for the caravan used a drilled-out coupling nut for the outer, and a standard socket w extension for the inner. I would expect that the same type of tool is needed for any pulley - basically an "outer" hex sleeve which "keys" into the pulley, and an "inner" socket (likely 10mm) which turns freely within the outer sleeve. The outer sleeve needs to extend out of the pulley far enough to be able to get a wrench on it (to provide the countering force). Just a matter of finding something that works for the specific dimensions of the Aveo alt and pulley.

[ontarian_frog]

The pulley on the alternator doesn't contain bearings. The alternator has bearings inside. At 150K miles, I'd replace the alternator, the tensioners and the belt.

[daug1502]

My alternator started whining at around 50,000 miles. Thought it was coming from my timing belt housing or one of the cranks. A friend took a stethoscope to the engine and narrowed the sound down for me. It's been doing it for about 10,000 miles now, and the only symptom I have noted is a little dimming of the lights when the car goes to or from idle. I'm not going to worry about it unless it become more pronounced or all out breaks.