Alternator Noise....
 

I am pretty certain I am hearing bearing whine from the alternator. I do not think it is the A/C as there is no noice with the A/C off. I am tempted to remove the belt and run it for a bit to confirm.

This said for peace of mind at 228k miles I was already thinking of replacing the brushes. They went at 180K on my Audi, so I am guessing they are pretty worn on this car.

My questions:
How hard is it to remove the pulley? Is it within the capability of my 18v Driver & a 22mm socket?
Any tricks getting the small bearing off of the armature shaft? I think I mostly have enough gizmo's for a bicycle bearing press to remove the big one, or I can get help.

Rebuild kit seems to be about $40 but I do not recognize the WMD Bearings, so might just by the brushes and NSK bearings.

Thanks for advice.

You need a hydraulic press and a bunch of collars to press out/replace the bearings. There are other hack methods with varying degrees of success. Consider getting the Denso 210-1032 it's nicely rebuilt for you by Denso.

I may bite, but looking at the Denso site I get DEN 210-1214 any idea on difference? Yours is considerably cheaper on Rock Auto

2002 ES 300 w/HID if that make a difference.

Hello,

Toyota had a bunch of Part Numbers with various superficial revisions, like units assembled in US or Japan, different years, pulley diameters, etc. Denso is rebuilding existing units instead of creating them from scratch, hence the various numbers on their end as well, though I am not particularly sure about the price differences, could be as simple as availability of parts.

In reality, so long as you can bolt it to your engine and it provides enough current, you will be good with any model they offer, just pick the most price competitive Denso unit for your car.

Hope this helps and best of luck!