Having just completed my first long drive (1,340 miles) on the 3.0Si (E3), the biggest issue I had was a noise that sounded like 2-3 loose ball bearing inside a rapidly rotating assembly, coming from the front of the car. It would be sporadic, lasting a 1-3 seconds and would go away and didn't correspond to any particular action or rev range. I thought it was the AC compressor clutch starting to go out. At one point when trying to start the car the belt screeched very loudly and the alt light was on, as if the alternator was seized solid. I tried starting it again and it did without any belt noise or ALT light.
After a while I figured out it was 2 of the 4 skinny long bolts that hold both ends of the alternator together. The bolts come in from the front and are secured by a 5mm nut on the rear. Two of the nuts had fallen off so the bolts (not entirely visible from the top) were occasionally bouncing up, hitting the fan and bouncing right back into place. At one point when trying to start the car the belt screeched very loudly and the alt light was on, as if the alternator was seized solid. I tried starting it again and it did without any belt noise or ALT light.
Stopped at an Autozone and bought the 5mm nuts they had and although they are the wrong pitch, one of the held on but the other one just kicked out since I had very little thread exposed to thread it on. The alternator was slightly separated at this point, but not visibly so, such that it was jamming that screw in place. In addition, I got some 5 min epoxy and put some in the shallow cavities where the bolt heads reside. I'll blue loctite those when I effect a permanent repair.
FWIW, it's a BNR (EBAY) rebuilt alternator with ~1,800 miles on it. Check your alternator nuts...
After a while I figured out it was 2 of the 4 skinny long bolts that hold both ends of the alternator together. The bolts come in from the front and are secured by a 5mm nut on the rear. Two of the nuts had fallen off so the bolts (not entirely visible from the top) were occasionally bouncing up, hitting the fan and bouncing right back into place. At one point when trying to start the car the belt screeched very loudly and the alt light was on, as if the alternator was seized solid. I tried starting it again and it did without any belt noise or ALT light.
Stopped at an Autozone and bought the 5mm nuts they had and although they are the wrong pitch, one of the held on but the other one just kicked out since I had very little thread exposed to thread it on. The alternator was slightly separated at this point, but not visibly so, such that it was jamming that screw in place. In addition, I got some 5 min epoxy and put some in the shallow cavities where the bolt heads reside. I'll blue loctite those when I effect a permanent repair.
FWIW, it's a BNR (EBAY) rebuilt alternator with ~1,800 miles on it. Check your alternator nuts...