91 clunking noise

[knoxville3971]

uhh, where 2 begin

when i first start the car the sound isnt there,but once it warms up a little bit it starts. the sound kind of sounds like a pebble is stuck in the intake manifold, its random n kinda bounces around, if u understand what i mean. in park or neutral the sound gets really quiet/dissappears. but when i put it in a drive gear (rev, drive, 2nd, or 1st) all of them lol it gets really loud. but once u give it gas the sound goes away completely. one day i noticed that the headlights have an effect on it. i had the headlights on while i was in park with the motor running n the sound was there, but once i turned the lights off it went away. i think it may be the alternator, but i dont know. i opened the hood and the sound is coming from the area by the alternator.

any ideas?

and another question right quick. how can i install a cd player in it? i have a head unit n want 2 use the stock speakers. my friend said i need some sort of adapter.


thankies

[Billski]

I had a similar noise issue recently with a '90 with the 3.3L V6. Thought it was the power steering pump since the alternator had been replaced a year earlier and the PS pump was the original. after spending the $$ for the pump and several hours changing it (and the heater blower fan motor since it was noisy and I was in there), found out it was the alternator after all.

take a piece of tubing or heater hose 3 feet (approx) long and hold one end to your ear while listening to the area BEHIND the alternator and PS pump. you don't want to mess around the front of the alternator and PS pump with the belt moving for safety reasons. move the hose over toward the back of the PS pump. Assuming you have the V6, and you feel you can do this next bit safely, try to put the hose beside the alternator down toward the water pump. Whichever of this 3 is louder is the likely culprit. Check the area underneath the water pump for leaks, as bad bearings on the water pump will cause the seal to fail and leakage should be evident. my money's on the alternator. if you do try to replace the alternator yourself, follow the instructions regarding the sequence of battery / wiring disconnect/connect to the letter. It's very easy to screw up and blow the diodes out of the brand-new alternator if you don't follow the sequences exactly. can't help you with the stereo question though. good luck