pulley+belt associated w alternator seems to be visible loose and wobbling quite a lot. perhaps we didn't align/fasten right, or selected a bad belt. how do i evaluate/make correct adjustments? or, ideas. Is it important? depending on how much time. Thank you

That would be your crank pulley. Don't worry, one day it will completely break off, or so they say.

Short of replacing the crankshaft, and preventing further wear by tightening your belts correctly in the future, there's not much else you can do in the short term. I noticed wobble at 87k. Unless it's excessive and you can't justify it as an illusion, I'd say it's normal for a VG, and probably won't cause problems until you join the high mile club.

oh, i'm already qualified @ 260k on this one. what do i need to tighten? seems like it should be intuitive but as the title suggests .. novice. other pulleys and belts look ok, rather not disrupt too much. Thank you ...

then leave it alone and drive it as is.

What I meant is to install all belts with the correct tension. Buy a tension gauge, that's pretty much the only way to make sure belts are installed correctly. Estimating or eyeballing ends up a more complex procedure, and brings no peace of mind.

mine had the wobble too, first of all the crankshaft pulley itself went bad. replaced it and less than a year later the crank itself started to wobble. got bad enough that the wobble from side to side was probably 2 inches

just drive it til it goes, mine wobbled for probably 10 or 15,000km. then the engine cooked a crank bearing or something and started knocking

Lol. 2" of wobble? How is that possible?

I wouldn't say drive it till it goes is a good idea. Replacing the crankshaft is a lot easier and cheaper than a full engine rebuild or swap. This is assuming that the timing gear goes with the pully. If not, scratch what I said.

Regardless, I think the thing to do with 2" of wobble would be to swap out the crank.

yep, from left to right it was at least 2 inches on mine, probably more. i dont know how the hell the engine went for another 10+k before knocking, drove just fine. cranks a common high mileage VG30E problem

for as cheap and common as VG30E are, i would say drive it til it dies then get a new engine

only wobbles at idle, makes a barely audible gear-grind noise at low speeds. if symptoms worsen ... how hard is it to replace the crank and pulley? at home w hand tools etc. other possibilities??

leave it alone and drive it as is, think that's kinda neglecting it.honestly still a little invested in this engine, sounds alot more labor and expense to replace it...

If it's barely noticeable, then yeah just leave it. Severe wobble is a different story, I'd definitely replace if it was as chrome describes. If it's bothering you, just replace the timing belt, and when installing it and the other the belts, do so with the correct tension. That way you know it's correct and not making the problem worse.

Depends on how you feel about your Max as far as repairing/replacing. If it was me I'd repair/replace mentioned parts...save yourself the headache of getting stranded and paying tow fee. You should be able to DIY in your driveway if your mechanically inclined...Good Wrenching!!

crankshaft itself is the problem when it comes to this (at least on mine it was), when you get that deep into the engine, you want to do everything. rings, bearings, etc etc etc. unless theres something special with the engine, its less time and labor to swap in a low mileage engine

does this model have a belt or chain? ('92 se). just to be clear. not too familiar w timing chains, where and what to look for...can't find timing belt so have a feeling it's a chain and isn't exposed . . . thanks for all advice

Timing belt, its behind the upper and lower timing covers. Have to remove crank pulley to remove lower timing cover.

nope. VG30E have belts and 92-94SE with VE30DE have chains

My post was supposed to say "timing belt is" not "timing belt its"

I was not aware of the motor of OP's car being a VE, as the thread says VG30, so I was basing it off of that - I do know the difference however :P