Best and Brightest, chew on this one:

My 1990 745t (220k) cold-starts with an extra crank or two than usual. And when the idle settles, the voltage reading is down at (my best estimate) a little over twelve. If I rev the engine a bit, or simply start driving, I'll get this GRAWK noise, and the voltage jumps. If moving, the car hitchs a bit, as if someone yanked the e-brake hard. A month ago this would happen once, then all is fine. Now it takes a few revs, a few GRAWKS, and the voltage never seems to climp up into the happy-go-lucky 14 range.

more information:
-I replaced the alternator in February with a non-bosch (but of course, lifetime-guaranteed) Advanced Auto part.
-At first I thought the noise was in the back, perhaps the differential, plus or minus. Now it seems to be in the front, and I might have also heard a belt whine or slip during the last one.

I've observed this developing problem with bemused detachment, but I'm in the middle of a springy run of fixing the hell out of things (just did shocks/struts, headliner is next) and I think this is climbing its way onto the short list. Maybe even above "rattling door panels" and "install boost controller." If you have any thoughts or prior experience, I'm all ears.

-Nick

PS did make it through a complete swap to Bilstein HDs, front and back, with the help of the FAQ and previous comments on the board. I used many tips and avoided many others' prior mistakes. So far (50 miles in) the car tracks great, takes a set through the curves, and wallows so much less that I temporarily don't care about upgrading the sway bar, too...and no unexpected knocking and rattling from the front end. The HDs are the real deal. Certainly stiff, but in all the good ways. Thanks, BrickBoard.