I pulled the alternator out to do some maintainence on it. I did the bushes and because the alternator would cock to one side awhen it was tight I assumed the bushings were tired.

Here's what I found:

At 197000 miles on my car, the brushes could have gone, I guess, another 30000 before they would have been to the minimum length (according to the Bentley book). No mess no fuss job. For $2.00 I'm good for another 197...

What I suspected to be bushings were not at all. The alternator housing itself elongated and became oval shaped where the bolt passes through. In one respect, the bushings provide a quieter car but because the alternator housing can 'float' between the bushings, I still have the trick of trying to tweek the alternator straight in relation to the waterpump as I tighten up the bolts.