Ford Repair: noisey alternator??, ford escape xlt, altenator

Question
Hi, I own a 2001 Ford Escape XLT, and lately there's been a strange rattling noise from underneath.  At first I thought it was the heat shield on the converter, but now we seem to think it's a bearing going in the alternator.  Have you ever heard of this before, and how in the world do you get to it to fix it?  We can only see it, can't reach it from above or below and can only see one bolt to it so far...any suggestions?

Answer
hey there, i have heard of boisy altenanator bearings, it is actualy a typical problem, the altenator on this vehicle is actually a very difficult one to do, if i recal the book calls almost 4 hours to replace it. the right hand drive shaft has to come out along with alot of other things. there are people that will rebuild the altenator, but i always run into problems with the remanufactured altenators, you will save a lot of hassel just to get one from a ford dealer, good luck
Chris P