SOLVED!!! - A/C pulley bearing went bad
First of all - thank you all for your help!
The problem was with the A/C bearing. The car made the same noise with or without the A/C on, thus it was just a matter of replacing the A/C bearing. Honda dealer told me the labor is $390 + new a/c clutch was $300, for a total of over $700 with taxes. My car has only 65K and I didn't want to replace it.
I spent $10 on a new bearing (got it on eBay) and $40 in metal-working shop that took out the old bearing and pressed in the new one. I also had to buy A/C clutch holder tool for $25
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/OEM-A-C-clutch-holding-tool/_/N-263f?itemIdentifier=150540_0_0_.
I bought the Honda shop-manual on eBay - well worth it. I wouldn't recommend to do this without a manual! (for example, you must make sure the A/C is off before you take the belt off... or you must push the tensioner slowly since it's hydrolic...)
Here are some photos:
Removed Alternator:
Removed water pump-pulley (3 screws). Then belt tensioner (1 screw) + bracket (2 screws).
Removed A/C compressor - total of 4 screws: two screws on top you see, one on the bottom-right you can see a little, and another at the bottom-left that you have to find by touch. Of course, I did NOT want to remove the A/C, therefore I did not disconnect the hoses!
A/C clutch removed (using A/C clutch holder tool). Comes off easily with two screwdrivers to pry it gently off. Remove the washer (or two), don't lose them!!! They come in different sizes: 0.1, to 0.5. Tiny, but very important...
A/C pulley removed: Use C-ring pliers to remove the ring. came off without using a wrench - pulled it off by tightening the puller by hand
Clutch & new (green) and old (red) bearings. You can see the bearing is secured. Local metal-working shop did a beautiful job of removing it and then securing it again the same way, but in between the previously pressed places. Obviously, the next time the bearing fails, I'll have to buy a new pulley as there isn't enough material to secure it this way again. I forgot to take a picture of the new one, here are the old ones...
Putting everything together was pretty easy. The Honda manual calls for removing the fan, rather than removing the water-pump pulley (3 screws) and the tensioner (1 screw). If you are removing the A/C and disconnecting it, I'm sure it's easier to go by the manual.
My only problem was putting in the alternator...
. By mistake, I used the long screw that holds the alternator to secure the A/C. Both screws are the same length, both are 12mm, they look the same, but the screw for A/C is 0.6mm thinner (for those who care, the A/C screw's thread is cut, but the alternator screw's thread is pressed - that's why the "minor" difference)
My Honda is quiet again! Thanks again for all your help and tips!!!