Forgive me if I am not using the right terms, I know nothing about mechanics. None the less, since I got bailed on trying to change my alternator, I have resolved to learn and fix all problems from here on out. So here goes:

I just swapped out my alternator because that black vacuum thing that sits over the fan and connects to the engines air intake (I think) came loose and wore the alternator out. I've decided to not be so late in addressing engine troubles because of this.

Since the alternator was replaces, the truck seems to be having issues with shifting into another gear and will hang up on revving up a little longer than comfortable. Once it finally jumps into a higher gear, a cloud of exhaust bursts from the back and the truck finally picks up speed. I can't be for certain but I think my fuel consumption dropped briefly before increasing after changing the alternator. The only thing I took off when changing it was that black vacuum thing above the fan that attaches to the intake.