Help with belt/pulley squeals
02-28-2016, 07:55 PM
#1
Help with belt/pulley squeals
Started with a whine that sounded like a super charger. Few days later I ended up with a charging system error. Took the car to autozone to get checked and it said the Alternator had some dead diodes inside and wasn't charging the system properly.
Changed the alternator and once finished had a very loud squeal that wasn't there prior to changing it out! Take the car to my local mechanic, he changes the serpentine belt and the sound is gone for about a week or more then one morning out of the blue it's back again.
The noise is typically there when the car is cold and idling and will go away once warmed up; sometimes it will go away at idle once warm, but show up again when accelerating.
I've cleaned all the pulley's, sprayed WD-40 on all of the pulley bolts and into the back sides of them that I can get to. I even sprayed lithium grease in them after cleaning them out with the WD-40? I sprayed the belt down with just water. Then I put it all back together and it was fine for a while then the squeal came back. shortly after that I applied some more WD-40 to just the Alternator pulley and it was gone again only to return upon revving the engine? I've since applied belt lube and more WD to all of the pulley's and it goes quiet for a bit then comes right back.
Should I change the belt again? Should I just take the new alternator out and take it back for a return? The squeal did not arise until AFTER the new alternator went in. Does anyone know how I can easily find the squeal?
I had the timing belt serviced last April at 106k miles if that helps anything.
Changed the alternator and once finished had a very loud squeal that wasn't there prior to changing it out! Take the car to my local mechanic, he changes the serpentine belt and the sound is gone for about a week or more then one morning out of the blue it's back again.
The noise is typically there when the car is cold and idling and will go away once warmed up; sometimes it will go away at idle once warm, but show up again when accelerating.
I've cleaned all the pulley's, sprayed WD-40 on all of the pulley bolts and into the back sides of them that I can get to. I even sprayed lithium grease in them after cleaning them out with the WD-40? I sprayed the belt down with just water. Then I put it all back together and it was fine for a while then the squeal came back. shortly after that I applied some more WD-40 to just the Alternator pulley and it was gone again only to return upon revving the engine? I've since applied belt lube and more WD to all of the pulley's and it goes quiet for a bit then comes right back.
Should I change the belt again? Should I just take the new alternator out and take it back for a return? The squeal did not arise until AFTER the new alternator went in. Does anyone know how I can easily find the squeal?
I had the timing belt serviced last April at 106k miles if that helps anything.
02-28-2016, 10:27 PM
#3
Senior Moderator
perhaps a bad belt tensioner, was that replaced along with the timing belt tensioner at 106K?
The following users liked this post:
07BLKTL (03-22-2016)
The following users liked this post:
07BLKTL (03-22-2016)
03-22-2016, 10:24 PM
#5
Thanks for the replies. I just wanted to post an update to hopefully help anyone else with this in the future if anyone starts searching.
We ended up replacing the alternator since it was covered under warranty, we changed the belt tensioner and the idler pulley since they are all one piece and we put on a new belt and the sound is now gone.
We ended up replacing the alternator since it was covered under warranty, we changed the belt tensioner and the idler pulley since they are all one piece and we put on a new belt and the sound is now gone.
04-05-2016, 09:52 PM
#6
Update.
The car has now started eating the drive belt. It ate one previously after first changing everything over and I chalked that up to misalignment and too much belt lube and a broken power steering fluid tank. The first time I lost 2-3 ribs and it was still eating the belt. This time around I've only lost one rib. Not sure, something has to be out of alignment? My best guess is the idler pulley is causing my issue.
I also have a strange whine/squeal sound coming from the left front. Seems to be only at 20-40mph and between 2 and 4k rpm. The sound does get louder when you increase the throttle. Cannot hear it in neutral or park when revving the engine.
I'm going to play it safe and go ahead and do a 1x3 on the trans fluid. I just cannot tell if perhaps the front brake is dragging and catching or if perhaps my wheel bearing is maybe going out. I did notice the wheel on that left front did seem to be much hotter than the passenger after a short drive.
Any thoughts on either of these?
The car has now started eating the drive belt. It ate one previously after first changing everything over and I chalked that up to misalignment and too much belt lube and a broken power steering fluid tank. The first time I lost 2-3 ribs and it was still eating the belt. This time around I've only lost one rib. Not sure, something has to be out of alignment? My best guess is the idler pulley is causing my issue.
I also have a strange whine/squeal sound coming from the left front. Seems to be only at 20-40mph and between 2 and 4k rpm. The sound does get louder when you increase the throttle. Cannot hear it in neutral or park when revving the engine.
I'm going to play it safe and go ahead and do a 1x3 on the trans fluid. I just cannot tell if perhaps the front brake is dragging and catching or if perhaps my wheel bearing is maybe going out. I did notice the wheel on that left front did seem to be much hotter than the passenger after a short drive.
Any thoughts on either of these?
04-06-2016, 05:02 AM
#7
I had the same problem- squealing accessory belt. I replaced it with a new one and sound disappeared. Seems to me you have done a lot of unnecessary work replacing the tensioner (maybe even the alternator replacement was unnecessary). it is a very tight space there and ahrd to get hands in. however, to replace the belt you do not need any tools- cut off old belt and route a new belt. it goes on very tight, but you need to use a bar to move a tensioner up to put the belt on. I am speaking about the accessory belt- not the timing belt. Timing belt rarely squeal. usually it is ball bearings. suggestion- troubleshoot where the sound comes from on the running engine- spray some silicone lube and see if the sound disappears for a while. if so, your belt needs to be replaced and nothing else. if the belts gets eaten- there is a missalinment when you replace the tensioner or the belt is wrong type and does not fit the grooves. can you upload the pics to better see what culprit could be for your problem.