[RESOLVED] Belt Squeaks at Start Up

[Jordanbutter]

I'm stumped, My alternator belt squeaks for about three seconds everytime I start my car up cold. I've pulled the alternator all the way out but the belt still seems a bit loose but not that much. The Pully looks fine and is not wobbly and the car holds volts fine and the belt never squeaks after those first three seconds. Any ideas?

 

[Gregory]

Have you replaced the belt? I'm not being a smartass; just noticed you didn't mention it.

 

[Cs4g63]

Have you checked your crank pulley lately?

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

You still have the alternator belt tensioner in place? Are you using that to tighten up the belt? Had similar problem, both scenarios where 1 I had the tensioner in place, and another where I didn't have one. Both squealed at start up, tightened up the belt using the tensioner--sqeak at start up gone. The other scenario, bought the tensioner, put it in and place then tightened up the belt-- squeek gone.

If those don't do it, check the belt itself, or make sure thats where the sound is coming from.

 

[Jordanbutter]

Yeah the belt got replaced like three months ago I tensioned it down yesterday but maybe it wasn't enough but I screwed it out to like half way.

 

[Jordanbutter]

Ok a new revelation, I tightened the adjustment bolt out till my wrench hit the fan gaurd, when I started it up it squeaked again I felt the belt and it seemed more loose than when I started it. All bolts are tight and the crank pulley is good. I'm so confused.

 

[joebor1776]

I had a problem with a perpetually squeeking alternator belt and someone suggested trying Goodyear Gatorback belt. I found one at a Goodyear store (was 17.95 or something like that). I haven't had any squeeking since that.

 

[97gstjosh]

Thats odd. I have that problem after it rains or the snow melts and the belt gets wet it squeaks consistently until it dries. I also spray a little wd-40 on the pulley and it stops right away and doesnt come back(could be good could be bad)

 

[Jordanbutter]

It is the gatorback belt. By the way. Maybe its just my luck and fixing it is just It seemed as though it got more loose after starting the car even though it was tight but all the bolts are tight and maybe I'm just crazy.

 

[numlock666]

by any chance have you changed your water pump lately?? It turned out i had the alternator pulley on backwards. . Also try a shorter belt, go to Autozone and ask em for 1/2inch shorter or 1 inch shorter

 

[No_Skillz]

Am I crazy or does the bolt need to go IN for the belt to get tighter? Even if I am crazy, you can guestimate correct belt tightness by trying to twist it. It shouldn't twist more than 90*.

 

[Jordanbutter]

It seemed to get tighter when I unscrewed the long adjustment bolt that goes into the bolt for the sliding part. (sorry for the vague discription) I guess I'd call it the belt tensioning bolt on the adjustment bolt. And what would the alternator pulley look like backwards?

 

[Defiant]

the crank pulley is good.

I say it isn't.

 

[Jordanbutter]

The Crank Pulley was replaced less than 15000 miles ago. I'm starting to think it might be the A/C belt, now I never use the A/C and my winter project will be to remove it, so can I just cut the belt off?

 

[Defiant]

Put a chalk mark on the face of the harmonic balancer and one on the hub. Check it again in a week. Or, after you hear the noise again.

 

[m_0ney_pit]

I would also say its the crank pulley. Mine had the same symptoms and after one tightening session on startup I heard a *pop* and that was the end of that crank pulley. Unfortanatly it had been wearing on my lower timing cover for sometime and ate a hole right through the thing.
Just because it "feels" solid and still works doesn't mean the gluing hasn't already let go. Remember its a rubber ring glued to metal discs, if the glue seperates the rubber still provides frictional force causeing it to act like normal.

 

[Jordanbutter]

Ok I will do that but would the crank pulley go bad that fast? And if it need to be replaced whats the best route to go for getting another one?

 

[rich3389]

The altinator tensioner should be torqued to 100 ft lbs. So that belt should be really tight and shouldn't have much play at all.

 

[daren_p]

Maybe its just your wording but it doesn't sound like you are tensioning it correctly. Is this what your doing: First loosen the small bolt that holds the adjustment bracket to the alternator, now adjust/tighten the belt tension buy turning the tensioner bolt clockwise (same way you'd turn to tighten a bolt), this pulls the alternator towards the front of the car, increasing tension on the belt, do this until you achieve the proper tension (few mm deflection in the center of the belt between pulleys). Then tighten the small bolt again to lock the adjustment in place. The adjustment bolt shouldn't move from its position (with the adjusting bolts head sitting against the end of the tensioner bracket), so it sounds like your adjusting it wrong as you said you backed the adjustment bolt out until your wrench hit the fan shroud.

Sounds to me that you didn't loosen the small bolt that locks the alternator to the tensioner bracket so you are just loosening the adjustment bolt out & this won't change the tension on the belt at all, as the alternator is still locked in place.

 

[Strm Trpr]

Very well said Daren.
There are two different Gatorback belts for the alternators on our cars.
1 is for an A/T and the other for a M/T.
The A/T is the longer of the two, but only by half an inch.

I thought it was my alternator belt squealing at start up, but it was my crank pulley.
My car only has 66k on the clock.
If you plan to remove the A/C, go ahead and cut the belt off.
Remove the last belt on the crank pulley and try to pull it off.
Mine wasn't completely delaminated, but I could pull it off of the pulley hub about an 1/8". Once removed it was obviously wasted.
You can really see the crack on the back side of the pulley.
I say take a look.
You can have it off in a couple of minutes.
Just remove the splash shield (3x 12mm screws) and those 2 plastic POS body panel screws, put a 1/2" drive ratchet in the square hole on the crank sprocket bolt, and remove the 4x 12mm screws holding the crank pulley on.
If your crank pulley is indeed shot, get one from San Rafael Mitsu for $105.

 

[Jordanbutter]

Well I marked the crank pulley and both parts are moving together as for tightening it that worked alot better though it still squeaks a bit so I guess I just have to tighten it even more. Plus I'm gonna let it sit for a few and see if it's still good when I start it then. And yeah I'm thinking I'll just cut off the A/C belt for the mean time.

Ok well the belt still squeaks the bolt is pretty damn tight but the belt seems loose still so I'm gonna get a new one and replace it this weekend. I'll also check the crank pulley and make sure its still the same. In the mean time anymore suggestions are good and does anyone have the right gatorback belt part number and where its from? (advanced, checker, autozone?) Thanks

 

[Strm Trpr]

Here's link to the alternator gatorback belt I bought at Kragen for my 97 GSX M/T.
http://www.partsamerica.com/product...O&MfrPartNumber=4040390&PartType=1063&PTSet=A

Gatorback part # 4040390

And here's a link for the A/T version in case you have a auto tranny.
http://www.partsamerica.com/Product...O&MfrPartNumber=4040385&PartType=1063&PTSet=A

Gatorback part # 4040385

 

[Defiant]

The altinator tensioner should be torqued to 100 ft lbs. So that belt should be really tight and shouldn't have much play at all.

Holy crap! Which do you sell, alternator bearings, bolts, or brackets?

 

[91talon27]

The Gatorback belt you are needing is part number 4040390 at Autozone. The cost is $18.99. The belt has to be really tight. It took me a week to figure out what was wrong with my car when it did the exact same thing as yours. There should be little to no slack in the belt when it is properly tightened.

 

[rich3389]

I know that is really tight and i never would think any belt should be that tight, but the factory service manual actually calls for the alt. belt to be that tight.