Belt Squealing

[98DropTop]

I recently changed my alternator belt and power steering belt because it was squealing quite a bit on cold starts and somewhat when it was a little warm.. It seemed to do the trick at first but now it squeals again just as bad for ~30-40 sec in the morning and for a split seconds throughout the day when I start it....... In the morning when I turn the heat/AC on it seems to make it worse but goes away faster... Could it possibly be the AC belt, or if anyone has an idea what it could be? The belts are not loose either... Thanks

 

[91talontsi0324]

I have a good buddy with the same exact car and had exactly the same problem. If i remember correctly it was not the p.s belt. Im pretty sure that it was the a.c belt. Ill talk to him today and find out for sure though

 

[98DropTop]

K thanks, that would be great..... Only thing im thinking now that you say that is how come the sound went away for a few days after I got those two belts changed.. Hopefully it is the AC belt....

Also I forgot... Just as of yesterday/last night driving, it squealed the tiniest bit a few times as I was starting to drive from a stop... Like 2,3 times... Only for a second though

 

[daren_p]

Its pretty common for the alternator belt to squeel on startup with these cars. Sometimes its because its not tensioned properly (normally needs to be tighter) or you could have a bad belt. Was it a new OEM Mitsu belt, if so what part # did you get? (as one of them is know to squeel & Mitsu offers a revised version thats supposed to stop this issue).

 

[91talontsi0324]

I just talked to my buddy, he said that it was actually the serpentine belt that was making the noises. He said it was not tensioned properly(It was too loose). After the proper tension the noises stopped for a few months and now are back? hopefully you will be able to get rid of the noise for good. Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[98DropTop]

Yes OEM ordered from extremepsi

alternator belt #: MIT-MD310616
Power steering belt #: MIT-MD310617

 

[debbie]

The more work an alternator has to do the stiffer the pulley on the alt will become and cause belt squeal, so things like a weak battery and putting all the axillaries on at once when you first start the car up in the morning wont help.
I would make sure your battery is in good shape and when you first start the car up in the morning I would leave as many electrical items switched off to give your battery a chance?

Or it could just be a bad belt

 

[Defiant]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/pro...-just-time-pics-video.html?highlight=harmonic

 

[98DropTop]

Im at work right now so I cant look at that vid, ill have to later.... Also what do you guys think about the belt spray, if that was to work... Or is that just basically masking a possible problem until its too late.. ..... My battery is a Red Top, not even a month old... And I dont have any acc. on when I turn my car on... I was just saying maybe that may help diagnose the problem for someone on here, that when I turn the heat/AC fan on in the morning is seems to get worse/louder and sometimes stops earlier... Also sometimes when I turn the heat/AC fan off it goes away, and turn it back on it starts again, etc...

 

[98DropTop]

Hope this link works.... It didnt go for as long as it usually does when its the first start of the day, Ill try to record another one when I wake up earlier in the morning.

P7081588.flv video by hugo1984boss - Photobucket

 

[98gsxtuner]

It sounds like the power steering pump belt,thats what mine sounded like and I just put some belt dressing on it and it quit. I dont drive it that much or far so i havent really checked into it, the pully on mine does'nt have any movement to it ### all what other pully is the power steering pump belt connected to??? Can anyone fill me on that.

 

[98DropTop]

Ok so I took another video this morning and the first squeal is from starting the engine then it stops... The second is from putting the top down, then it stops... The third is from turning on the heat, then it stops.... As I was putting things in my trunk it squealed a couple more times for like 10-15sec each.....

-Bought some belt dressing and it seemed to work for now... No squealing, hopefully nothng major... Any other iedas are welcome.... I have a harmonic balancer on its way as well.

squeal2.flv video by hugo1984boss - Photobucket

 

[nwedlake]

Dressing just quiets the belt. Doesn't fix the issue. Similar to what fix-a-flat does for tires. Try cycling your battery because your alternator may be overworking itself due to a dying battery. It will eventually cause your alternator to fail..

To cycle the battery:
Let the battery die down to about 11.5V
charge it overnight on a 2A trickle
In the morning it should be anywhere from 12.5-12.8
Do this several nights in a row.
If you have close to failing or failing cells this will sometimes correct it
Thus taking a load off your alternator

 

[justoscar1]

i had the same problem for a long time until i finally replaced both belts and i still had one of the belts squealing it took me a few days of adjusting the tension on the belts but since then i have had no more squealing in the mornings or ever....

its going to take you a few trys till you get it right...dont give up i know it sux....

 

[98DropTop]

Thats what I posted earlier, I was saying that is the dressing just possibly masking the possible sound/problem, yet it still is there.
The alt and ps belts have only been on the car for 4 weeks, I got them replaced because I thought it would get rid of the sound... Ill try to play around with the tension when I have time, probably wont be for a bit though...
As for dying battery, it is a redtop that is ~month old, not even. So Im hoping that is not the issue.
If the tension is indeed the problem and is off and that is causing the sound, how much of a problem is that, if I were to leave it and still drive... Thanks for your input though guys.

 

[debbie]

Your video sounds just like what my car did when my belts were shot; if I were you I would try getting another set of all three belts, maybe from the dealers. Failing that you could try taking some sand paper to the pulleys and give them a rough surface for the belts to grip.
I did not read that you changed the alternator, could be that?

 

[98DropTop]

I was thinking it could be the alternator... Heres what I just noticed the other day.... When I start my car and it squeals like that the voltage reading on my turbo timer drops. As it slowly gets back up to where it normally is then the squealing stops. Same when I turn the heat/ac on when after it stops squealing... It starts squealing again, the voltage drops, and then slowly climbs back up and when it does the sound stops... So does that sound like my alternator... I just recently got a Redtop battery not long ago....

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Here's a thought. Go ahead and tighten your Alt. belt and see if the noise stops. If so, great. If not, cross it off the list. You can speculate all day long but actually doing something will be the real ticket.

 

[Kastigir]

My car was doing this as well, getting progressively worse each time it was started. Tightened the alternator belt and no more squeal.

 

[98DropTop]

ya it is getting prog. worse slowly... I have checked the belts and tightened them a bita while ago... I just dont want to over tighten.. how tight should it be...? I think I remember reading somewhere someone wrote that you should be able to turn the belt 90 degrees both ways somewhat but no more or no less?(unless i read wrong or remembered incorrectly) That doesnt sound very proper... Is there a proper way to do it, or just tighten it up nice and snug. thanks.

 

[gsxofftheline]

Heres what you do to determine what it is. Tighten the belts to specs, its in the manual just don't know the page at the moment, theres a belt tool to see how much tension is used, like a pull type tool. When you adjust the belts to specs and it still makes the noise. Get a can of lubricant spray with the streamline nozzle, spray a single belt at a time and when you spray the one eith the noise, it should go away momentarily. This means the belt needs to be changed. If you have done all the steps above and the noise doesn't go away, its a pulley to something, PS, ALT, etc. Hope this helps.

 

[gsxofftheline]

I don't disagree with anyones opinion, thats just the method I use when I work on a car with a belt noise.

 

[kimcheefists]

I have a very similar problem with one of my belts squealing only during a cold start up but unlike the OP's discrepancy, mine doesn't squeal when I load the alternator. I initially thought that it was my power steering pump pulley but before I go changing parts, I wanted to try and tightening up the belts first.

My only question is how do you tighten up each belt?

I have a very similar problem with one of my belts squealing and I initially thought that it was my power steering pump pulley but before I go changing parts, I wanted to try and tightening up the belts first.

My only question is how do you tighten up each belt?

 

[nyTalonTsi]

To tighten the alt/waterpump belt, loosen the shorter alt tensioner bolt then the longer one. Then retighten them. For the power steering loosen the bolts on the pump, then retighten them. Their on each of the pulley sides.

 

[BoostedBeaver]

Let me know if you cure your problem Im having the same issue and I have already tried tighting the belts. I will keep you posted if I fix mine and I hope that you will do the same.