alternator belt shredding [Merged 6-8] shedding falling off squeal noise thrown

[marksae]

Alright.. i've gone through some hell w/ my alternator belt on my 1g. Ever since I removed my AC belt, my alternator belt has flown off 3 times, and I've shredded 2 of them. If i leave it too loose, it flies off. If I tighten it too much, the belt shreds. I'll check my pulleys to make sure they're all lined up and aren't dinged up. Will overtightening this belt cause it to shred?

As this amalgamation of threads shows, the usual causes of alternator belt troubles are:
1. Failed harmonic balancer.
2. Bent pulleys.
3. Pulleys put on backward.

 

[16g-2ndgen]

ok, the motor i have is the 4g63. for some reason the belt keeps squeeking perfusley and then breaks, ive been threw 4 belts since last wensday! i was told to look for a locked up pully but all of them are free, all the pullys are good condition, no nicks no notches, they just squeek and break, also the belts have been tensioned properly. the belts break like an almost even clean snap. could this be a sign that my alternator is out of alignment? ive also been told that this could be happening becuase my harmonic balancer is dying. is there a way i could inspect the pully to see if the rubber part is bad? what other possibilities is there to why this is happening. help asap would be nice, becuase this is my dd.

 

[Twistaye]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/pro...y-harmonic-dampener-just-time-pics-video.html

 

[16g-2ndgen]

well since i know what to look for in the crank pully i will go inspect it! but mine does not chirp like that, it acually has a constant squeel and then the smell and sight of burning rubber rises from the bay

 

[97 4G63]

Inspect the pulleys make sure they're not bent.

 

[arturo74r]

Ok. I got the same problem again, both of my belts shredded today while I was driving. Considering I put these belts like 2 months ago there's obviosly some other problem with my car. I don't have much money to spend in major repairs so I went and got new belts for it, put the alternator belt in no time but when doing the a/c and power steering belt. For some reason I couldn't turn the adjuster bolt anymore. It got hard as a rock. I can barely turn it either way (I made sure I unlocked the tensor pulley first, I know it's a common error) There's no way to put on the belt the way it is right now. So I'll have to take it to a shop.

Any ideas on why is it shredding belts? It might be my harmonic balancer like I've read in this thread but my engine is the 420a, I don't know if these have the same problem. In case this is the problem, where can I find a lightweight harmonic balancer pulley?

Any ideas on why my adjusting bolt got jammed? or how to fix it? I tried spraying some oil based lubricant on it but it didn't help

 

[99gst_racer]

You can estimate belt deflection by pulling on them and measuring how far they move from resting position. It's not exactly scientific, but it works... I look for around 1" deflection or less. Over-tightening can quickly kill accessory bearings and under-tightening can cause slippage and squealing.

Interesting. While re-tensioning my accessory belts yesterday, I noticed my alternator has a good amount of shaft play. It's been recently replaced (a month ago), and I may have overtightened it while trying to eliminate a belt squeal that was most likely cause by a failing harmonic dampener. The alternator is still under warranty, but I do have one question. Will the Autozone alternator tester fail an alternator that has too much shaft play (worn bearings) even if it's outputting sufficiently?

 

[rEclipserGST]

Interesting. While re-tensioning my accessory belts yesterday, I noticed my alternator has a good amount of shaft play. It's been recently replaced (a month ago), and I may have overtightened it while trying to eliminate a belt squeal that was most likely cause by a failing harmonic dampener. The alternator is still under warranty, but I do have one question. Will the Autozone alternator tester fail an alternator that has too much shaft play (worn bearings) even if it's outputting sufficiently?

Great question. I am wondering why it is still unanswered.

My belts squeal at start up if the motor is cold as well. They will continue to do so for a full minute or two. I notice in the summer... they really never do it, maybe 30 secs max. If the car is warmed up, it will not squeal at start up.

Any solutions other than tightening the hell out of the belts and replacing the Harmonic Balancer? I've replaced the crank pulley less than 500 miles ago because the other was separating and making that famous vibration and excess noise. I've also had a few belts shred and separate, I finally gave in and took it to a performance shop. They fixed it, not a belt has shredded since... but it squeals still.

I've read somewhere in the forums about the following:

A certain belt you buy that Does Not Squeal - part number?
Applying wax on the belt that stops squealing - how does that stop the squeal?
Swapping out pulleys being that they are bent - if the pulleys were bent, why does the squeal stop eventually?

I'm almost 100% positive that these cars did not squeal from the factory. I might have to take a trip to Mitsubishi and get suggestions.