belt squeels when lights are on

[my95tsi]

Ok i've had this problem for some time but it's seems to be getting worse with the cold weather. During the day my car drives just find and the belt doesn't squeel at all. However at night the belt will squeel when i turn the lights on. Now it won't squeel at idle it will only squeel when i start to drive. It goes away once i start driving but will usually do it 50% of the time when i come to a stop and start driving again. My rpm's also get really low when i come to a stop and thats usually when it will squeel. Kinda strange if you ask me. I had autozone test my alternator and it's just fine. It puts out 13.8-14 volts when i'm driving and during the night it will put out about 12.6 at idle. I heard that's pretty normal for dsm's. The belt is also tight as can be. I don't know what could be the problem. Plus the belts only have 10k on them. I'd replace the belt but i'm almost positive that's not the problem. I also hear a whining noise sometimes when the car idles really low. Almost sounds like a bad pulley but i can't tell.

 

[harjms]

I have this same problem....its when i turn on my heater full blast or lights or both. it does it only when the motor is cold. since my car idle sucks and almost dies it always makes the squeel noise. i fixed it in the summer cuz it also did it...i just tightened my alt belt a lil bit more....fixed it until this winter...i think its done stretchy out...i hope so anyways.

if that doesnt fix ur problem then i dont know what to tell u

 

[binhle]

your belt is slipping from the extra load on the alternator and the weather is a factor too.

tighten up the belt or get a new belt. that might solve your problems

 

[billdo_83]

your belt is slipping from the extra load on the alternator and the weather is a factor too.

tighten up the belt or get a new belt. that might solve your problems

Exactly.
that should fix your problems right there.

 

[my95tsi]

cool well thanks guys. The belt isn't old at all but i'll give it a try.

 

[luv2rallye]

If tightening the belt doesn't do it, check for bad alt. bearings under load.

 

[Liquidus]

I have the same problem, but it seems to go away when I turn off my ventilation. I have a feeling that it's my water pump, I think it has a bad bearing. The belts are already tight, but I'll try tightening them again.

 

[out there]

this is a topic that has been addressed countless times. search for "belt squeal" and you'll get nearly 100 threads.
there have been many ideas, but the general consensus is that the belt will squeal regardless of tightening, age, alternator, etc. it's just something that our cars do. my engine did it with only 9500 miles on it, don't panic

 

[jimwross]

If you tighten it, and it keeps coming loose, it could be your crank pulley moving around (crank walk )

haha or try getting a new belt

 

[Defiant]

If you tighten it, and it keeps coming loose, it could be your crank pulley moving around (crank walk )

That has nothing whatever to do with crankwalk, but thank you so much for your non-informed, random, and tragically incorrect guess.

haha or try getting a new belt

At least that part's right. Once a belt's been burnished with a few good slips, it's pretty much worthless. I swear the new multi-V belts are worse for this than old-fashioned V-belts were.

 

[my95tsi]

If you tighten it, and it keeps coming loose, it could be your crank pulley moving around (crank walk )

haha or try getting a new belt

That honestly might be the stupidest thing i have ever heard. Since you know 0% about you car, sell it to a chick and buy a honda.

 

[out there]

granted, jim didn't make it obvious enough... but you need to try to see this for what it is, sarcasm.
http://www.straightlinespecialties.com/gallery_customer_jim.php <~~ jim's car and the page that he created.
he's currently in the process of swapping in a 6bolt, then adding a fmic, bigger turbo (57trim?) and some other goodies. can you say fastest spyder?

 

[jimwross]

Yup. I know nothing about my car...

"To check for the side to side free play, get the car up on jack stands. Take off the plastic cover at the crank pulley. Pry against the frame rail to get the crank pulley pushed towards the transmission. Have an assistant push the clutch. Watch to see how much the pulley moves back towards the frame rail. If you can see movement, you are probably screwed. Time to do some more accurate measurement. If you have access to a dial indicator, you could set it up on the back side of the flywheel at the bottom. Remove the transfer case and the lower cover for access."

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/walkingcrankshaft.htm

Why is it that when you replace the belt on a crank walking 2g, works for about a week, then starts squeeling again?

 

[out there]

ummm... you used a instead of