squeak and dash lights on!

[CaviSpeedRacer]

So this morning was the first frost over in WI... and of course that can only lead to problems! The weird thing is that these problems dont seem to be related, but they both occured at the same time...

First off - I noticed a VERY loud and annoying squeak coming from under my hood near the alternator/belt area. The alternator and belts are relatively new, so I don't know what it could be. I even put some WD 40 on it and it didnt help at all. It doesn't squeak at idle, only when I give it gas, even if im in neutral and I give it gas it squeaks. Any ideas?

Second - my Brake, Battery, and Coolant light came on my dash... which I think is very weird. My CEL is on too, but that is because I don't run a cat or anything.

Any ideas on these things? Both are pretty annoying and I'm pretty upset because I'm also trying to sell this car because I just don't know enough about DSMs and unfortunatley don't have the time or money to learn. Thanks.

 

[jshuman]

I would say your belt is slipping. The brake, battery, and coolant light all being on at the same time usually indicates alternator failure. Since you have a squeek, I would check the belt tension. There is a possibility that It could be the pulley on your alternator as well. I would have a friend rev the car in neutral while you watched to see if the belt is slipping.
I hope this helps!

 

[zero97tsi]

Are you kidding me? It was like 40F when I woke up at 6 here. Sucks to not have a lake huh?

What were you thinking you would fix by spraying a lubricant on the belts? If its sounds like a belt screaming, in cold weather it may be your alternator. But either way you've probably ruined your belt with the WD-40 any ways.

As for the lights, you may want to get it scanned, your CEL may be on due to lack of cat, but now you don't know if its on for another reason. You may have blow something.

 

[PitBullDsm]

As far as the belt is concerned, I had the same problem. I did the whole WD40 thing too, but it still persisted. I fixed it by tightening the alternator belt which, by the way, is very easy to do. As for the lights, I'd try reseting the ECU (diconnect the battery for about 10 min). If they're still on then you have a problem.

 

[CaviSpeedRacer]

Thanks for the quick response guys

If it is the alternator, how do I tighten that up? That makes sense that the lights may have come on due to the alternator, so I think you are right. I will have to tighten it up and see if it fixes it.

Also I did have a friend rev it in neutral and it only squeaks bad when he was revving it, so thats more proof for it... now I just need to know where to tigthen it.

Thanks again. I swear with these cars.... if its not one thing its another! haha. Win some, lose most.

 

[No_Skillz]

Tighten alternator by:
1. Loosen the locking nut on the side.
2. Get a big stick and get leverage by prying the alternator away from the block.
3. While applying significant amounts of pressure, tighten the locking nut.
4. Test belt - it should not be loose enough to turn 90* by the strength of your hand.

Tighten the power steering belt while you're at it:
1. Loosen the locking nut on the side. This could be a bi*** to get to depending on the tools available to you.
2. Tighten the adjustment bolt until the belt is tight enough - same test as above.
3. Tighten the locking nut.

 

[a_flint87]

I had the same sounds coming from my alternator on my 86 firebird, turns out the alternator was going bad. Had it replaced and the problem was solved. My money is on the alternator like the others had mentioned.

 

[Defiant]

Dead harmonic balancer.

 

[CaviSpeedRacer]

Alright, so today I went out and tried to tighten the belts, but it seems they are already tight and the sound is just getting worse.

I decided to take it to a shop to just take a look at it to direct me what the problem was. They explained that when I put the WD-40 on the belt, it must have ruined the belt and they said it must get fixed before winter fully sets in. I told them that it may be the harmonic balancer; however, they said it wasn't and if they change the power steering and alternator belts the squeaking noise will go away.

I am beginning to think it is the harmonic balancer because it has all of the symptoms:
--battery, brake, and coolant lights are on the dash
--Screeching noise at startup and continues until car is warmed up
--Car goes beyond the halfway mark on the temp gauge (waterpump not circulating)

Regardless because I don't have the time or expertise to fix this, I decided to make an appointment and pay $150 bucks to have both belts replaced which they say will get rid of the sound. Hopefully they know what they are doing and will solve the problem, I drop the car off tomorrow at 11AM.

Ill get back to this to let you know what happened, I'm very curious. I really really hope it's not the harmonic balancer as well, otherwise i'll be spending a lot I bet.

 

[No_Skillz]

Crank pulley is about $100 and is do-able with standard tools. Put a chalk mark in-line on the center part of the pulley and the outside. Check back after driving. If they are not lined up anymore, your harmonic balancer is beat.

 

[Defiant]

Make the shop pre-guarantee their diagnosis.

The three lights is the usual odd DSM indication of a dying alternator. If it's not too late, check your voltage output, and put a stethoscope to the alternator bearings and listen for death noises.

 

[CaviSpeedRacer]

I just dropped the vehicle off and I kind of wish I had read this before I did that... it would have been a good idea to put those chalk marks on the harmonic balancer to see if its shot...

As for the alternator, it has a new alternator in it so I doubt it could be that... unless its faulty or a dud.

I made sure to ask, "So you are final on the belts making the sqeauking noise?" and they assured me it was and that it will get fixed. I even asked if it was the harmonic balancer and they said no... so we shall see!

Ill post a follow up when I get the car back today.

 

[CaviSpeedRacer]

Alright well I just picked up the car and the squeak is gone and it even seems to drive better than before!!!

The bad news is that the lights are still dimmed on my dash (battery, coolant, brake) AND I noticed while driving home that the temperature was about 3/4 which is odd because usually it runs pretty consistently at 1/2 on the temp gauge.

Any ideas for that? Possibly alternator? How do I test it?

 

[jshuman]

It could be a bad alternator. There are ways you can test it yourself, but I would recommend taking the alternator to autozone and letting them test it. Also, when this happened to me, it was due to a relay for my battery relocation that was making poor contact. You may want to check battery connections.
Also, check and make sure your power steering pump isnt leaking on the alt. I have heard of psp's leaking onto the alt and killing it.

Justin

 

[Defiant]

Rebuilt alternators have a very high mortality rate.
I'm concerned about the overheating. Chalk that balancer.

 

[CaviSpeedRacer]

alright guys so I drove from Whitewater back home to Brookfield (about 50 mile drive, 1 hour) and the car was driving fine. During the last few miles home, I noticed a rotten egg smell.... when I got home I lifted up the hood and the battery (optima red top) was sizzling and smoking real bad. I tested the battery voltage and at idle it was hitting up to 15.5 volts and rising so I shut it off.

Apparently the alternator is overcharging the battery, so I will be taking the battery and alternator into advance auto to get it tested later today. My concern is do you think its just a bad alternator or if I replace it will this problem happen again?

Ill let you know what advance auto says.

 

[jshuman]

Yes having the alt tested is a very good idea at this point.
It could just be a bad alt causing your problems.... the voltage regulator may have stuck on it. The will be able to tell you at the zone.
Keep us posted


Justin

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I don't think theres any going back once you reach that rotten egg smell/boiling battery point.
Anyone know otherwise?

But yeah, your alternator is bad, and chances are high your battery ate it too.
Still chalk that crank pulley.

 

[CaviSpeedRacer]

okay - this is frustrating to say the least.

I took my battery and alternator to advance auto to get them tested. The battery is fried and the alternator is bad as well.

I am going to replace both and hopefully that will fix the problem. Also once I get it all put back together I will chalk the crank pulley just to check that as well.

Tomorrow I will give you an update

And thank you to all of you who have helped me with this problem - I really appreciate your troubleshooting advice because otherwise I would have no idea what was going on!

 

[jshuman]

Well I have been there before and I am sure others have as well.
Just speaking from experience, have them test the new alternator before you take it home. I know many people have got bad alternators right out of the box.... up to 5 in a row in some cases. This will save you the trouble of having to pull another alt. off if the new one is bad too.

Justin

 

[CaviSpeedRacer]

alright well I dropped the car off on Sunday to the guy who had originally sold it to me because he said he would take a look at it because he still had warranties on some parts.

He just called me today and said this is what happened...

Originally when I heard the squeek and the dash lights turned on was because it was cold and the belt simply just needed to be tightened.... Then he said when I took it to the shop to get new belts on, they overtightened the belts so the alternator overcharged at 18.7 volts and fried the battery...

He is saying it wasnt his alternators fault.... it was my fault for having over-tightened belts... does that make sense?

So basically, he put a new alternator and battery in it and now the lights turned off and it he claims it is running good again... im going to be picking the car up after Thanksgiving.... but im curious to see if he is going to charge me for everything because I could of done that stuff myself. He said autozone didnt warranty his alternator because it was my fault and not a defect...

Any input on this? have a happy Thanksgiving to you all.

 

[Defiant]

An alternator cannot overcharge because of belt tightening. They overcharge when the regulator in them takes a shit.

 

[CaviSpeedRacer]

Exactly, that didn't make much sense to me either... Is it possible the belt being too tight would kill the voltage regulator?

If not, I'm going to use this forum thread to show him exactly what you guys are saying - because I think he 'saw me coming' and I'm not a fan, to say the least.

anyone know if tight belts can mess up the voltage regulator in the alternator?