belt squeaking?

[krich22]

every time i start the car i hear a horrible squeaking noise from under the hood..every time i accelerate the squeaking noise gets loud, but after i hit the break it goes away until i let off the brake and accelerate again...any ideas of what this is?

Have you replaced the belt? Your belt tensioner may be shot also.

[badazz]

any leaks? i had the same prob but mine was a blown gastket on the thermostat

[70Cuda383]

loads up only on acceleration? that's odd. could be additional load on the electrical system putting an extra load on the alternator making the belt squeel...but that's not likely.

beats the hell out of me why it only happens on acceleration, other than your putting effort into spinning all the accessories faster, which loads up the entire belt system, and makes a squeel, and as you coast/brake, it's all just "coasting" back down.

regardless, check your belt, make sure it's not glazed over from excessive heat/age. if it's got 70K miles or more on it, or it's more than 5 years old, change it.

if it's still there, check your tensioner, make sure it's still pulling the belt tight.


While you have the belt off, feel all the pulleys, make sure none of them are "dry" when you spin it by hand, it should have no wobble in it, and it should feel "gummy" for lack of a better term. basically, if you spin it by hand, it should only spin over 2, maybe 3 times before stopping. this means there's still good grease in the bearings.

if you spin it and it just goes and goes and goes, then the bearings are dry, and shot...and needs replaced.

[2YuNg2Di]

My tensioner looks wobbly and makes noise. How would I change it out?

Originally Posted by 2YuNg2Di

My tensioner looks wobbly and makes noise. How would I change it out?

It may just be the pulley that needs replacing. You can pick one up at any parts store. Remove the belt and the one bolt in the center of the pulley to remove and install in reverse order.

If the tensioner is bouncing or shows a lot of movement while the engine is running, you may need to replace the entire tensioner assembly, which is also very easy to do.

[2YuNg2Di]

Originally Posted by bwdakrt

It may just be the pulley that needs replacing. You can pick one up at any parts store. Remove the belt and the one bolt in the center of the pulley to remove and install in reverse order.

If the tensioner is bouncing or shows a lot of movement while the engine is running, you may need to replace the entire tensioner assembly, which is also very easy to do.

thanks. Im not sure where it's coming from. It sounds like the tensioner or the alternator pulley. I took the belt off a while back and cleaned the pulleys (thinking it was the belt squeaking) and noticed the tensioner pulley jiggles a bit front to back. And when running, unless im imagining it, it appears to wobble causing squeaking. Also, here recently I've noticed the thing also sweals sometimes when the wheel is turned>> Which would be power steering correct? Truck's falling apart

[challenger]

Originally Posted by 70Cuda383

While you have the belt off, feel all the pulleys, make sure none of them are "dry" when you spin it by hand, it should have no wobble in it, and it should feel "gummy" for lack of a better term. basically, if you spin it by hand, it should only spin over 2, maybe 3 times before stopping. this means there's still good grease in the bearings.

if you spin it and it just goes and goes and goes, then the bearings are dry, and shot...and needs replaced.

The alternator squeaks in my car after steam washing the engine. Is it possible to split it to add more grease or do I have to replace it? Can I replace or re-grease only the alternator pulley (without separating the whole assembly)?

[DaRiNgDaKoTa]

Same thing happened to me. Make sure the serpentine belt isnt cracked (on the bottom side) and make sure the belt done have too much play.

[challenger]

I let a garage service the alternator with new bearings. As good as new