Belt Squeal of DEATH!!

[BlueWolfCry]

Hi all, I've been having belt issues all winter. Last winter too, once it got warmer in may it went away. Anyways, I figured my belts were fried, so I had them changed out. The old ones were dried out and cracked, so problem fixed? No...

Belts still squeal like hell. Played around with tension, still squeals. It's really when the idle has really bad vibrations like when I just turn on the HIDs or stop at a light, the idle is not that smooth.

I cleaned the battery terminals last week and was fairly successful for about 5 days no squeal. Didn't last long and now it's cold as balls to step outside to try to clean it again.

So here are my obs:
-when HIDs are on, high chance of squeal when at stop or slowing down
-I can't even risk turning on my HID fogs because then the car may squeal every time I shift
-revs fall fast
-after cleaning terminals, a lot smoother. Temp no squealing
-almost always squeals at stop
-rough idle, almost like engine has trouble keeping up with the alternators demand
-2 distinct belts sounds. Meaning both power steering and alternator belts are doing it
-it's annoying as hell

So, any suggestions? It doesn't do this in the summer. I realize it could be the air temp and afc that's screwing things. Could it be a bad alternator? Help please!

 

[Badfish]

Did you get OEM Mazda belts? This problem is common with universal, or non-Mazda belts on these cars. Happened to my friend, she took it back, and got the Mazda belt put on, and the noise was gone.

 

[HighSpeed]

I have had this problem intermittently for years now. I changed out everything, every belt, every pulley, and when it was cold it still did it. I have come to believe that it is how the alternator is located and the belt routing, you just can't avoid it. I have never heard of getting Mazda OEM belts, but it may be a good easy way to get rid of the squeal. I will try it when i get home for sure.

 

[thecrash91]

theres a product out to help with the friction of the belts or some s***, what i do is i put it in first, and let out the clutch while stopped so the engine boggs a little and then usually the belts stop, i dont get it as bad as you but i understand what your talkin about

 

[R242]

Sounds symtomatic of a slipping alternator belt, power loads cause the alternator to spin more rapidly to generate more power, belt would slip more causing louder whine. Also you said terminal cleaning helped, which temporarily gave your electrical system more voltage on demand, less load call on the alternator. Try retensioning belt, if belt is smooth or slick then replace it.

 

[BOOSTR]

Mazda does not manufacturer belts. Definitely a difference in quality among brands. OP did you adjust and check all of the mounting, lock down and tensioner bolts on the alternator and power steering? I've only had a squeal once and discovered that the alternator mounting bolt was loose. Tightened up and it went away.

 

[HighSpeed]

Mazda does not manufacturer belts. Definitely a difference in quality among brands. OP did you adjust and check all of the mounting, lock down and tensioner bolts on the alternator and power steering? I've only had a squeal once and discovered that the alternator mounting bolt was loose. Tightened up and it went away.

Yeah but an OEM belt that Mazda uses may be better quality and have the right composition to make it not squeal. I don't know of any auto manufacurer that makes their own belts. They are all relabeled from a belt manufacturer.(Dayco, Goodyear,etc.)

 

[mazdaspeedp]

i had this same problem and it didnt get fixed untill i bought the specific belts from mazda after i got those installed it has not mad noise since. I would def consider just going to mazda to get the belts cuz i thought for a long time it was the pulleys too but it turns out it was just that the aftermarket belts did not fit properly and ended up almost falling off

 

[thecrash91]

mine also might be caused by the timing belt cover is kinda hitting one of my pullies, although its not causing any real problem other then the noise, its not wearing on the belt and no damage to pully, just keeps grinding down the cover. thats gonna be a b**** to replace -_-

 

[BlueWolfCry]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I will try the OEM belts...also I will double check the bolts this time...I'll let you guys know...the noise is annoying as hell...

 

[BOOSTR]

I still have my original supplied belts from the factory. They are identical to the Bando belts I just bought using the part numbers on them from Amazon, $18.85 shipped. And the Conti Tech (PS-AC) belt I bought from an internet vendor 5 years ago. Both of those brands work great unless you have an out of adjustment bolt like I discovered.

Hope it solves your problem and you don't pay too much from the dealer.

 

[BlueWolfCry]

boostr, are the bando belts oem? http://onlinemazdaparts.com/partloc...tege&year=2003&catalogid=1&displayCatalogid=0 I only see these available for alt belts

 

[jbrewer4639]

my msp belts scream every now and again. I changed them not to long ago with gates.

 

[BOOSTR]

boostr, are the bando belts oem? http://onlinemazdaparts.com/partloc...tege&year=2003&catalogid=1&displayCatalogid=0 I only see these available for alt belts

In Japan apparently. Here no. But again the belts that came off of my brand new MSP look identical to the newly purchased Bando belts and nothing like the Napa branded Gates belts that I took back.

Here's a post from a Protege Guru on Gates, Bando and Goodyear:

the rubber is bad.... bando is the ORIGINAL factory belt on japanese cars... they have much higher quality rubber which means they last longer.... and if anything, the goodyear gatorbacks are good too

 

[BlueWolfCry]

Thanks BOOSTR! The belts cost an appalling $80...so I returned them and bought online for $40 shipped...I'll let you guys know the result

 

[silvermsp88]

try taking the belts off and spraying the pulleys with brake clean. and usually when it gets colder things shrink, try to tighten them as tight as possible but not too tight lol it worked for me and i live in wi

 

[silvermsp88]

ps my dayco belts work freakn awesome

 

[_MSprotegy]

same craps happening to me. but only after replacing them. didnt happen with the stock 160k+ mile belts.
some good info here, going to give it a shot

 

[BlueWolfCry]

I am happy to announce the stupid squeal is GONE! Thanks for the advice everyone! The OEM belts are the way to go!

 

[thecrash91]

so on the topic of belt squeeling, mine has been doing it a low, especially with defroster on, i know cuz it activates AC. but also my car hasnt started the last 2 times i had to start it (i had it jumped) and my question is, if the belt is slipping so much is it possible it will just not charge the battery if the alt, is not rotating? because first time i got it jumped, i went to walmart, got out of walmart and it started fine, but next time i tried to start it, nothin, now its sitting in another parking lot on campus and wont start again, i suspected battery (since its 15 degrees or lower here) on its way out, but then i noticed the belts squeel the majority of the time im driving the damn car.