Belt Squeal That Wont Go Away!

[bhosMSPRO]

Alright, i dealt with this for around 2 months.. Car has a brand new alternator and a fairly new Optima Redtop battery. I have put 2 new belts on the alternator, tensioned them correctly each time. The problem I have that pisses me off, almost every time I start the car, that belt squeals loud as hell for about a minute. The volts are normal, then when it does it, they drop anywhere between 10.5 and 11.8. Once it gets back up to around the 12.8 area, its back to normal and no squealing. If the car hasnt been turned off that long (about an hour or two) it will not do this. Anything over 2 hours, it does it everytime.

--This is embarrasing leaving car meets or having some ladies lookin at ya, crank the key, and they laugh lol... anyone have any ideas?

 

[cosmo420]

they sell a belt dressing at your local autoparts store, if you do not want to buy it try a thick crayon and apply it as it idles along the sides or the belt and that should work

 

[Maxx Mazda]

Make sure u got the right belt. Running aftermarket pullies? It should be really tight. Basically, grab the longest span, and twist the belt. If you can get to 90* it's too loose. You should be able to turn it a maz of 45* using a really strong hand on it.

 

[blueprotegelx]

i had this problem too after replacing my alternator and belt. the one time it was too tight, and the second time it was perfect. no probs since...

 

[Ehkart]

I dealt with this problem for over a year on my '02 P5. Believe it or not it has almost nothing to do with the actual mechanics of your car(or at least this was case on mine). I replaced two alternators, three belts and almost replaced my perfectly working water pump. Turns out that at the best of times when the plastic rock guard under the engine is intact, it still doesn't do a great job of stopping little tiny rocks from the road. Mine is a little bit busted as it turns out and because of that I have to strip the belt off once in a while; usually during the colder months, and use a dentists' pick to remove those teeny tiny rocks from the grooves in the belt. As you know when you start it up it squeals like a banshee and only quiets down after a few mins, this(was with mine, so if I'm wrong then sorry)is only because the rocks will retreat further into the belt when it heats up and the grooves open a little more. This is a very common problem with almost any vehicle, especially if there is a lot of engine bay space. Hope this helps you!

 

[DiscreetSpeed]

+1
I started using goodyear gatorbacks belts and its pretty quiet now.

 

[bhosMSPRO]

thanks for all the help.. ill go get a new belt (make sure its the right one) and try a few trials with it with the tightness.. i have already tried belt dressing, that was my first option, and it did absolutely nothing

 

[Packerfan]

Also make sure for proper alignment.