I had my alternator and power steering belts replaced today (the two belts other than the timing belt). Now with the new belts, it almost sounds like a quiet supercharger at times. It's not really a squeak but kind of a moan. Could the tension not be right? Or do the belts need break in time?
New belts
- Thread starter erzipper
- Start date
Boston5761
Member
- :
- 03' Familia
if you don't mind me asking. What did you pay for parts and labor? Just trying to get an idea of how much this is gonna cost me.
intcountzero
Member
- :
- Mazda Protoge5
Other than the timing belt, how often should the other 2 belts be changed?
^i would not recomend that. Today's belt rubber compounds are vastly superior and don't need it. My belts lasted for the first 105K. I only changed them because i was doing the timing belt (which was fine as well). Belt dressing can cause problems (start slipping) IMHO.
My first thought was oooo, you musta got gatorbacks. I love those belts. They make a supercharger like moan as you were describing but it doesn't go away. Had them on my sentra that I traded off. It was funny because one of the guys at an autocross event I went to asked if I had a supercharger. I was like, nah man, just belts.
Hmm, dunno. They were best heard if I was driving with the windows down beside a hill or something where the sound would reflect back.
hehe, bit late that car is long gone... but I did have to go back and tighten them down once because they start squealin just a tad on startup. Still made that one sound reguardless. Had them on the car for about 50k miles and never saw any unusual wear out of them. Now there were two of them installed on that car together. Maybe is was just something about the combination of that car and those belts. Oh well, It's all over and done with.
Just to satisfy curiousity. You think too tight or too loose would make them whine more?
Just to satisfy curiousity. You think too tight or too loose would make them whine more?
Hey guys,
I'm working on my sisters' new P5 and came across a sound similar to the OP's -- a whine similar to a supercharger. I didn't see a cool looking "special intake manifold" under the hood when I changed the timing belt, so I know there's no supercharger.
Anyhow, the whine only occurs between 1300 and 2000 rpm and is normal-sounding outside of that rpm range. I've only put about 20 minutes on the engine since changing the t-belt and both accessory belts. I can't put much more time on the engine before I ship the car to her, so, I'd like to figure out what the whine is and fix it.
For the accessory belts, does anyone still use the "twist" method to check tension? IE: Twist the belt between two farthest 2 pulleys, and if it twists between 45* and 90*, the tension is OK. Anything less and the tension is too tight, and more and it's too loose.
Any other way to check, or, will this noise go away and NOT CAUSE ALTERNATOR BEARING DAMGE??
Thanks a lot!
I'm working on my sisters' new P5 and came across a sound similar to the OP's -- a whine similar to a supercharger. I didn't see a cool looking "special intake manifold" under the hood when I changed the timing belt, so I know there's no supercharger.
Anyhow, the whine only occurs between 1300 and 2000 rpm and is normal-sounding outside of that rpm range. I've only put about 20 minutes on the engine since changing the t-belt and both accessory belts. I can't put much more time on the engine before I ship the car to her, so, I'd like to figure out what the whine is and fix it.
For the accessory belts, does anyone still use the "twist" method to check tension? IE: Twist the belt between two farthest 2 pulleys, and if it twists between 45* and 90*, the tension is OK. Anything less and the tension is too tight, and more and it's too loose.
Any other way to check, or, will this noise go away and NOT CAUSE ALTERNATOR BEARING DAMGE??
Thanks a lot!
OEM.
I'd try just giving it just a little more tension. Like a quarter-to-half a turn of a wrench and see if that solves it. This extra but shoudn't push the tension "over the limit" but if it stops making noise then you'll know what the problem was. If it's still making noise I'd consider getting the alignment checked I suppose...
I have a feeling mine are too tight already, hence bearing damage worries. I'll do the twist-test tonight and see what's up.
