Been having some annoying squeels consistantly from the alternator belt. At first, we thought the harmonic might have been out of whack, so we replaced that. Unfortunatley that did not solve the problem. We have gotten a crow bar to tension the belt. Yet, when the engine is started, the belt seems to go slack, and slips. Any suggestions, this has become an ongoing 3 day project, and we still cant find a solution.
Squeeling From Alternator Belt, cant rid of it
Rizz67
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Been having some annoying squeels consistantly from the alternator belt. At first, we thought the harmonic might have been out of whack, so we replaced that. Unfortunatley that did not solve the problem. We have gotten a crow bar to tension the belt. Yet, when the engine is started, the belt seems to go slack, and slips. Any suggestions, this has become an ongoing 3 day project, and we still cant find a solution.
I'm sure you probably have done most of these, but let me go down the list of what I usually do for belt problems.
1. Is the belt worn?
2. Is it the right size ? (width, depth as well as diameter)
3. Try a different manufacturer ?
4. Important: are both pulleys in perfect alignment ?
5. Take off the belt. Can you easily spin the alternator by hand ? if not you may need alternator bearings or a new alternator.
6. Back to pulleys: Are both pulleys the correct ones for your engine ?
7. Is the tension-holding bolt stripped in the aluminum alternator housing? Try backing it up with a lock nut.
8. Do you have a wicked accelerating engine? Like solid lifter motors that can instantly spin up faster than the belts have time to move back into the groove around the pulley?
If so try some "double ribbed" belts, like those from Daco; with ribs on the outside of the belt. Makes the belt more flexible and follow the curve of the pulleys faster on performance engines. Worked for me.
Hope all this rantin' helps. Good luck.
Terry S.
1. Is the belt worn?
2. Is it the right size ? (width, depth as well as diameter)
3. Try a different manufacturer ?
4. Important: are both pulleys in perfect alignment ?
5. Take off the belt. Can you easily spin the alternator by hand ? if not you may need alternator bearings or a new alternator.
6. Back to pulleys: Are both pulleys the correct ones for your engine ?
7. Is the tension-holding bolt stripped in the aluminum alternator housing? Try backing it up with a lock nut.
8. Do you have a wicked accelerating engine? Like solid lifter motors that can instantly spin up faster than the belts have time to move back into the groove around the pulley?
If so try some "double ribbed" belts, like those from Daco; with ribs on the outside of the belt. Makes the belt more flexible and follow the curve of the pulleys faster on performance engines. Worked for me.
Hope all this rantin' helps. Good luck.
Terry S.
If it's a chrome pulley, you might want to rough the surface where the belt fits in the "v". It helps.
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My Web Page (updated 12-10-02)
"Long Live Freedom!"
Chad Landry
TC Member #643
ACES Member #4556
'68 El Camino
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My Web Page (updated 12-10-02)
"Long Live Freedom!"
Chad Landry
TC Member #643
ACES Member #4556
'68 El Camino
Joined
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37 Posts
you could always try some belt dressing
Joined
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133 Posts
Make sure it is aligned correctly. I had an incorrect water pump pully on mine for a while, and at HIGH rpm's it would toss off the belt. Also squeaked alot.
It that does not work, maybe rough the belt, and pully up with a small wire brush. BE CAREFUL!!!!
It that does not work, maybe rough the belt, and pully up with a small wire brush. BE CAREFUL!!!!
Joined
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57 Posts
The cheap belts from chain auto stores are crap, they'll strech forever. I've had the best luck with Dacco Top Cog belts from Checker/Schucks/Kragen. You have to ask for them by name or you'll get the cheap belt. If you already have good belts, nevermind.
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67 Camaro strip/street 11.63 @117.6
67 Camaro daily driver 12.07 @ 112mph
www.geocities.com/lonnie67_1966
SHUT UP AND RACE!
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67 Camaro strip/street 11.63 @117.6
67 Camaro daily driver 12.07 @ 112mph
www.geocities.com/lonnie67_1966
SHUT UP AND RACE!
I had a similar problem once and after replacing the alternator, belt (several times and brands), all brackets, water pump pulley, & crank pulley, I found that the snout of the crank was bent! SO, needless to say, check the run-out on the harmonic balancer pulley with the engine idling and watch for out-of-round movement from the harmonic balancer/crank pulley arrangement.
My symptoms were similar to yours, I would tighten the belt and then start the car and it would seem like it was loose again! I also could see my alternator bracket flexing when the belt went tight-loose-tight-loose, if that makes sense.
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1969 Camaro 383/365HP, B/W T-56 Six Speed, 12 bolt, Eaton Posi! 3.73, 4 Whl. Disc brakes, console w/Auto Meter gauge package, tach, clock, tilt wheel, Black Deluxe houndstooth interior, rear window defogger.
My symptoms were similar to yours, I would tighten the belt and then start the car and it would seem like it was loose again! I also could see my alternator bracket flexing when the belt went tight-loose-tight-loose, if that makes sense.
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1969 Camaro 383/365HP, B/W T-56 Six Speed, 12 bolt, Eaton Posi! 3.73, 4 Whl. Disc brakes, console w/Auto Meter gauge package, tach, clock, tilt wheel, Black Deluxe houndstooth interior, rear window defogger.
Joined
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1,429 Posts
Also, if you are running a fan designed to be used with a fan clutch, and are using an adapter instead of the clutch, it will cause the fan belt to squeal.
Joined
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3,935 Posts
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Go69:
needless to say, check the run-out on the harmonic balancer pulley with the engine idling and watch for out-of-round movement from the harmonic balancer/crank pulley arrangement.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I had this with a bent pulley... hope that is all it is for you.
Just as a double check - the bottom of the V shape of the belt must not touch the bottom of pulley groove (only sides contact)- if it does touch the bottom, it is the wrong belt.
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Ron Cook TC Gold #1276 ___ ACES #5136
1969 300 Deluxe HTSS396 The L35-325HP 396cid 69 Memory Lane 1971 Malibu 2DR HT
CanAm Chevelle Club
2003 Northern Chevelle Gathering
needless to say, check the run-out on the harmonic balancer pulley with the engine idling and watch for out-of-round movement from the harmonic balancer/crank pulley arrangement.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I had this with a bent pulley... hope that is all it is for you.
Just as a double check - the bottom of the V shape of the belt must not touch the bottom of pulley groove (only sides contact)- if it does touch the bottom, it is the wrong belt.
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Ron Cook TC Gold #1276 ___ ACES #5136
1969 300 Deluxe HTSS396 The L35-325HP 396cid 69 Memory Lane 1971 Malibu 2DR HT
CanAm Chevelle Club
2003 Northern Chevelle Gathering
My car did that and the alternator was seizing up. It burned up all the wiring under the hood and I was lucky it didn't burn up the whole damn car.
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Mike Newby
69 Chevelle 355/TH200-4R
97 Grand Prix GTP
64 Chevy C10 Pickup
79 Suzuki GS550
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Mike Newby
69 Chevelle 355/TH200-4R
97 Grand Prix GTP
64 Chevy C10 Pickup
79 Suzuki GS550
Another thing to consider is that the pulley is burnished from the belts slipping. You can get everything right, but even with a new belt it still squeals. In this situation it is time to replace the pulley.
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Erik
'69 Chevelle Sport Coupe, EFI355, TH350
'68 Chevrolet C10 Stepside Project, 292, t-56
'77 Chevrolet K20 Silverado LWB, 400CI, TH400
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Erik
'69 Chevelle Sport Coupe, EFI355, TH350
'68 Chevrolet C10 Stepside Project, 292, t-56
'77 Chevrolet K20 Silverado LWB, 400CI, TH400
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ehjorten:
Another thing to consider is that the pulley is burnished from the belts slipping. You can get everything right, but even with a new belt it still squeals. In this situation it is time to replace the pulley.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Heres a cheap fix for those polished smooth grooves. Pull the pulley off and sandblasted the polished grove. I did this with my 327 and helped alot. It would still squeal if I wind the engine up fast (327 with manual will darn rev quick
![Image]()
)
If you can't get the pulley off, use sandpaper to scratch the surface (slow and time consuming)or use a dremmel.
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J Enga
64 Malibu SS 327
400 build up
396 Big Block
Instructions?...All I need is the exploded view
Another thing to consider is that the pulley is burnished from the belts slipping. You can get everything right, but even with a new belt it still squeals. In this situation it is time to replace the pulley.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Heres a cheap fix for those polished smooth grooves. Pull the pulley off and sandblasted the polished grove. I did this with my 327 and helped alot. It would still squeal if I wind the engine up fast (327 with manual will darn rev quick
If you can't get the pulley off, use sandpaper to scratch the surface (slow and time consuming)or use a dremmel.
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J Enga
64 Malibu SS 327
400 build up
396 Big Block
Instructions?...All I need is the exploded view
Well, heres the deal. Ive done all the sandpapering to rough the services, ive eaten 2 cheap belts, those got torn to hell. Now i have a dayco on it. Im waiting for a friend to bring his dial indicator from the engine machine shop. Were gonna figure out if this crank is bent or not. My only thing that is keeping me hoping is this: Suppose the crank is bent. That means it would wobble the whole belt system, correct? That also includes the PowerSteering belt. One would think that if it was bent, not only the alternator seem like its hoping but also the PS. Yet, this is not the case, the powersterring stays very tight and strong, no hopping no squeeling. Is it possible for it to be bent and not effect the PS Pulley?
The power steering pulley is a lot larger than the alternator pully, so it does not see as many rpms. Have you disconneted the belt from the altenator to see how freely the pully spins?
Shot in the dark here, not all problems with alternators are mechanical. Another possiblity could be that your voltage regulator is borderline and your alternator is trying to charge your battery and is under 'load' condition all the time and results in squealing. Measure your voltage at the alternator and your battery while running. I think you should be putting out over 13.5 volts for a proper charging system.
Couple more items to check:
Is your battery in good conditon also? Over 12 volts while not running. Use an Ohm meter to measure the resistance from the alternator outpost to battery positive post and from the battery negative to altenator body and engine . - Never hurts to clean off corrision on the connections.
And one last use at your own risk trick is to use a battery charger to keep up the voltage, disconnet the voltage regulator input to the alternator (basically telling the alternator not to charge) I don't know what year your car is, so use at your own risk.
One simple way to rule out the alternator is to take it out and have it tested. Most auto chain stores can test it for free. Keep it if you want it to restore for orginality later.
Good luck.
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J Enga
64 Malibu SS 327
400 build up
396 Big Block
Instructions?...All I need is the exploded view
[This message has been edited by Enganeer (edited 12-23-2002).]
Shot in the dark here, not all problems with alternators are mechanical. Another possiblity could be that your voltage regulator is borderline and your alternator is trying to charge your battery and is under 'load' condition all the time and results in squealing. Measure your voltage at the alternator and your battery while running. I think you should be putting out over 13.5 volts for a proper charging system.
Couple more items to check:
Is your battery in good conditon also? Over 12 volts while not running. Use an Ohm meter to measure the resistance from the alternator outpost to battery positive post and from the battery negative to altenator body and engine . - Never hurts to clean off corrision on the connections.
And one last use at your own risk trick is to use a battery charger to keep up the voltage, disconnet the voltage regulator input to the alternator (basically telling the alternator not to charge) I don't know what year your car is, so use at your own risk.
One simple way to rule out the alternator is to take it out and have it tested. Most auto chain stores can test it for free. Keep it if you want it to restore for orginality later.
Good luck.
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J Enga
64 Malibu SS 327
400 build up
396 Big Block
Instructions?...All I need is the exploded view
[This message has been edited by Enganeer (edited 12-23-2002).]
Well..might have solved one problem, but i think it just split the one problem up. Engineer was right, if u disconnected the wires to the alternator, the swueeling went away. However, weve had the alternator checked before, and it said it wasnt a problem, i guess its worth a shot to get it tested again. If it isnt the alternator, what could it be? The other 1/2 of the problem is the belt. Yes, it may not have caused the squeeling, but needless to say it still seems like it jumps, which can not be a good thing. Got to love these old beauties.
Since you have had the alternator tested, I would guess your problem likes in the charging system upstream of the alternator. I would suspect the voltage regulator is to the most likely culprit with your bad belt being an accomplice. I would post a question about checking your voltage regulator. I am not familair enough to give any advice or pointers there. On my car, it's a small box on the rad core support of my car.
Good Luck - John
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J Enga
64 Malibu SS 327
400 build up
396 Big Block
Instructions?...All I need is the exploded view
Good Luck - John
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J Enga
64 Malibu SS 327
400 build up
396 Big Block
Instructions?...All I need is the exploded view
I wouldn't rule out there being another problem just because it quits squealing when the wiring is disconnected. The alternator does take more power to turn it when it actually is charging after all. You need to measure the voltage and possibly the current to determine if it is charging correctly. You should see between 13.5 and 14.2 volts at the main post on the back when charging. There is a maximum voltage you should see too. If it's not within these limits, you do have a charging problem.
If you can't see the pulleys wiggling as the car is running they probably aren't bent enough to be a problem. Belts do have a little give in them. But take another look at the water pump pulley since you think the crank one seemed OK.
Maybe it's not a bend that goes in and out but an offset problem where the pulley is not centred properly so it has one side further away from the it's centre than the other side.
Are these new pulleys that have never been run on a motor before?
Peter
If you can't see the pulleys wiggling as the car is running they probably aren't bent enough to be a problem. Belts do have a little give in them. But take another look at the water pump pulley since you think the crank one seemed OK.
Maybe it's not a bend that goes in and out but an offset problem where the pulley is not centred properly so it has one side further away from the it's centre than the other side.
Are these new pulleys that have never been run on a motor before?
Peter
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