just changed fan clutch, all three belts and replaced alternator. now i have a very loud squeal. belts are tight with the 1/2" play. the belt doesnt really fit in the alternator groove flush. it doesnt jump off or anything but its not flush. i was told to just get some "belt dressing". need you guys help

Dee

 

The dressing stuff is a waste, you need to find the right belt for the alternator, it should be wide enough to sit on the pulley just about flush.

 

If the belt doesn't fit, then you have a problem - either the wrong sized belt, or the wrong sized alternator pulley.

Fix that problem and you're set.

You say you have ½" of play - how hard do you have to press to get that ½" of deflection?

- Eric

 

here's a couple pics...

20FA1088-E3E7-4336-9C3E-97051EA0941D-5990-0000067AEA3DCC86_zps80dc11c0.jpg

8795867C-CF13-49E9-8673-97A62826B4AF-5990-0000067B86EDF2E0_zpsa7299556.jpg

looking at the old alternator, the pulley sizes are different.

 

i dont have to press hard...

here's the alternator i have
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/tff-7102ncp

 

Alt belt in top pick does not look real tight but hard to tell in a picture. Search for Joe P's many write-ups on how to properly tension the power steering belt, it's a common culprit.

 

Looks like the wrong alt belt. It's likely slipping instead of gripping the pulley. Try this: remove the Alt belt and leave the other 2 on properly tensioned. Start the car and see if the squeal is gone. If it is, the alt belt is the problem.

The PS belt looks fine. The alt belt should fit the same way.

 

The belts look loose just at a glance.

I've never seen a motor run with belts that loose.


Different in diameter or in width?


You want about a half inch deflection pushing hard. Not as hard as you possibly can, but very firmly.

- Eric

 

the width of the groove

 

im gonna tighten the ac/fan and ps belt a little and remove the alt to see if that gets rid of the squeal. ill let you guys know how that goes.

 

And you ARE aware of the proper way to tighten the PS pump belt, using all three fasteners, right?

 

Ahh, Joe, such faith...

- Eric

 

Yeah, it's not like every single squealing belt thread comes back to the PS pump belt or anything...

 

yes, from one of your post i think. metal tab behind the pulley.

 

got a better fitting belt for my aftermarket alternator and the squeal is gone. thanks allan r and everybody else

8413E714-EEFC-4743-87B5-8298ADA0283D-6332-000006EBFA30A5E2_zps8a28618e.jpg

anybody need an alternator belt (black one in pic). it fits my original alt perfectly. came from napa.

 

Is that a green belt?

If so, then, as far as I know, it's for yard equipment - designed to put up with duty as a clutch mechanism, with an idler wheel tensioning it, but not designed for the potentially higher-RPM use on an automotive engine.

Someone here who's "in the business" may be able to shed more light on it than I, but that's been my understanding.

- Eric

 

it is green and looked funny to me. do they make alt belts that are a lil more narrow?

 

Belts are made in standard sizes, and belts for our cars should all be 15/32" wide at the outside, with a 36° wedge shape. They do make belts that are ½" (16/32"), which would stand out from the pulley, but you should have not gotten one of those, as they are not, as far as I know, used for cars.

If you poost the numbers of the belts in question, one of us should be able to tell you whether they were the right ones.

- Eric

 

If the width of the groove in the aftermarket alternator pulley is different, there's the trouble. Let me guess, it is more narrow.

 

Been thru this many time.Swap the pulley from your old alternator and the problem will be solved.

 

If you used a narrower belt to fit the pulley of an aftermarket alternator, then it is going to be too narrow for the other stock pulleys, and you may tear up the belt, or it might start squealing from the other pulley. Like ctslicer said, change the pulley.

 

D22082B3-A0BB-44D8-A21E-7A09FD7EE2EC-6459-0000070403D30A90_zps32d8a8d7.jpg

E1170650-58B5-4BFF-864B-2C8ACB9DBAFE-6459-00000703FA267D4B_zpscdc7218a.jpg

these numbers?

 

what tool do i need to replace the pulley. that nut on the pulley doesnt come off does it?

 

Belt #15550 (Dayco, among others): 15/32" wide, 55.0 inches.

Belt #4912 (FrigiKing refrigeration products): same as NAPA, CarQuest, & Gates 7380, 10mm wide (7/16"), 38.5" long.

I'm not sure, but the I believe that the 4912 is narrower than the 15550 (aside from their different lengths), and that it's too narrow for this car.

Any belt experts out there who can confirm or deny?

Oh, it'll come off - use an air wrench and put an old belt around the pulley and into a vise, tight.

By the way, what are the year and engine of your car?

- Eric

 

those green equipment belts are not designed to be used in an automotive application. Last year we used one on the late model in a pinch and never replaced it untill i realized that it had eaten the aluminum lower pulley and then belt then slipped no matter how tight you got it

 

A handy tool, if you have the correct tension number to shoot for:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BURROUGHS-BE...05ae7e&vxp=mtr

 

Eric, it's a 72 CS vert. Pics in his album

 

Yes, with a 350

 

Auto parts store can remove the pulley can't they?

 

They probably can, but may charge you? IDK. What Eric said works. If you don't have air tools (which I've found make the job sooo much easier) clamp the pulley as he said and use your socket wrench with a snipe (2 or 3' hollow pipe) to get the leverage you need.

I haven't had to replace my alt pulley, but if it's like the PS the pulley will have a keeper and keyway you'll see once that nut is off. From there it should just be a wiggle or light pry with a screwdriver to get it started and off. You'll have to do this 2X - one for your OEM and one for your replacement.

 

napa replaced the alt pulley the other day so the belt squeal is gone. thanks for all the help. now i have a couple other problems.

1. there's a squeaking noise (not very loud).
2. new battery (along with new(100 amp) alt) is dying. there is a spark when i connect the jumper cable. not driving the car at all. ran the car for about 30 mins while flushing the radiator. what could cause my new battery to die if i havent turned on anything electical?

 

Kinda hard to help here without more info. Could be a shock, could be suspension bushings going bad, could be a dying mouse...

Is this new alternator a "one wire" alternator? It's apparently aftermarket since there are no factory "100 amp" 12-SI alternators that I'm aware of. Also, if you started and ran the car, you turned on something electrical.

 

1. squeaking when idle (im not driving it right now)
no mice i hope lol

2. its a three wire alternator

 

A few years back, I bought an alternator from Discount Auto Parts for a 1970 Pontiac. It squeaked almost all the time. A NAPA alternator corrected the problem. After that, I stopped buying cheap auto parts. I'd buy a new Delco or one from NAPA, but beware off brand, no brand or house brands of discount chains.

 

alt didnt squeak when i had the green belt on it...

 

Couple of comments/questions
1. NAPA could have damaged the alt bearings if they were sloppy pulling and replacing the alt pulley. Take it back and see what they can do. It's possible the alt may have been making this 'squeak' earlier but you didn't notice it with the noisy belt. They should be able to replace the alt under warranty - don't forget to change the pulley!

2. Why was the alt replaced in the first place? Was the battery going dead then too; as if it wasn't being charged enough?

3. If the battery is going dead while the car is just sitting, you have a power drain somewhere. Could be as simple as a glovebox light that doesn't go off. Test for parasitic draw on the battery. Here's a how to video that might help you do the test. Easier to just watch and grasp principles than type this all out. Testing for draw has been discussed before on the site. I know your car isn't computer controlled, but the principles are the same. You'll have to keep the door switch pressed in while you pull fuses in the car till you find the power draw. (luckily you only have one fuse box) If you've changed out or installed an aftermarket stereo/amp in the last while? My money is on that being the problem.

 

i did read the other posts, and this vid makes it alot more clear. i will check asap and get back to you guys.
Thanks

with the green belt (which wasnt for cars/heavy duty) everything was quiet so it may be the fact that NAPA changed the pulley for me and ill keep that in mind