Ok, squeeky pulley question and opinions. Ok, I will try and sum this up real quick. I had a squeeky pulley issue. I thought it was the ac belt/pulleys and replaced them both. I still was getting noise from the pulleys, but figured it might actually be the pulley on the compressor, because it has been leaking and the ac started going out. The ac compressor is now fully inoperable (still blows air) but not cold ac. It is not holding a charge. So... anyways, I took the ac belt off and to my surprise I am still getting the squeeky noise. Yes, I did a test before I went and bought the new pulleys, and I was not getting noise from the main drive belt and pulleys, but now I am. So, my question is, is this most likely the tensioner pulley or the idler pulley? It does not make noise at idle, so i basically popped the hood and manually gave it throttle. It sounds louder on the tensioner side. Is it possible that it is one of the other pulleys? Thoughts? TIA.

 

I'd say its the ilder pulley. I had a sqeuaky pulley, replaced the idler pulley, took care of the problem. Sounded more like baby birds chirping under my hood at idle than a squeak. Here's a good link with the part #

http://www.installuniversity.com/ins...sity/index.htm

 

Well, I picked one up today at the local parts store. I am gonna give it a shot.

 

Ok, put the new pulley in and...... chirp chirp! Crap! I listed this problem in my local forums and someone said they have had it happen to them, but it was actually the alternator. So after installing and having the same problem, I proceeded to turn the alt. pulley and bam! Chirp...Chirp... every half a revolution. Anyone else had this problem? I dont want to replace the god forsaken alternator if there is technically nothing wrong with it other than noise. Replacable pulley? Anyone..?

 

if you already changed the idler pulley, i would go ahead and try to replace the tensioner pulley, seeing how its MUCH cheaper then buying a new alternator.

 

Well, after I put the belt back on and cycling the alternator pulley a few times, the noise has been gone.How strange huh? I cycled it both clockwise and counter clockwise. Since I have put the belt back on I havent heard any noise. I am sure it will come back though. Ill keep yall posted.

 

Is it back yet
I have the baby birds under my hood too!!
I am just to lazy to fix it right now...

 

I would replace the tensioner along with the idler anyway, just one of those things you should replace together. My car had the same problem with the squeaky pulley and they went away after I replaced the tensioner and the idler. But when i went to the track and made a couple runs the next morning there was a chirp from another pulley. It goes away if you dont put stress on the engine but comes back if u drive it really hard. As long as it's not squealing all the time it wont drive me insane

 

If the alternator pulley is making noise, it's only a matter of time before it actually causes you real problems. Fix it before it sticks you. Put a new belt on when you do.

 

Did you ever get it to quit?

I'm going to jack this thread a little....
I have pulley squeaks as well, i sprayed them and came to the conclusion it was the a/c idler pulley. ok i bought a new bearing pressed it in my old pulley and put it back on... no squeaks. two days later the sqeaks back.... Sprayed the pulley and it is the same one... same noise...new bearings... don't get it?

A couple of weeks ago a guy pulled up next to me in a z28 and he was making the same squeak so i hope its a known problem with a solution. Any help will be much appreciated. Squeaks raise my blood pressure.. lol

 

Well, actually it has come back since, but have just been to busy/lazy to mess with it. I just need to get a nw alternator and go from there.

 

To help find the source of a noice, use a piece of tubing about 2 or 3 feet long. Put one end to your ear and move the other around the engine bay while pointing at the likely suspects. A piece of clear plastic tubing at least 3/8" id or maybe a piece of old garden hose.

Works great and stops the "replace things until the noise goes away." I used it to find and replace my squeaky idler pulley for the main belt.

 

i actually did do that...

 

Dunno...it's not usual that a new replacement bearing is already bad.

I just went ahead and got a new idler pulley rather than fooling with the bearing. After I replaced my pulley I took a good look at the old one. The bearing had a plastic cover that could be removed for regreasing. I could have rehabbed it rather than replace it. But, it was less that $20 and it was new so I figured I'd not have to worry about it for at least another eight years.

 

Ok, since this thread re-appeared and I actually had the day off today, I decided to investigate further. As I stated before, most of the belts/pulleys have already been replaced. So today, I went after the alternator as thats what seemed to be my problem before. This time, that biotch was coming off. Once removed, I turned the Alt. pulley as before and the noise was there again. I drove up to the local Austozone and just had it tested (Although I know mechanically it was good). Tested good as figured and I was contemplating on just purchasing a new one. New Alt $120 and only a $10 core return. $10 huh? Well, screw it, I am gonna take this sucker apart and just see if there is something that can just be lubed up, if not, I will put it back together and bring it back and get a new one. If I get it apart and it is a pain to put back together, than oh well, $10 lost, no biggie. So.. fast forward. I get home and start cycling the pulley with my fingers and it sounds like it is coming from the rear of the Alt. So, I take the black back plastic plating off (like 4 tabs) and pop off the back.



Here is the image after the black piece is removed. There is a shaft with some contacts on it as shown. Every time you rotate the pulley on the front, the contacts/shaft parts squeek. (sorry about the MS PAINT ghetto pics/labels).




Upon seeing this, I was sure glad there was about 1/4 inch space between the shaft and shaft walls. So I grabbed a q-tip and just cleaned up a little on the shaft itself as I rotated the pulley. After that, the noise was of course still there, but cleaning it was my essential goal. Now then, I grabbed some high temp grease (very little) and put a little on a swab and just lightly rotated and coated the shaft. Viola! Noise was gone. I re-installed the alternator and have done some laps and errands around the neighberhood. I am gonna continue to monitor the battery charge, make sure I didnt lube or mess any part up that interferes with the charging of the battery. All seems well, and best of all, the noise is gone. Again, as far as I know, this is a rare thing, most of the time when you get any kind of squeeking noises its usually a Idler pulley or other pulley of sorts. If you continue to have squeeks after looking into the forementioned things, than this may be your problem. Hope this may help someone in the future. If I start having any other issues pertaining to this, I will certainly post up.

 

Outstanding perserverance! Leak & Squeak Patrol reports success!

 

glad to here you found the source of your squeak.... hopefully it will hold up and be sqeak free for a while

 

I Have Alot Of Customers Contact Me About Supercharger And Aftermarket Pulleys Squeaking And Alot Of Times It Is A Non Compatable Belt. And Easy Way To Determine If It Is A Belt Is To Run The Engine And Spritz The Belt Lightly With Wd 40 And If The Noise Goes Away And Then Comes Back It Is The Belt. If The Noise Stays Constant Even Through The Sprits Then Look Elsewhere. I Know It Doesnt Sound Like It Was A Belt Problem In This Thread But I Just Wanted To Pass The Tip Along.

 

i pulled mine off and done what ls1formula98 said to do and it worked thanks for the good advice. no more squeeking alternator

 

wow, i have to try this!