T/A rocker

this is driving me nucking futs ! I get this chirping noise coming from something up front of the engine at idle, which is worse when the engine is cold. It turns into a squeal as the engine is rev'd. I can put a 15mm wrench on the tensioner for the main serpentine belt, and if I pull it to where the belt is tighter, the chirping gets worse. From the speed of the chirping, I figure either the water pump or the P/S pump, it's too slow to be the alternator. Is the ANY way I can narrow this down ?? Please any help would be greatly appreciated, I am tired of playing the "replace something and see if that fixes it" game....I have already replaced the tensioner pulley and the other, stationary pulley , and the belt - it is NOT the belt squeaking !
Also, if I take the belt off and turn the power steering pump, the water pump, or the alt. by hand, each seems to turn smoothly. i'm out of ideas.
Sorry for the long post !

RV

iTrader: (1)

Did you check your A/C? Take off that belt and see if it goes away. Just a guess...

Dustin Butts

iTrader: (5)

It's one of the idler pulleys. You'll have to listen up front and try to pinpoint which one. Very common problem. I had to replace one of mine when the car was only a year or two old.

98redz28

i feel your pain, i look for months to see what was sqweeling, finaly took off my belts an the top belt was worn bad, an the bottom, had big chuncks missing, replaced both an now more sqeeking

T/A rocker

I wish it were that easy. I just replaced both the idler pulleys that the main serpentine belts runs on, and also the belt. I was hoping it was one of those, I had one on the A/C belt go bad back when the car was fairly new..dealer replaced the A/C belt and that didn't fix it. So I replaced the pulley myself.
Anyways, back to the present: I also took the smaller belt for the A/C completely off to eliminate that. Noise is still there. Check P/S fliud, it is full. The sound seems to be coming from either the power steering pump or the water pump, I can't tell which. But if it were the water pump, don't they usually start leaking when they go out?

hondakiller

iTrader: (3)

i had this problem, took it to the dealer and they replaced the belt and a leaky waterpump and problem is solved, although it still squeaks every now and then on startup after a rainstorm it goes away.

stafford

also check your header gaskets, I too have the FLP's and I tagged a speed bump on a lowered car and the chirps started 2-3 days later It sounded like I had a bird under the valve cover and was the worst at start up and wheny you hit the arc of the rpm range. good luck

Dustin Butts

iTrader: (5)

Water pump could definitely make that noise. It could leak a little steam and never show. It might not leak at all either. Start the car for a second with no belt at all and see if it goes away. If the noise does go away, it most likely is the water pump.

T/A rocker

UPDATE: well I should have quessed the water pump. I quessed the P/S pump, and replaced it. Wrong. Squeak is still there. It is worse when the engine is cold, almost goes away when engine is hot. No leaking at all. Only two things left it could be: water pump or alternator. I doubt the alternator, I just replaced it with a 160-amp one not a year ago. DAMN, I HATE THIS QUESSING GAME!!
Thanks for the replies. I know it's hard to guess what a noise might be from a description on a message board. Especially when I can't tell what it is with the car right in front of me!!

Dustin Butts

iTrader: (5)

Any word yet?

T/A rocker

Well, I've got a water pump sittin here ready to go in, just gotta give the car a few hours to cool down first. Cost was $139. for a new water pump (bosch) which was the cheapest I could find around here for a new one. Most were that much for a rebuilt one. The guy at Advance auto said he had heard water pumps do this exact sympton, chirping loud when cold, then quiet down when hot...many times before. Hopefully this will be it. I will post back later tonight with the results, in case anyone else gets this problem.

T/A rocker

UPDATE:
problem finally resolved. 'Twas the WATER PUMP !!
Installation was relatively painless. But I was doing some cussing at GM for using those stupid paper gaskets. Which of course, you have to scape off. The new pump came with metal gaskets with rubber o-ring type seals...why didn't GM do that? I could have done the whole swap in less than 15 minutes, if it weren't for that gasket-scrapage.
Thanks again for all the replies !

Dustin Butts

iTrader: (5)

Haahahaa....I hear ya man. Only us lucky 98's got those crappy paper gaskets. Wait til you have to do the timing cover gasket..haahahaa...your curse words will hang in the air for days...like smog.
Glad you got 'er fixed man...
D