Terrible Squeal

Hello Everyone!

I have a 95 SL2 and the belt has started squealing something fierce -
intermittently of course. The squeal is only in the morning when it's
cold (I'm in Houston, so cold is relative)! I have to turn the car off
to get rid of the squeal. Sometimes I can start the squeal by turning
on the AC. If the squeal does start this way, turning off the AC will
not stop the squeal, I have to turn off the car to get rid of the
squeal. And, of course, the problem is slowly getting worse.

Last week, the belt squealed unbelievably - much worse than usual -
and it turned out that after less than 1/2 mile of driving, the area
around alternator was very very hot. I replaced the belt and that
helped the problem immensely - the squeal (when it squeals, after all,
this is an intermittent problem) is not as bad as it had been.

The car has 158K miles. The alternator was replaced with a NAPA part
56K miles and 3 years ago. The water pump was replaced with an
Advanced Auto type part 2 years ago. The air conditioning and the
automatic tensioner are original. And of course, the belt is brand new
(NAPA).

First question. Is it ok to put dressing on the belt since the car has
an automatic tensioner?

Second question. Is this a common problem with Saturns?

Last question. I've had multiple suggestions as to what it could be.
Alternator pulley, tensioner, air compressor, etc. Is there any way to
narrow down the choices?

Thanks,
Sandra

 

Have your belt and tensioner checked.

later,

tom

 

At 156K miles, most likely the tensioner and idler will need replacement.

Bob

 

I'd replace the belt tensioner first. While the belt is off you should check
for any binding or loose bearings on any pulleys driven by the belt. Check
the belt to see if it is cracked or dried out. If it is, could be either
from a loose tensioner or any driven load which is drawing too much torque.
Barring any problems with that, I should mention that I had replaced an
alternator with one that had a slightly higher output (this was on a
Chrysler). After burning up two Nipondenso alternators, I put in a Bosch.
The bosh worked nicely but required a bit more torque to run it. Bottom line
is that it ate belts on a regular basis. I got to the point where I changed
the belt every couple of oil changes. For what it's worth...

Oppie

 

I'd replace the belt tensioner first.

In my experience you may as well replace the idler at the same time.
If one has gone, the other is gonna go soon. They both make identical
squealing noises when cold if the bearings start to go.

My wife's 92 SL1 had them both go at 12 years, within a few weeks of
each other.

Tim.

 

I agree if you have the belt off and are doing one, you may as well do
the other. Having to do the work again isn't worth the cost of the
idler.

Ken

 

Wow, thats a grocery list. The squeal is very typical (& intermittemtly is
how it begins to go) of your serpentine belt, which is a very common thing.
Like the others say, good idea while you have the s-belt off to have all
pulleys and tensioners checked just to be on the safe side.

marx404

 

Thanks everyone for your input! I'm going to take it in and have it
done this week. I'm going to wimp out and not do it myself.

I do have another question, though. Is it ok to use dressing on a belt
with a tensioner?

Thanks again,
Sandra

 

You could use it, but I've never had much success with it in
automotive applications, plus it can be messy.

YMMV,
Ken

 

I've tried it before and found that the 'fix' is only short-lived. There is
no substitute for replacing a cracked and dried-out belt.
Oppie