Operator

so friday night was pretty chilly around here.. possibly around 0F... anyway when I started my car it made a noise it's NEVER made before.. a sort-of belt squeal. you would hear it every 1-2 seconds or so. when i started moving the sound would get more frequent... so it sounds like its a roller or a belt or something? once the car warmed up.. it went away.. completely.. so maybe the belts were just a little tight from the freeze? should i worry? because i was a little bit worried

thanks in advance.. i know replying to someone who isnt a member can be considered a sin!

Porsche-O-Phile

Timing belt squeal or alternator / a/c belt squeal?

Rock

Tighten sie alternizztor bizzelt

Its currently happening to me, and the engine expands when it warms up so the problem goes away

Techno Duck

If the squeal gets louder with an increased electrical load on the car (ie. headlights, rear defroster) than it it likley the alternator belt is a little too loose. The belt should be fairly tight, about 5 mm of deflection if you are pressing on it with your finger. I believe that comes out to something around 80-85 pounds if you take a reading with a Kricket tool (or similar) if i remember correctly.

Its simple to tighten the belt. You can probably due it without jacking the car up, but putting it on ramps or on stands makes it much easier. You will need to remove the engine pan if you have one still. All you need to do is tighten the turnbuckle.

Operator

is the alternator belt the one you can see when you get under the passenger side of the car? the one right next to the oil pressure sender? i can probably tighten that without even removing the skid plate...

Techno Duck

Well it will be on the drivers side of the car. You will need to adjust the longer of the two turnbuckles. So if your facing the front of the car, it would be the one on the right side.

gtroth

Yeah, my car also squealed for a second on start up a couple of mornings last week (4°F ~ 6°F). Then ran better than I can ever remember for the 35 mile commute (unusual for my car - it has been known to cut out when that cold). I'm not planning to touch mine for this.

IceShark

Oh, boy. If you don't know which belt is which you better be pretty darn careful. The turnbuckle for the alternator/AC can be very corroded. Spray with PB Blaster and let that sit for a day. More than one guy has snapped the turnbuckle in half or broken an attachment ear off. Then you have a real problem.

Besides expansion of the whole arrangement when it warms up finally stopping the squeal, if the rubber of the belt is old that will also do when the rubber is cold.

bloodraven

Mine has been squeaking recently. Usually around 20 degrees here...it will squeak for awhile, then stop when it warms up, but here lately its been colder and the engine has stayed pretty cool (below the 2nd line) and the squeak stays....i am kind of hoping its the power steering belt that is squeaking...heh

Techno Duck

Iceshark is right about the turnbuckle breaking. First make sure you are turning it the right direction and you spray it liberally (and let soak) in some type of penetrating oil. I managed to break mine the day i was supposed to go back to school adjusting it at my fathers garage. Lucky the guy next door to us was fairly good at welding and welded it back together for me.

Tim, if the squeeling gets worse while turning, then its your power steering.

Charlotte944

Ok, one thing got left out: DO NOT rotate either of the belt adjustment turnbuckles until you have loosened the mounting bolts for the A/C compressor and/or the power steering pump!

Not only do you run the risk of breaking the turnbuckle, you can also break the pump/compressor mounting ears.

snakepliskin

My belt (s) have been squealing, too. Makes the drive through the office parking deck in the evenings kinda emberassing. Scares the schnikees out of unsuspecting people walking to their cars

I am actually replacing the ac/alt belt and power steering belt today...Based on the thread from a week or so ago, about squealing belts that soon snapped, I figured, why not just replace?

I saw this thread earlier this morning and thought I would take a break and check in to see if anyone had any advice on tightness for the ac/alt belt...And Techno Duck has it, 5 mm deflection. Any harm in over-tightening the ac/alt belt? I am going by the 944 workshop manual, it give the 5mm for the PS belt, but says to use the special belt tool 9201 to check tightness for ac/alt belt.


Thanks,

Mike

bloodraven

I am going to have mine serviced soon, but with all this ice...i ain't going out there..

Techno Duck

Mike, the service manual also states to use the 9201 tool for tenstioning the timing belt, but how many of us actualy do that! But all kidding aside, the alternator and p/s belts are not critical and wont do much of anything other than cause inconvienence if they do break. I wouldnt worry too much about getting a exact tension. Just aslong as you are within the ballpark and not over tighti doubt things will be a problem.

However over tightening the belt could lead to premature failure of the alternator by causing alot of excess wear on the bearing. If you have the Kricket tool from NAPA, or a similar tool, you can check the tension pretty easily. Its only labout $15 from NAPA i think. You need model KR-1 i believe (yellow, not green). The 5mm of defelection method is not an exact science as everyone is going to use a different amount of force pressing on the belt. But its suppsed to be done with one finger and about half the maximum force you could apply. The Kricket is a bit more accurate (though still not as good as teh 9201 tool).

Operator

thanks. I guess I'll just "let it ride" for now.. if It becomes a constant issue then perhaps I'll look into tightening/replacing those belts - but they arent *that* old..

it is embarassing driving through a parking garage though

btw - gtroth - where in ct are you?