if you like to mod.... there are plenty of standard nuts/bolts. Its unavoidable, you need both nowadays.

 

Mine's kinda like that. I thought it might be the A/C, but it still does it even with the A/C turned off...

I'm not sure what it is... It's not terrible, but I know it doesn't sound exactly right...

 

Lets hope it is simply an idler pulley which it probably is. The AC compressors dont make too much noise from my experience, they simply lock up and toss the accessory belt.

 

Should the belt be replaced new any time you take it off, or can you take it off and put it back on as many times as you like?

Just asking because the older 944 N/A motors had very finicky belts and I guess I just got used to that.

Edit: This is something I've got to try, my belt has always sounded too tight, bet it's just a pulley.

 

That's interesting. My idler pulley gave way at ~22k.

 

in under 5 minutes you can remove the belt and run the car, if the sound is gone, you know it is one of the things the belt drives... you can also then rotate the pulleys by hand and feel and grit while turning or slop in it.

the belt can be removed and put back on - as long as the condition of the belt is good, flip it inside out and give a little bend to look for cracking or freyed areas

 

You can take it on and off as much as you like. I think Porsche says to change at 60k miles.

 

Don't you have to remove the intake/filter/MAF to play with the belts? How does the car run with no MAF?