Serpentine belt squeal

Tiny
OSOSAUCYBRETYBO
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 SATURN SC2
  • 1.9L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 124,000 MILES
So my belt is squealing. I brought my car to the shop because before this squeal it sounded like a rattle and I thought it was a bad timing chain but it turned out to be a pulley. So I had the mechanic repair the pulley. He said my alternator was bad also. But I just had my alternator replaced not even a week prior and it was replaced 2 separate times before that in only 4 months. And also about 2 months ago I had a new belt and tensioner put on the car. So that's a brand new pulley, tensioner, alternator and the serpentine belt itself. Anyways, I get the car back from the mechanic and the rattling noise from before is gone, but now the belt is squeaking badly. And all my warning lights on my dash are turning on then off and on and off again and again as I drive. Sometimes the belt stops squealing after it has warmed up and sometimes it squeals forever. What is the problem and how do I fix this annoying ass noise? I already spent way more than I bought the car for and definitely more than the car is even worth in repairs. And it's still having problems and I'm getting very frustrated. Please help me.
Saturday, May 29th, 2021 AT 9:51 AM

2 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
The most likely cause of this is a belt tensioner. Here is a guide that will help with this as well:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-squeaking-noise

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-a-serpentine-belt-tensioner-works

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/serpentine-belt-tensioner-replacement

The way to confirm that it is related to the belt is to remove it and if it stops then you have an issue with the belt or more likely the tensioner.

If they just replaced the belt, I would just make sure they used the correct length as I have seen them use too loose of a belt and it causes these issues with the lights and noise.

Let us know what you find with this and we can go from there. Thanks
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Saturday, May 29th, 2021 AT 7:43 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,328 POSTS
Hi,

Do me a favor. If possible, record the sound so I can hear it and confirm it is the belt.

Since everything is new, something is placing a heavy drag on the belt if it is making noise. Or, it is improperly installed or loose (which wouldn't make sense), or something is getting on it.

What I would suggest is this. If it is the belt, I would remove the serpentine belt and spin all belt-driven accessories to see if there is one that is hard to turn. Also, make sure the belt is properly aligned on all pulleys and there is nothing such as engine coolant or oil getting on the new belt. Additionally, confirm the belt is properly routed.

I attached the directions for belt removal and replacement below. Try this and let me know what you find.

One last question. Each time the alternator was replaced, was it bad and replaced with the same brand alternator?

Let me know.

Joe

See pics below.
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Saturday, May 29th, 2021 AT 7:47 PM

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