The Oldsmobile Connection

aron115 · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 33

i have this big problem with my altenator. i have a deck and amp in my car and since i put those in every time i turn on the amp or have the deck on loud the car will squeel. not it does it all the time. i replaced the alternator. i dont know what to do

andrewk · Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 1263 Location: Ames, IA

Electrical loads will not make the alternator squeal. You either need to replace the alternator belt, or re-tension the alternator belt. Depending on how long ago you replaced the alternator, if you had the belt on too tight, a bearing could have failed in the alternator. To check this, loosen the belt, and remove it from the alternator pulley. Spin the alternator with your hand. If it rotates freely and quietly, it is probably ok.

I'd bet 10 to 1 it's the belt.

Andrew

aron115 · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 33

i replaced the belt and alternator like a month ago didnt help at all. belt tension is fine. the belt seemed really loose to me so i tightened it up a bit. that didnt seem to help much. i might just have this mechanic i know look at it, see what he says about the whole situation. electric draw wont make it make noise. i didnt know it. so that means my amp and deck has nothing to do with the noise. oh and when i turn the fan on all the way in the car, something will squel. and thats just crusin when it normally doesnt make noise. im not 100% sure it is the alternator. im just assuming

91parkave · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 525

is the belt dry? have you checked the alignment of the belt to make sure the pullies are in line?

andrewk · Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 1263 Location: Ames, IA

Have you checked your other belts?

aron115 · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 33

i soaped the belt, it wasnt dry before because of there was coolant spraying everywhere in the engine because of the intake manifold gasket was leaking...bad. i have not checked if the pullies are in line. how would i do that besides eyeing it up. i didnt know you could adjust that.

andrewk · Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 1263 Location: Ames, IA

Soap as in like a bar of soap?

aron115 · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 33

yeah bar soap. i havent checked the other belts, i dont know what i would be checking for. they all are there and seem tight enough.

91parkave · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 525

using a straight edge but thats the last thing to check right now, did you replace the belts after the coolant leak? and a bar of soap if anything is probably doing it more harm then good in your case, i use some steel wool or scotch brite on the pulley and very light rub on the belt when i had coolant leak, hopefully it might work for you to.

aron115 · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 33

i replaced the belt during the leak. i put 200 miles on the car since is got fixed. what would the steel wool do?

andrewk · Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 1263 Location: Ames, IA

aron115 wrote: i replaced the belt during the leak. i put 200 miles on the car since is got fixed. what would the steel wool do?

The steel wool would remove any glaze and/or dirt and/or rust on the pulley that may be allowing the belt to slip.

Your belts should be installed dry, and that is the way they were designed to run. Belt dressing and other products that are intended to help a belt attain more ¨bite¨ are band-aid fixes for a new belt.

At any rate, you will want to check your other belts, as if you had coolant spraying everywhere, there is a good chance the other belts got soaked too.

Andrew

91parkave · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 525

^^what he said, also what amperage is the alternator you bought? are you running your system with a capacitor? did you upgrade the factory alternator wire to anything bigger?

aron115 · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 33

ummm im not 100% sure on the amperage. what ever autozone had. i do have a cap. i thought that would help. well the battery wasnt charging because that wire going from the alternator to the battery was bad. so i took a wire from a amp wire kit and rewired that.