[Matt88S]

Blue has been squealing when cold. If you let it warm up a bit or once it has warmed up a bit it goes away.

At idle it fine, but if you blip the throttle or increase reves you get what sounds like a belt sqealing.

None of the belts see loose though.

 

[Jim Mesthene]

Squirt some glass cleaner on the belts when you hear the squeal. If the noise doen't change, it's the harmonic balancer.

 

[Matt88S]

I was afraid someone was going to say that.

I just replaced the harmonic balancer a month or so ago though.

It also has new belts, and new alt mounts.

 

[SpecialTool]

Yes, my 8v has a little squeal, and I too have done the HB recently (to fix a big squeal!).

Don't think my noise changes with engine temp, though. I suspect one of the other pulleys.

 

[Jim Mesthene]

I was afraid someone was going to say that.

I just replaced the harmonic balancer a month or so ago though.

I just gave you a diagnostic procedure, not a diagnosis.

 

[Matt88S]

I just gave you a diagnostic procedure, not a diagnosis.

Oh I know, its just I was wondering about the Harmonic balancer myself. Its kind of funny how it only squeals under load/rev when cold, give it 30 seconds to a minute to idle and its fine.

It is new, (the harmonic balancer) and should be fine, but then again at the time I was in a hurry and ordered the one I could get the fastest, O'Reillys best, some off brand I can't remember. I'm just always wary when I buy off brands. :roll:

I was surprised when the belts didn't have slack in them. I replaced the alt mounts a little while back and I assumed they had broken in a bit and caused slack in the belts.

A/C isn't connected. Only the power steering and Alt/water pump belts.

Its just kind of funny, once its warmed up you can load it down like crazy and not get a peep out of whatever it is. If it was belts or even HB I'd expect it to be still acting up whenever you stepped on it even after it was warm.

 

[ShadowWorks]

I don't care who made the main crank pulley, it won't fall apart in a month unless you over tightened the belts? there must be some deflection in the belts, I recommend at least 20mm but that's just my fingers.

The cold metal and new belts will make some squeal, it could just be the type of belts, they build up a dirty rubber patina on the pulleys in time that stops squeal but that's my thinking again.

 

[woywitka]

I don't care who made the main crank pulley, it won't fall apart in a month unless you over tightened the belts? there must be some deflection in the belts, I recommend at least 20mm but that's just my fingers.

The cold metal and new belts will make some squeal, it could just be the type of belts, they build up a dirty rubber patina on the pulleys in time that stops squeal but that's my thinking again.

I have worked in Auto Parts before and delt with issue like this one which were related to:

For twin belt systems like on the c900, you must replace the belts in the combined set, not buy two seperate belts belts. Unless the belts are made as a set, you are can never get belts that are 100% the same, so one can easily slip when cold. Cheap Chinease/Mexican/Eastern European made car belts can be HORRIBLY cheap.

The harmonic ballancer in Saabs lasts more than a month, my crank pulley is the original, 20 years!

 

[SpecialTool]

The "pair" of belts I got from eeuroparts were close, but not the same.

 

[Matt88S]

It seems to be coming from the alt itself.

Bearings shot perhaps?

Time for an alt rebuild?

I knew I should have had the little bugger rebuilt when I had it off to replace the mounts. On the upside I'm getting really, really quick at removing Saab alts.

 

[ShadowWorks]

Of course the belts get changed in pairs but the alternator puts more tension into the inside belt than it does the outside belt and they stretch as they get used, its like 975mm IRCC.

I was talking about the pulley and not the belts, I would never buy a cheap belt just because of the speeds involved on that side.

Alternators chirp when the bearings are falling apart, metal and metal and all that stuff.

You can rebuild it for a few bucks, a bearing swap is easy on the standard alternator but why not up grade to a 9000 one at 130amp job.

 

[TooMany2cvs]

Unless the belts are made as a set, you are can never get belts that are 100% the same, so one can easily slip when cold.

<puzzled>
How's one belt of a pair slip? Surely as long as one's gripping, the other won't/can't slip, because the pulleys will never go "out of synch"?

The only time it'd be an issue is when the first (tighter) one goes ping, leaving the second (looser) one to take the load - which it can't do without slipping?

 

[cdaly]

I presume it won't slip as such but the slack belt will not carry much load and will result in the tighter belt wearing prematurely.

 

[Matt88S]

Usually what happens is the rubber alt mounts get egged out causing the alt to sit at an angle. This wears the belts improperly, and puts stress on the alt bearings, or so I've been told. Thats probably what happened to mine previously, the alt mounts were positively shot, to the point one belt almost wouldn't stay on and you could wiggle the alt back and forth.

I had replaced the alt mounts and put a new set of belts on, but the alt bearings and whatnot may have already been damaged. :roll: