I have a 97 eclipse RS.......Lately I have been having belt squeel from one of my accessory belts. They were recently replaced and I've had the tension checked recently. So, the tension of the belts is not the issue, and the belt squeel does not depend on the temperature of the engine, cold or hot, it still squeels.

Here is what happens.....When I am idling at a stop the belt will start to squeel. I will rev the engine (or start driving) and the squeel will get really loud. Then, the belt will "catch" again and be completely normal. So, when I hear the squeel start at a red light, I just rev the engine and it stops the squeel.

Now, I think it gets worse with more electrical drain on the engine. Lights, radio, A/C all contribute.

I'm starting to guess that either the alternator or compressor are starting to go bad. Does increased electricalloading on the alternator cause an increase in torque? If the alternator increases tension under larger loading, then maybe it can't generate enough power and over-torques the belt. Maybe a bent shaft or failing bearings?

Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks
Jon

 

2 things

1st: what type of Eclipse? RS, GS, GST, or GSX?

2nd: If its a RS or GS, deal with it, its common.
I had the same problem, and it went away after I changed my tensioner pulley.
Bearing was bad.
Evena knew part can fail.

 

 

i had the same problem with my rs... i changed both the the compressor and alternator pulley at the same time since you have to remove the one to get to the other... i figured i might as well... it was farely cheap and didnt take more than an hour or so...

 

Josh,

I am getting a hell of a lot of continuous noise from around the tensioner pulley. It sounds like a bearing is going somewhere.

But, why would having the headlights, radio, defrost, and A/C on at the same time make the belt squeel 300 times worse? It definitely relates to current loading on the electrical system. How would a bad tensioner pulley be affected by this?

Does belt tension increase with more electrical current? I thought the alternator just always produced the same output and the regulator supplies a field current to control the voltage. Anyway, I'm an electrical novice...

Can anyone provide an explanation before to start replacement pulleys, alternators, bearings, etc.???

Thanks

 

Although I'm not Josh, I'll answer some of these for ya.
I have a question for you. Does your belts squeal even more when the A/C is turned on or when it kicks in? How tight is the belt? Can you physically move the pulleys by hand? There is such a thing as too tight also. Does your car still squeal with everything turned off but the car?...no A/C, defrost, radio, what you're trying to do here is limit the electrical load.
The pulleys aren't that bad of a job to do and they really aren't that pricey. You seem to have the area pointed out, so IMO, go with your gut.

 

i say change alt. pulley if possible w/ bearing and compressor pulley, and tensioner just to be sure you get all the possible suspects that way you dont have to keep changing things if you buy a part thats not the right squeel. thats my 2cents

 

"I have a question for you. Does your belts squeal even more when the A/C is turned on or when it kicks in? How tight is the belt? Can you physically move the pulleys by hand? There is such a thing as too tight also. Does your car still squeal with everything turned off but the car?...no A/C, defrost, radio, what you're trying to do here is limit the electrical load."

Silvercoupe,
It happens when the AC is off as well. This morning I was driving to work and I wanted to test when it happens. So, at a stop light I turned on my headlights and the belt started squeeling instantly. Once I rev the engine the belt "catches" and stops. My guess is the compressor is fine. When you guys say "alternator pulley and bearing" - which pulley is that? The actual pulley on the alternator? It also has nothing to do with turning, I have a new steering pump in the car.

I am going to replace the serpentine tension pulley because I think the bearing is going, but I think that is unrelated to this belt squeel. Could the alternator pulley freeze under high loading for some reason? I have to get my car inspected this week, so I might just have a new alternator andtension pulley put in. Even if it isn't the alternator, that is a good "proactive" part to install on a 10 year old car. What else should I have replaced for good measure?

Thanks for all the feedback guys..........Jon