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Most autozone parts guys are not qualified to diagnose anything.
They are there to look things up on a computer.
Sometimes you get lucky and have a retired mechanic on staff. But locally most of those guys could be selling hamburgers just as well.
LMAO! How bout AutoZone parts girls? My ex-wife used to work there and did fairly decent with diagnostics. I actually met her there while she was working and I went in to buy some fuel line hose.
But yeah, most of them don't know jack. Soon after we got married, my AutoZone bride and I went to a different AZ store to pick up some gasket or something for the 94 F250 I had at the time. There was a young kid behind the counter, couldn't have been more than 16 or so, and I just couldn't resist messing with him.
So, I walked up to him with a straight face and asked him for a wiper blade sharpener. The poor kid actually tried to look it up... I did eventually clue him in and all 3 of us had a good laugh.
Look real close at the tensioner pulley assembly. On the fixed portion of it that bolts to the engine, you'll see 2 marks. And looking at the movable part of it, you'll see another mark.
When the engine is running, the mark on the movable portion should remain between the 2 marks on the fixed portion. Out of range one way means the belt is too short, and out of range the other way means it's too long or has stretched.
Aftermarket tensioners may or may not have this feature but Ford ones do. At least the ones I've owned.
My tensioner doesn't have the marks. Looked and looked. I'm using a belt route and length of belt that i found on another thread. (can't figure out how to link it to this one so you could see what i have done.) the guy said he did it and it worked fine for him. so I'm at a lost for words. A different brand belt is looking like this is the problem. I'll have brake down and purchase one to see.
i noticed tonight that after i start my truck and waited for the squeal to stop, i turned on my heater and it started squealing and wouldn't stop. I also noticed that my battery gauge also dropped when i turned on the heater. Would the squealing and drop on gauge suggest a bad alternator?
If the alt wasn't working properly it wouldn't put any load on the belt so there wouldn't be any squeal. I think you are on the right track with the tensioner.
i noticed tonight that after i start my truck and waited for the squeal to stop, i turned on my heater and it started squealing and wouldn't stop. I also noticed that my battery gauge also dropped when i turned on the heater. Would the squealing and drop on gauge suggest a bad alternator?
When the belt slips on the alternator, the alternator doesn't turn as fast and doesn't put out as much voltage. That will show up on the gage. And putting additional electrical load on the alternator will put more mechanical load on the belt. So yes, it will be more likely to slip when you turn on the blower, or the headlights. And it makes sense that it squeals at start-up because that's when the alternator is trying to recharge the battery after running the starter.
You need the belt to get a better grip on the alternator pulley. More tension would do that, either with a shorter belt (if the existing one is too long) or a better tensioner (if the current one is bad). Or a better belt would help if the current one is bad. All are possibilities, you need to find the combo that works.
I don't have the 5.8 but when I took the air pump off my 302 it was squeaking. I put a straight edge across the crank pulley to the other pulleys to check the alignment. The power steering and a/c where too far back. Added a couple washers to the back of the main bracket for those pulleys. Lined up good then. No more squeaks. Just something you could check.
Thanks a ton for all the replys. Turns out it was the belt tensioner. It just wasn't putting enough tension on the belt. I also chose to go with a better belt for Justin Case reasons. but i put on new tensioner with old belt and squealing went away. Had alternator checked, it was charging good and went with 97.5 inch Goodyear belt. Again, thanks for all the help.
Look real close at the tensioner pulley assembly. On the fixed portion of it that bolts to the engine, you'll see 2 marks. And looking at the movable part of it, you'll see another mark.
When the engine is running, the mark on the movable portion should remain between the 2 marks on the fixed portion. Out of range one way means the belt is too short, and out of range the other way means it's too long or has stretched.
Aftermarket tensioners may or may not have this feature but Ford ones do. At least the ones I've owned.
Here are the two marks, the arrow pointing down is the progress mark - it points to where the belt is in the range portion of the whole thing.
If the arrow points to the right end of the range (over the E in "range") the belt is new, or, in an extreme case, too long.
If the arrow points to the left end of the range (over the R in "range") the belt is old, or, in an extreme case, too short.
I would guess that one could un-bolt the plate that says "range" on it and perhaps attach it to an aftermarket tensioner. Then it would be a case of transferring the Arrow to the after-market unit's outside edge...Just a thought, I have not actually done this.
Here are the two marks, the arrow pointing down is the progress mark - it points to where the belt is in the range portion of the whole thing.
If the arrow points to the right end of the range (over the E in "range") the belt is new, or, in an extreme case, too long.
If the arrow points to the left end of the range (over the R in "range") the belt is old, or, in an extreme case, too short.
I would guess that one could un-bolt the plate that says "range" on it and perhaps attach it to an aftermarket tensioner. Then it would be a case of transferring the Arrow to the after-market unit's outside edge...Just a thought, I have not actually done this.
if i'm looking at this right, your tensioner is mounted on the top, between the alternator and the a/c. Mine has an idler pulley where your tensioner is. My tensioner is under the alternator between it and the crank shaft pulley. all the same i think mine must be an aftermarket tensioner because i don't have that arrow or the little range plate on the front. thanks for the picture though. maybe i can figure something out to add that to mine.
We need a picture! If there is an idler on yours where the tensioner is on this one, that looks like it would only allow a small amount of the belt to be touching the alt pulley. If it's the way I have pictured in my head, that is.
I had a squealing problem for the longest time, I think I went through 3 belts...squeal when I start up, chirping while driving, screaming while driving, it was driving me crazy. I ripped out my A/C pulley/pump and bought a shorter belt, haven't heard a chirp since. And I mean I tried everything before doing this. That was my success story anyways. good luck with yours.
here are a couple of pictures of what i did. i couldn't really get good pics without taking off the fan shroud. but, if you notice, my tensioner pulley is below the alternator and an idler pulley that i rerouted my belt not to use. and also notice that i removed my smog pump.
Is the tensioner pulling the right direction? They will provide tension both ways but will only work correctly one way. Yours may be perfectly correct, I can't remember which way they pull.
Sorry to hijack your thread OP. 
