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i got a 2001 5.4L 4x4. when i start the truck its a loud squeal under the hood for a short second or 2 then it fades. when i am driving and then slow down it squeals. when i just rev the engine while im in park the squeal comes when the engine is slowing down. ive found that when i pressure wash the area of all the pulleys and such, the noise goes away till the water dries. Any ideas? maybe the belt? i just replaced the tensioner so thats not it, and the belt is maybe 3 months old. This started happening after a night of offroading.
the belt is slipping on the pullleys. when it is doing it in the driveway, drip a spoon full of water on the belt inside and note that the noise goes away for a minute. You can try washing the belt surface "and the pullye grooves" with soapy water to get any oil or spray lube off, and getting belt to "stick" better to the pulleys. In the end, you might need a new belt if that does not work.. or live with it.
well, i dove in further to the issue today. took the belt off, cleaned it, cleaned all pulleys, reassembled everything, and the squeal was still there. so i took a screw driver and touched it to the alternator and listened to the handle of the screw driver and now i believe that the alternator is possibly making the noise. And suggestions? Do i need a new alternator or can i replace bearings in there?
Could be but, I have read other threads where a problem like this was caused by the harmonic balancer assembly. There is as rubber insert that the pulley is pressed onto over the balancer. It deteriorates and allows the pulley to shift slightly causing a mis-alignment of the lower pulley with the rest of the pulleys on the engine. Requires a new harmonic balancer assembly. Good luck!
if when the belt is wet and the noise goes away I'd have a hard time believing it's the alternator bearings, it's probably the belt dried out or the paint has worn off your idler pulley,
good call steve
Last edited by fordtech08; Jan 28, 2010 at 09:55 PM.
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