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squeal under the hood

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Old Jan 27, 2010 | 10:54 AM
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squeal under the hood

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.
 
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Old Jan 27, 2010 | 01:46 PM
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I would check the idler pully bearing.
 
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Old Jan 27, 2010 | 06:36 PM
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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.
 
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Old Jan 27, 2010 | 06:54 PM
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+1 on trying to clean the pulleys. the best belt is a goodyear gatorback belt
 
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Old Jan 27, 2010 | 11:01 PM
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lol unfortuately the belt that is on it is a gatorback, bout 3 month old. must have just been a bad one of the batch!
 
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Old Jan 28, 2010 | 12:16 AM
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i heard the same before, and it was the belt tensioner and idle pulleys
 
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Old Jan 28, 2010 | 11:53 AM
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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?
 
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Old Jan 28, 2010 | 02:57 PM
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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!
 
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Old Jan 28, 2010 | 05:45 PM
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did you listen to your idler?
 
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Old Jan 28, 2010 | 09:38 PM
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yes idler is just fine, its fairly new
 
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Old Jan 28, 2010 | 09:42 PM
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original post said when wet, the noise stopped.... what has that got to do with alternator?
 
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Old Jan 28, 2010 | 09:48 PM
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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. Reason: add comment
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Old Jan 29, 2010 | 01:31 PM
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no idea. still trying to diagnose it. seems like things change every day.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2010 | 03:07 PM
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Harmonic balacer.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2010 | 03:43 PM
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what pulley is the harmonic balancer under?
 
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