A/C causing squeal? (00 Camry V6 USA)

[spup345]

When I start the engine cold, first thing in the morning, with the A/C 'on', I hear a squeal for about 10 seconds, then it goes away. It does not happen if I stop & start the car throughout the day, it must be idle for a few hours at least for the squeal to occur. Only happens during startup, not during driving. It started to happen after mechanic replaced belts.

I brought it back to him, he said there is a 'maroon' colored dust around the A/C compressor indicating that it is starting to go and should be replaced, that's what was causing the squealing. Does this make sense? Is there any way around this? Should I first try loosening the belt?

Why would this have not happened with my old belts, but when he replaced the belts, it started to happen?

[Kingdom934]

Try check the tension on the belts.

[davemac2]

It could be a bad bearing on the A/C clutch which could be the source of the rust powder, but it could also be a bad belt tensioner, or even a combination of both. Was the tensioner replaced when the belt was? Does it squeal in the morning without the A/C on? What usually happens in the morning is that the alternator will put a heavier load on the belt as it charges up the battery that has sat for a while. If the tensioner is weak, that's when you are going to hear it squeal. If it did not do this with the old belt, then either the new belt is contaminated with some oil or is not the right size? Normally a new belt will actually be SMALLER than an older belt because the belt will stretch with age. If the tensioner has never been replaced in the last 60-70K miles, then replace that first to see if the squeal is eliminated.

dave mc