accessory belt whine?

[DAMON]

Hey guys, I searched about this but never found a thread with a resolution... my car hasnt sounded right since it was at toyota last. when I got it back from the timing belt/ water pump replacxement in november it sounded different, a whiring sound coming from the engine bay. I took it back and had them adjust the timing belt, they said it was good to go.

I still noticed it but thought eh, whatever, they said its adjusted... then I took it in in april because of a coolant leak and a belt squeak (accesory/altenator belt). they ended up doing a new radiator blah blah blah and tightened the accessory belt- now it is even louder.

Its starting to really annoy me... the car never sound to sound like this. It is a whiring/whining sound that definately sounds like belt whine- during idle and then increases in rate as i accelerate, slows back down when the car shifts, etc. My accessory belt looks old and worn, i noticed a fray on it as well. do you think this is what would be causing the sound? this is an easy belt to replace i believe, probably isnt too difficult.

thanks for the feedback

[toyomoho]

Try partially removing the accessory belt and see if the noise is still there. Most likely you will will need to remove it from the aternator pulley but not completely off the car. This can also be the alternator bearing.

[dchriste]

mine whines but its not from the accessory belt.. i have a gen 4 and its the power steering pump belt which is a belt of its own, i dont know if the gen 3 uses a separate belt just for the steering pump as well but u could check it out

[Ken4]

Belts dont whine. Rubber on metal never whine. At the most, they squeak. Metal on metal will whine, e.g. timing chain, bearings, etc.

[DAMON]

ever heard a supercharger??

[hester21289]

My car whines in second gear, but when i shift into third it is not as loud.

[Zandro]

If the PS pump the alternator belt ect... slips/gets hard/old they do indeed make a whine noises, also the water pump can make such sounds, so you may want to check that even if it`s new. the alternator itself could also make whine noises when the bearing get worn.

[GrkBallaG]

Take off the belt as previously stated, if the whine goes away, then youve targeted where the whine is coming from. While you have the belt off spin the alternator and see if you hear anything, you should hear NOTHING. if you hear nothing, than its the belt, if you hear something, time to replace the alternator. Also make sure the belt is tensioned right, a loose belt will whine like you stated and a too tight belt, well will ruin everything . good luck.

[zoni]

i'd say ps pump belt, thats usually the worst. 1. cause more water/dirt gets to it cause its on the bottom. 2. because the PS fluid can be a strain on the pump, therefore a strain on the belt.

[Eye8Pussies]

and there can be cracks in the belt that can't be seen until you take it off and check really carefully - I remember before I changed my accessory belt, it sounded like I had a supercharger under my hood the whine was so bad, but the belt looked pretty good until it was taken off and there was a crack over a foot long in it

[DAMON]

i just had the accessory belt tightened at toyota when it was in for other services because it was loose and squelaing... but i think I could use both that and a power steering belt- they both look old and they arent too expensive, might as well throw them on there. Those are pretty easy belts to replace if Im not mistaken, correct?

[Eye8Pussies]

yup just make sure you retighten them properly

[DAMON]

is there a speical tool needed to measure tension? i think my hanes said something about one but it doesnt seem like you would need anything... Ill just have to have someone else check the tension as well to make sure its okay