MHST Guy

New belt, new alternator, and new water pump (all spin freely and are aligned properly). I'm at my wits end with this belt squeak. I've tightened it like I do to every other belt I've installed, it squeaked. I put a prybar on the alternator, but it still squeaks. I even got out the 2' prybar, but even when the alternator was at its max travel on the slide, it still squeaks. It's slipping on the crank pulley (I can hear it louder from underneath). The crank pulley if from a ~92 22RE that I rebuild after buying it from the bone yard. The belt that Autoblown sold me was a 15345, but it rode too high in the v-groove. Tried a 13345, and that rode in the groove better and didn't squeak as much, but it still did. I tried going one size smaller, but that one was way too short (13320). I've also sprayed the belts with belt dressing which helped, but it still does it some.

Anyone else ever had this problem?

MHST Guy

Anyone?

96redtoy

return it and go some where else or a higher quality one that is the only thing that I could think of.

Good Luck

raydouble

Are you sure it's not the idler pully?

eighty5yota

x2!!! those little bastards get squeaky!

96redtoy

x3
that could be it

Jay351

Use a toyota belt... not that expensive and you will have a good belt that will fit right.
Spray the belt with wd40 to rule out an idler..

raydouble

I was thinking the bearing in the idler would be going out, so I don't know how the WD40 would help........also you should never have to apply anything to a belt.....water maybe to clean it.

xxJDxx

I'm having the same problem all of a sudden. The difference is that i never changed my belt (I know thats the obvious first thing to try), but I had them all off a few weeks ago to do my TB/waterpump....I bought all new belts but only changed the PS and AC belts because the alt belt looked great still....

Is it possible for the belt to squeek but still look completely fine...???

raydouble

The two reasons they would squeek would be loose or slipping (something not turning)
I'd check the tightness on the ones you just pulled off.

Check that idler pully also.

Edit: Don't know if the 3VZ has an idler pully........

xxJDxx

^I pulled of all three, sounds coming from teh alternator tho...

sprayed a bit of belt dressing on there and the sounds went away for a few seconds, then came back..... :|

guess its the belt, i'm gonna try changing it tomorrow

TNRabbit

It's not a belt; it's the MOUSE running around inside the engine. FEED THAT LITTLE F*(KER!

Team420

I have rubbed a bar of ivory soap on belts to quite them before.

broyota

I had the same thing happen with a Geo Tracker I had. I replaced the belt, water pump, and eventually the alternator. Try replacing your battery. Mine did it mostly based on electrical load (like if I was running my headlamps and hella 550s at the same time). Also check the grounds, battery terminals, and cables. You'd be surprised at how much a crap connection can affect the entire vehicle. Its for this reason I try to solder almost every connection I make or repair on my vehicles.

MHST Guy

There is no idler pulley on that belt. It's just the crank, water pump, and alternator. I'll return this belt and grab a 'yota belt. I'll make sure to clean the pulleys too.

It's a fairly new battery too (~2.5 years old)

ayoung101

you tried a 2' pry bar? ha, i once used a 6' SHOVEL to pry it tight. had my dad pull down on the shovel and i tightened it. worked great! (that was on a camry though, the alternator was nice and easily accessible., not sure if you got the space on your truck)

nobrainsd

I was getting a lot of belt noise on my 91 3vze 4x4 so I tightened it up, tried belt dressing and took a good look to make sure the belt was traveling in a straight line around everything. I still couldn't get the squeal to go away. If you look at the belt it doesn't fit all the way down into the slot on the pulley. When the belt is under too much tension it is forced farther into the pulley groove and it will squeak big time. It's the sides of the belt being forced into the slot compressing the belt from the sides. Is your belt actually slipping? Mine was just making noise because it was too tight and after I loosened it the noise went away. Unless the belt is truly slipping there is no reason to run it so tight. It may sound like slipping, but it wasn't on my truck. Try loosening the belt a little and be sure to clean the pulley sides if they are dirty or rubber belt material has accumulated. Worked for me! My old Dodge van had belts that bottomed out on the pulleys and you could jack them tight without any issue. The Toyota pulleys have a deep slot where the belt does not bottom out. To much tension is not a good thing.

MHST Guy

Mine is actually slipping. The charge light was coming on when it was really bad.

raydouble

Take off the belts again and verify that everything turns freely, with only minimal resistance.

xxJDxx

Not to thread hijack, but I swapped in a new oem belt today, and it squeeled for a second then went away when i revved it abit, but was still there at startup all day.

I just tried tightening it and then it wouldnt stop squeeling, loosened it off a bit, same thing. was driving home with is squeeeeeeling like crazy, came to a stop at a light and it completely went away.....

i dunno what to think now...

oh btw, one of the bolts for teh center timing cover, that holds the center pulleys with the attached fan etc, was an extended stud, held down with a nut.....

turns out the alt belt was streched over the end of this double sided bolt, just enough to have sheered off half the old belt and worn down the bolt quite a bit as well... an obvious problem, but now everything is fine and its still squeeling...what do i try next?