YotaFun

After my Paragon Run on the 13th
I noticed a new sound in my engine...
I think it may be the altinator since the battery light for the first hour on the trip back would every so often flicker...
But since then the light hasn't gone on just alot of noise.
Following are pictures of the enignedrive belt and a video.
Any assistnce would be great...
(kinda hoping all it needs is a simple cleaning...)







EDIT: The vid quality dosen't do it justice but you can hear the noise I am talking about

04 Rocko Taco

1) clean your Runner. lol
2) make sure no excessive play in belts.
3) check pulleys
4) Belt dressing (thousand island, or ranch. )
If the belt dressing helps the situation, you know its time for new belts, and even if it doesn't...Replacing belts is a cheap first troubleshooting step.

91TPU

make sure the belts have the proper tension, if they are too tight they can cause premature wear

YotaFun

1) Getting there Its a littel cold out....
2) Belts are really snug
3) How do I go about checking the pulleys?
4) Belt Dressing....?

How hard is it to put all new belts on and how time consuming is it?
How cheap are betls?
I don't feel any decline in performance just a really nasty noice that have people staring at me...
I cry every time I hit the gas.
Its like hearing the heep in my vid turn over his engien while it is starving for oil...

YotaFun

This all happened after going through all that mud and water at Paragon, do you think that has some how affected the belts in making them tighter?

mastacox

Personally, I think it sounds like your alternator is going bad, as it's not really a belt noise. Are you able to tell what general area the noise is coming from?

YotaFun

It's weird,
When I am inside drivin her, the noise sounds like its comin fromt eh passenger side,
But when I stand infront of her and listen it sounds like it's comin from the drivers side.

I think it is the altenator as well but hoping i can just get teh noice away for now till i can get it fixed. (thinking of upgrading to something bigger for lights and such later on down the road)

gilby4runner

My buds TACO made that noise after a night of wheeling.... his alternator died before we made it back home. HAd to change it out in a gas station parking lot....lots of fun!

YotaFun

Thats what I thought I was going to have to do when I was driving home, I shut down everything elctircal i possibly could and just kept my foot on the gas...
The light is gone now and like I said engine seem to be operating just fien with everything....
I guess I will take a trip to AutoZone Tomorrow and get the Altenator checked

91TPU

if the belts are too tight, this could cause excessive wear on the alternator and its pulley...

i doubt that going thru the mud and water at paragon made the belts and tighter..only thing i can think of is it may have dried them out a bit with all the mud and water on them..,

this is the action i would take
1-get some electric parts cleaner, its made to clean alternators, they sell it at like pep boys, autozone, etc...clean off your alt with it real good...
2-get some belt dressing, they sell it at the same places, and the can looks almost exactly the same but it says belt dressing. spray it on just the belts, but dont overapply.
3-make sure its not the fan that is making that whinning sound...the guy who sold me my truck said it used to make a sound like that and he pulled it and replaced it...he was no genuis, but i guess it worked...
4-get all the crap out of your engine bay...makes it easier to work in there.
5-if non of the aformentioned solved your problems, take it to autozone and have your alt tested.
6-if it tests fine, then i think your belts are too tight...thus wearing out the bushing/bearing? in the pulley on the alternator.
7-as for tension, when i set the tension on belts i set it just tight enuff so that they dont squeal...and they get older, they stretch so you need to retighten somtimes...every car is different so i wouldnt be able to tell you the play i leave in the belts, but its very little...

YotaFun

Thanks for the advise!

I guess I will go brave the cold and clean off that engine bay...
Then drive to PepBOys and get some of the stuff mentioned...
The crap I get ymself into...
Why Am i still young and Niaeve when I have the advise fo all you great peopel?

91TPU

haha, bro i highly doubt im much older then you, ive just had a bunch of other vehicles to screw up on before this one. ps im only 20, but that will all chance very soon

YotaFun

I am 19, turned 19 back in August, so I have a while to go yet...

91TPU

its all good bro, trust me, life was a lot easier back when i was 19 lol

bflooks

just my .02 here...

lee had a similar noise start after one wheeling trip. it turned out to be his a/c clutch went bad.

i had a similar noise that i thought was power steering, turned out it was the belts.

i would narrow it down to which component is bad. remove the belts, and start the truck with one belt added at each start. when the noise starts, you know which component is bad/needs help. to make sure it isn't just belts, use new belts when you are trying this.

YotaFun

UPDATE:
How much for a new fan assembly?
How hard is it to do?
Cause now the sound is more pernounced right up front,
I will get the belt dressing just incase it is not but yeah...

YotaFun

Ah one belt at a time....
Scary thoght, man this is gonna be fun...
Just something else new for me to learn

rdharper

Power Steering fluid just a tad low can cause a noise like that.

YotaFun

I checked that cause I thought it was the power sttering but thats all good, the powersteering feels fine so that is ruled out, and deforts works well and i see the AC compressor kicking in so I believe that is good, so all thats left is altinator, fan, and remaing pulleys

rdharper

Ok.. and it does sound like bearing noise, hopefully in one of the pulleys. Power steering noise is a bit higher pitched in my own experience.