1 day after my 02 max se was parked (2 hour drive) and i tried starting the next morning, it makes this LOUD squeal (im thinking from around the left side where the belts are). It doesn't stop after at least 10 seconds, and i stopped and restarted and it comtinues. I remember seeing little metal shavings sitting on the panel above where the belts are (and maybe more around I will check today as I only took a look and left with someone else. We had to go somewhere and i was getting my car but obviously i couldn't)

also the battery doesn't seem to be charging (i have a digi meter that plugs into the cigarette lighter and it was giving off 10-11 volts, when normally at 14 when idling) . It's a high output alternator on there (blue) and 2 batteries . The original owner had 4 15's but that's been off at least a year.

I recently changed both belts last week and put new motor mounts 4 or 5 days ago.

what do you suspect it is ? Alternator? something else around there going bad?

I will update more information when I look at it. I want to say maybe the idler pulley was a bit shiny/greasy (but i haven't noticed after they changed my belts if this was like this already). But I do remember grey looking metal shavings on the plateau (little table) above the pulleys on the right (right of the engine coolant reservoir)

any help is appreciated!

 

Yup, sounds like belts. Sounds like dd t tighten one enough. Check tension, should indicate which one.

 

i'll try that and report back. I had a mechanic shop put them, and one belt they didn't put said it wasn't the right size and they put one of their own, so I feel it is definitely a chance of that (also one of the mechanics backed into the side of my car which i am to have them fix tuesday.)

 

Sorry to hear all that.....sounds like a quality shop.

 

well the belts were tight , but it seems to be the alternator is out. Upon closer inspection, there are many fragments of loose metal inside the alternator itself (sticking out from where the pulley is. I can move them around with dental tools) seems the inside metal of the alternator (that looks like spaghetti) came loose or just went bad and is falling apart? it's a high output I will try to contact the previous owner and see if there was warranty on it.

as you can see from the 1st pic the little pieces of metal sitting on the pulley, above the pulley, and at the top how it seems the outer blue body is shredded (maybe got caught inside and shredded up).





the 2nd picture shows more of the shredding (from the top view)


any ideas what could have caused this? does this happen when they all go bad? It was during a 2 hour trip. Now that I think about it I remember smelling something kind of foul, but I thought it was the oil plant i passed coincidentally (which burns a huge fire in the sky 24/7 like the olympic torch. I believe it's natural gas though). Maybe it was the alternator going out. But I didn't get any screeching noises until the day after.

 

yes really. it's a bigger place with like 9 or so garages, but behind a shell gas station. Luckily I had a viper alarm or else the mechanic might not have said anything. Only sad thing I didn't file a police report which I learned you ALWAYS do (my mom sells insurance). Too many people come in and say the same story and that they (the shop/mechanic) denied it.

I was forwarded to them from another shop (Allied) as Allied couldn't do my motor mounts. Allied did my control arm.

 

Well, the alternator bearing certainly has self destructed. You definitely need a new alternator. As to why it happened, I couldn't really say. My guess is that the bearing lost its water tight seal and then lost the lubrication

 

Wonder how much you could over tighten a belt before it would damage an alternator?

 

Kind of my thinking as well. But, hard to prove, especially now.