Squeal In My Pulley System

planksta · 10-13-2011, 01:33 AM

Ok, my first time on the site, i need some help, I have a 95' 318ti and it has this awful loud high pitched squeal, I bought the car with it like this thinking that it was a belt or a pulley and it sounds like its comming from the tensioner pulley next to the alternator, first i replaced the lower tensioner pulley and the squeal stopped for 5 mins and then started again, then i replaced my hydraulic tensioner and it still squealed then i replaced the upper tensioner pulley that is next to the alternator and it still squeals but not as loud, It does not squeal until i get the car up to about 2000rpm, my belt seems pretty new and it does not slip, im really sick of hearing the squeal and its really obnoxious and im out of ideas on what it could be, if you have any idea or if im doing something wrong please tell me, i will put a picture up of what i have in case i have something wrong and im not seeing it, thanks

familytruckster · 10-13-2011, 02:28 AM

probably an accessory then... pull the belts off and see how the alt, wp and PS pump turn by hand.

planksta · 10-13-2011, 03:40 AM

ok I will try that, thanks for the input

Ralliart10 · 10-13-2011, 05:23 AM

Have you hit any dips or pot holes?

zoner · 10-13-2011, 05:50 AM

Your belt "seems pretty new" or you replaced it with a brand new one when you replaced either the pulley or the tensioner? I would try the belt next if you haven't already.

planksta · 10-13-2011, 03:15 PM

ill try replacing the belt next

planksta · 10-13-2011, 03:17 PM

other than like normal bumps i have not hit any severe potholes or anything, why? could bumps knock the pulleys out of place or something?

PaulM · 10-13-2011, 04:51 PM

All I can say is to try to isolate it as much as possible prior to throwing parts at it.

If your car has AC - remove the AC belt - squeal still there then its not part of that system.

As a quick check you can start and rev the engine without the accessory belt on at all (I would not do it for long as you have no alternator, PS, or water pump with the belt off), if the squeal is still there it is not the belt or accessory pulleys.

Swapping the belt is an easy thing to do and if you don't know the age not a bad idea (as Zoner said). I had a ticking noise in the car I bought. The prev owner had his mechanic look at it and they diagnosed PS pump and we negotiated a discounted purchase price. I put a new belt on (after I confirmed it was not the engine by running with no belt) and no more ticking.

Since it sounds like you have replaced all the idler pulleys the likly things left are - belt, alternator, or water pump. With belt removed how does the water pump, PS, and alternator feel?

Good luck
Paul

planksta · 10-13-2011, 11:24 PM

Ok well its deffenitely not comming from my AC belt, Im replacing my belt next, and if it still squeals then im guessing its comming from my alternator because when i listened through a stethiscope it is pretty clear that the squeal is comming from my alternator pulley or the tensioner pulley right next to it, since I have already replaced the tensioner pulley Im kinda ruling that out unless i have it placed wrong or something, if anyone has like a diagram of the pulley system for a 95' 318ti that would be very helpful, guessing it might be my alternator then if the belt does not change anything, thanks for the input paul

PaulM · 10-14-2011, 12:00 AM

If you start it with no belt and get no noise you know it has to be somthing the belt rotates (or the belt). If you suspect the alternator you may be able to spray a bit of oil/lube/wd40 in the bearing (generally not much room with the pully installed but worth a shot) and see if that stops it - if yes then its the alt bearings (get a remanufactured unit).

Paul

planksta · 10-14-2011, 12:19 AM

Alright Im going to try running the car for a few seconds without the belt and see if i get a squeal and then try spraying the alt bearings while its going

here is a few pics of the setup just in case maybe i have the wrong part or something

planksta · 10-14-2011, 12:21 AM

a few more pics

planksta · 10-14-2011, 11:53 PM

Well spraying the alt bearings did not change anything, i feel like i could maybe run the alt using a drill with a wheel on it and then just put some pressure on the alt pulley and hit the trigger on the drill and that sort of a make shift way of making it spin and then i would hear it squeal, but im just worried about that possibly damaging the alt, do you think that could mess it up or should i be fine?

UberWagen · 10-14-2011, 11:56 PM

I'm confused, have you replaced the belt yet? And your running the engine without the drive belt?

tiFreak · 10-15-2011, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by planksta

Well spraying the alt bearings did not change anything, i feel like i could maybe run the alt using a drill with a wheel on it and then just put some pressure on the alt pulley and hit the trigger on the drill and that sort of a make shift way of making it spin and then i would hear it squeal, but im just worried about that possibly damaging the alt, do you think that could mess it up or should i be fine?

that seems really overcomplicated, just take the belt off and give it a quick spin by hand, if it's making noise that should be enough to hear it

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