[hastyk]

I have a 91Lebaron GTC. Recently, I've had some pretty annoying squealing coming from what I believe is the alternator. I've replaced the alternator bushings with poly ones from turbosunleashed, I've replaced my alternator, I've replaced the belt, and I've moved the metal sleeves into every possible location they could be in in the bushings.

I've also tried adjusting it up and down, still no good. Its not a terrible squeal, but it is annoying.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[ILIKESHELBYS]

If you are not sure it's the alternator, try removing that belt only to see if the noise goes away. If it doesn't, well it's not the alternator. If it does, make sure that the belt and all the pulleys are in proper alignment. If the alternator pulley is off set it will squeal.

 

[NAJ]

+1 on everything stated above.

If it is a belt then spraying any liquid on the belts will change the pitch of the squeal.

 

[hastyk]

I've tried putting water on the belt and it stops the squealing...also the squealing stops after a little bit of driving. I just don't like it sound like s*** when idling.

 

[NAJ]

I've tried putting water on the belt and it stops the squealing...also the squealing stops after a little bit of driving. I just don't like it sound like s*** when idling.

Then it is definitely a belt, now you have to determine which one and why...
worn belt, belt tension, pulley alignment???

 

[hastyk]

Its not the ps pump belt, i took the a/c belt and pulley completely off, so the only other belt is the alternator. I, however, do not know which way the metal sleeves go in the alternator bushings. I feel like the alternator might be misaligned. But I'm thinking the bearings in the water pump might be shot. God I hope not. They're a pain in the a**.

 

[NAJ]

If you sprayed water on the belts and the noise stopped the problem is with the belt.

 

[hastyk]

I appreciate the chart. Only problem is that the belt is like 3 days old.

 

[NAJ]

Pulley Misalignment, Rust/Scale in Pulley, Belt Tension To Loose

 

[bamman]

It is important that the A/C bracket is torqued correctly in sequence to help eliminate the noise as well. I ran into the same problem, replaced the bushings and belt and still had the noise. It wasn't until I re-torqued the A/C bracket that the noise went away.

A/C Bracket Bolt Installation Sequence

Install the A/C bracket bolts in the sequence shown in the diagram so they are hand tight, then tighten them in this sequence:

First pass - Bolt #1 to 22 ft-lbs (30 N-m)
Second pass - Bolts #2 and #3 to 40 ft-lbs (54 N-m)
Third pass - Bolts #1, #4, and #5 to 40 ft-lbs (54 N-m)
Forth pass - Bolts #6 and #7 to 40 ft-lbs (54 N-m)

 

[hastyk]

Awesome! I'll try this tomorrow. Do you have a chart like that for the alternator pivot bolt setup? I'm not sure which side which metal sleeve goes in on my bushings. One sleeve is just like a regular sleeve, but the other has like a lip/collar on it. I'm sure that can also cause misalignment

 

[bamman]

Here is the "factory" setup:

There is a sleeve (highlighted yellow) that sits between the roll pin (highlighted red) in the right alternator ear. The roll pin should press up on the sleeve so that it will not fall out if you take the alternator out. You can use a hammer to adjust the position of the roll pin.

The alternator bushings should have sleeves (highlighted white).

Although this is the factory setup, many people who purchase new alternator bushings don't transfer the sleeves into them (highlighted white). Also, I've personally ran without the sleeve that is highlighted yellow.

 

[hastyk]

Thanks so much for the help guys! I'll try all these things and get back to you in a couple of days. Once again , I greatly appreciate the insight and the pictures.

Kevin

 

[yellonoma]

I must add, I had a squealing belt on my Daytona, I replaced it with a new ($$ goodyear) one and it squealed the same. Trying everything I inspected the new belt and noticed an imperfection in the NEW belt. Bought another (el cheapo) belt and it solved the squealing.

Keep that in mind if you don't see results from the information above!

 

[goforthz28]

I had the same symptoms. The noise actually landed me a ticket when I floored the car because the noise returned after I thought I fixed it. What the prob was, was the big round rubber tension adjuster. I replaced it with the machined aluminum set and fixed the prob. Ditch that rubber crap asap.

 

[acannell]

yes..yes...the infamous nightmare of alternator squeal on these cars.

last time i dealt with this, i had all new parts, new belt, alternator, teardrop shaped alternator rubber isolator...still squeaked.

it ended up being that i had overtightened the belt and damaged the alternator bearing on the first installation..

i believe i fixed it all by swapping out the new alternator, AGAIN, and tightening the belt tension as little as possible, so that the first drive maybe the belt SLIPPED when i turned the headlights on..so then i tightned it a little more until it didnt slip anymore (squealing sound)..and left it there..no more squealing yet for 15k miles

also check the alternator pulley to make sure its lining up with the crank pulley..if for some reason its not in the same plane and seems to be bending towards it..that may be making the problem worse..

 

[hastyk]

I wanna thank everyone for their input, especially bamman. I took off the bracket and retorqued the bolts the correct way, then did away with the metal sleeves that I had put back into my poly bushings from the original bushings. I drove over 100 miles today with plenty of high rpms along the way just to test it, and everything is still nice and quiet. It sounds so much better! I've been fighting this problem off and on ever since I got the car a year ago, and its great to say its finally fixed.

Thanks once again,
Kevin