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Bought a brand new Corolla in 2005. Within a few months the alternator belt squealed loudly. Toyota replaced the belt- 5 times in the first 30,000 miles. Then they replaced some sort of tension control arm pulley something-or-other. Didn't help at all. Now at 90,000 miles and if I have the belt removed and cleaned it is fine for about a week and then back to the squealing that can be heard for blocks around. The noise is cut in half after the car is warmed up- generally, but not always.
Toyota gave up trying to repair the car.
Any ideas?
I assume they're not dumb enough to install the cheap belt, so that means your tensioner isn't maintaining enough tension. The design of the tensioner on that particular car is a bad one.
Last edited by GarageLogic; 12-14-2013 at 09:08 AM..
Alternators would cause the belt to squeal when first starting, and then eventually disappear as the battery came back to its full voltage.
Belts being loose usually were the problem, and if ignored too long the pulleys would polish off and squeal because the the rubber in the belt hardened from the heat .
Another thing was the power steering pump would cause the belt to squeal while making turns , again loose belt .
If the bearing on the water pump was going out, usually you'd hear rumbling or it came to a complete stop and the belt would be burned across it and the engine would over heat.
Newer cars with the polly grove serpentine belt, depend completely on the tensioner to keep it tight driving more things than the old V belts were demand of.
If you could get a tensioner with a tougher spring ,the slippage would be reduced and so would the noise.
In the olden days with v belts that even tightening didn't help we'd take bar soap on them and that did the trick for quite a long time .
Just throwing some thoughts out there from the old days.
does it change when the a/c is on or off?
does it get worse when turning?
did they replace the whole belt tensioner or just the pulley on the tensioner?
with the car off and cooled down, push and pull on the belt gently, how much give is in it?
twist it to get the ribbed part turned around as much as you can (gently), how much does it turn before it won't anymore?
When you say the belt is removed and cleaned, do you mean you do that? Or a garage? With the belt off, have you checked any of the other pulleys such as the alternator pulley, power steering pulley, a/c pulley to see if they have play? Or if there's any damage to the pulleys or grooves?
The a/c being on or off makes no difference.
They replaced the entire assembly.
Yes, a very trusted garage takes the belt off, cleans it and puts it back on.
After anything is done (replace belt, replace assembly, remove/clean/back on) it is silent for 3-5 days and then starts squealing again.
I have a Olds Intrigue 1998 that the belt used to slip off every week or so. Changed the tensioner, etc. Still kept slipping off. Found a GoodYear GatorBack belt that has a different surface on the flat side. It hasn't come off in 2 years now. About $30 online.
Have the independant garage you visit check for ANY pulley out of alignment, just a small amount can cause the belt to squeal. Glazing on one side of the ribs would be a fairly easy to see indicator. Also, all of the pulleys related to that belt should be checked for lateral movement as well as the shaft they are mounted on, a worn bearing/bushing can allow the shaft to walk out rendering a misalignment condition not readily visible when static.
I have to add; that toyota dealership you mentioned is PATHETIC!
I have a Olds Intrigue 1998 that the belt used to slip off every week or so. Changed the tensioner, etc. Still kept slipping off. Found a GoodYear GatorBack belt that has a different surface on the flat side. It hasn't come off in 2 years now. About $30 online.
I always use Gatorback belts. They are some of the best.
Agree with the others... most likely a tensioner/pulley problem. We're not quite sure what they replaced, I'd take it to a different dealer and have them pull up the service records.
If they in fact did replace the tensioner and that didn't work, then I'd go buy a can of Permatex belt dressing. It will help stop the squealing. Coat the belt with it, let it dry, then go drive the car and see if it's improved. Drive it for a bit to warm up the engine and belt, the stop the car and spray some more on it. Repeat.
From what you're describing, it's a minor slippage if the sound decreases when the belt is hot.
This car should not need belt dressing. In fact, no car should need belt dressing. The problem should be diagnosed and repaired.
This car should not need belt dressing. In fact, no car should need belt dressing. The problem should be diagnosed and repaired.
Don in Austin
Agreed, but that has been tried and failed. If they want some peace and quiet, belt dressing will work just fine for minor slippage.
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Toyota hasn't fixed it in 8 years? 
