95 metro squeeling alternator.

i have had a shop put 4 different alternators on my geo. it has the 1.0 litre in it. with 160,000. no problems until it the belt (so i thought) started squeeling. apparently it was the alternator. no luck it will last about 30 miles then it will squeel. at times it stops and the lights will brighten up. i have tried 2 different brands of alternators. i have even put in a new battery. i have put on 4 new belts! i dont have any electrical mods to my car. friends tell me the car is putting such a strain on the car at times, thus the squeeling alternator? it squeels whether the radio or heater or lights are on or off. it makes no difference. any help? thanks

FOUND PROBLEM:Wrong alternator. VINs that start with a 2 take a Mitsubishi alternator. others that start with a J take a nipenzo, ipenenzo...??? I dont know how to pronounce it. On my car I had to check on the door to see whether or not it said where it was made. In my case it was made in Canada. thank you to everyone who posted suggestions.

*****HAVE NEW PROBLEM!! I cant find where to replace the turn signal fuse. Is it under the drivers side dash or under the hood. Any suggestions?

are you sure its not the alt belt, they have to be fairly tight in these cars or they will squeel. might try tightneing it first and also make sure both bottom bolts are still there

Same problem when I first bought my metro. the answer is to get a large screwdriver or pry bar and tighten the hell out of it. haven't lost an alternator bearing yet and belts last a couple of years at least.

I 3rd what Crvett69 & 3M said...mine squealed til I tightened the belt.

Put a socket on the alternator (ENGINE OFF & in neutral), turn socket 5-6 complete revolutions. If you can't turn the crankshaft - you found your problem. Get a Big screwdriver or prybar - tighten belt again.
Good Luck,
Gumby_CT

i have had a shop put 4 different alternators on my geo. it has the 1.0 litre in it. with 160,000. no problems until it the belt (so i thought) started squeeling. apparently it was the alternator. no luck it will last about 30 miles then it will squeel. at times it stops and the lights will brighten up. i have tried 2 different brands of alternators. i have even put in a new battery. i have put on 4 new belts! i dont have any electrical mods to my car. friends tell me the car is putting such a strain on the car at times, thus the squeeling alternator? it squeels whether the radio or heater or lights are on or off. it makes no difference. any help? thanks

FOUND PROBLEM. My car was made in Canada. The VIN starts with a 2 others start with a J. Apparently cars VIN that start with a 2 and have a 1.0 litre engine, take a mitsubishi alternator. others take a nipenzo, ipenezo??????

I had the same problem and went through the best belt auto parts had every two months. I used a big bar and tightened it enough to stop squeeling but this caused another problem. My new water pump (2 months old) started sounding like a meat grinder. The overtight belt caused water pump bearing failure. Yes pump was a lifetime warranty but still had to pay labor to get it on.

I never had any problems for the first 200,000 miles and now with new everything it squeels. I saw on another forum that people with this problem corrected it by getting OEM belt from dealer. They said that belt was more sticky than after market belts. If it squeels again I will try that route.

Same problem here - I finally just decided to risk my waterpump/alternator bearings and tighten the shite outta that thing. 15k miles so far with no squeal or bearing failures...

ive had this problem for quite some time.

I killed the old belt and the new belt i put on squeals. usually only at start up. or when the thing is charging a lot.

I havwe a feeling in my case its the pully itself. However hearing this im going to give it a shot retightening it.

I find that my belt squeals largely depending on the alignment of the alternator pulley to the crank pulley. I found that the order in which you tighten down the alternator can slightly change the pulley alignment. As previously mentioned the belt needs to be fairly tight but after I adjust the tension I lay a level (any flat piece of metal should do) across the face of the pulleys and check to see how close they are to parallel with each other, if they aren't real close then mine squeals. You will probably have to experiment a bit to see which bolts twist/torque things which way but it does seem to make a difference.