'95 Lumina APV 3.8 pulley noises

[gln7]

Getting noises which seem to come from pulleys on serp. belt, so I removed belt and rotated the pulleys. 1) Alternator pulley is squeaking. 2) Idler makes quiet clicking noise. 3) AC compressor pulley makes a "whirring" noise and has a little bit of in/out play, more than the other pulleys. Anyone know if I need to lubricate or replace a part? Thanks.

[gmtech1]

What kind of noise are you chasing? Will be kind of hard to isolate without hearing. The a/c noise sounds kind of suspect. Reinstall belt and see if noise changes/goes away with a/c operation. If so, it's the a/c bearing thats noisy.

[gln7]

Thanks gmtech1. It's an overall medium-pitch metal friction noise. When I turn the a/c on, the noise seems to be about the same. Is there a way to get rid of the alternator squeak mentioned?

[gmtech1]

Only to replace the alternator. I've put new ones on that had a slight squeak, like once per rotation, but were not noisy when belt was installed and running.

You may have a Idler pully thats noisy, those are pretty common. You can go to most parts stores and buy a stethoscope and use it to help isolate the noise.

[gln7]

Thanks very much. I'll give that a try.

[Jrs3800]

A couple of common things here... The Idler pulley is a common failure, if you can feel the bearings replace it, Its cheap enough to do right now and will help rule that out...

Do you know if you have the 105( Open Fan Design ) Amp alt or the 140( Closed Face Pulley Fan)?

On the 105's when it has no belt most will have a slight chirp when you turn them, But if its chirping with the belt on it say at idle, then the bearings in the unit may be failing, this was very common of this alternator...

[gln7]

The alt is 140 amp. The idler is definitely making at least part of the noise, so I will try to replace that this week. Thank you very much.

[DeltaP]

Originally Posted by gln7

The alt is 140 amp. The idler is definitely making at least part of the noise, so I will try to replace that this week. Thank you very much.

Try a new belt also.

[gln7]

Okay...thank you.