metro keeps squealing

lifeseed · #1 03-09-2005, 08:11 PM

95 ge0 metro 3 cyl 5 speed. keeps squealing on alternator belt, sprayed with lubricant changed belt, squeals when starting and at speeds lower than 60, while at that speed no noise, slow it down and after stop squeals again, is it the water pump, gauge sometimes works

avfan · #2 03-10-2005, 07:34 AM

Try tightening your belt some more. Quite a few people on this forum have adressed this issue and that seems to be the best and easiest fix

Inni · #3 03-10-2005, 07:57 AM

I dont know about that. My car squeals everyday. I tightened it 4 times now.

lifeseed · #4 03-10-2005, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avfan

Try tightening your belt some more. Quite a few people on this forum have adressed this issue and that seems to be the best and easiest fix

Thank you!

SeanMurphy · #5 03-10-2005, 06:08 PM

I think the best answer is "they do that". I find that on a cold day, it will squeal for about 45 seconds until the belt warms up. In warm weather, it'll only squeal if the belt gets wet. My 88 was the same way. Make sure the belt you have is the right size. I had one that was listed as being for my car, but even at full extension of the adjustment, it was still slack.

GeoMetron · #6 03-10-2005, 09:03 PM

I had some trouble with the belt squealing. I then noticed that that belt was slightly crooked. I straightened it out and no more squealing.

Crvett69 · #7 03-10-2005, 09:53 PM

make sure your bottom 2 bolts on the alternator are tight, seen a few loosen or fall out and that will make the altenator get slighlty crooked and will loosen belt all by itself. i usually use a pry bar on mine and tighten it pretty tight to get it to stop making noise

doug7x · #8 03-18-2005, 11:13 PM

"Bad design" is the reason for the squeal, although "they just do that" is also correct. The problem is that there is not enough of a contact arc (belt wrap) around the alternator pulley. You can do several things to improve this. 1.SLIGHTLY tighten the belt...too tight, & you'll burn up the alt. bearings. 2. When starting & shortly after, keep the electrical load to a minimum.(turn off the radio, fan & headlights) (Headlights will go off if you apply the parking brake). After your battery is re-charged from starting, the squeal should stop. 3. try to find a slightly larger diameter alternator pulley...a 1" increase should do the trick, but you may have to buy a slightly longer belt. The larger pulley will give the belt more contact area, & also lessen the mechanical load on the engine & belt, although you will be turning the alternator at a slower speed & slightly increasing the time it takes to re-charge your battery. Unless you're running a monster sound system with a huge amp, this shouldn't be an issue.

tude123 · #9 03-19-2005, 11:48 AM

Great writeup Doug! This makes a lot of sense. Question for you, did you do your own research into this or did you read a GM engineering analysis of this problem?

lifeseed · #10 03-19-2005, 03:47 PM

I appreciate Your Knowledge and advice, one more question, where can I find the Pcv Valve and Gas filter to replace on a Geo metro 1995 3 cyl, also spark plug gap, i was told it was.042

doug7x · #11 03-20-2005, 08:06 AM

No, I didn't read any thing from GM (I think it would have been from Suzuki, anyway)...my job is industrial machine maintenance...after a while, it just gets to be second nature to spot stuff like this...the REAL pro around here is geozuki...but you all know that by now. As far as the plug gap, my under-hood decal says .042" also. I haven't had to replace my PCV or gas filter yet, but a friend of mine manages an auto parts store & he tells me that I should be able to get them just about anywhere....BTW...if any of you have heard any new tips on improving gas mileage, I'd REALLY like to hear them, even if they seem off the wall. One cheat that seems to be worth appx. 2mpg is disconnecting the air inlet hose from the air cleaner & letting the engine burn the warmer air from under the hood.(fools the ECM into thinking it's warmer out, & it leans out the mixture a little. (it's ranging from 20 to 40 degrees F. in the Chicago area right now...I don't know how this will work when it gets warmer out) HEY..GEOZUKI...any thoughts on this??

doug7x · #12 03-20-2005, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inni

I dont know about that. My car squeals everyday. I tightened it 4 times now.

Hey 19, $20.00 per hr. & still driving a Geo...check this out...48...$23.00 per hr. S-10 parked...'67 Camaro parked...9 second Suzuki 750 parked...still driving Metro #3....gas prices SUCK...just think about it like this...every gallon of gas you save buys you a cold one & keeps a few bucks away from Osamas' buddies. These little corn poppers are O.K.!

Tominator2000 · #13 03-20-2005, 06:51 PM

I noticed something wjile changeing the timing bel and instaling a 10 degree pulley on my '92 that may possibly help.

Depending on how you tension the belt it is very easy to get the alternator canted at an angle.

There are four bolts that need to be loose, but if you loosen them too much before you tighten the belt it is VERY easy to secure the alternator in a slightly canted position.

Slightly back off the bolt holding the upper bracket to the block. There are two lower bolts that you also slightly loosen. Minimual play is the secret.

The obvious bolt for adjustment is at the top rear. Use a prybar to put force on the alternator but pay attention to how the pulley lines up with the belt.

It is VERY easy to get these misaligned resulting in the symptoms you describe.

Yes, my belt squeals, but only on startup. I think your problem is with alignment.

doug7x · #14 03-20-2005, 08:57 PM

What Tominator says is absolutly correct....when I made my suggestion, I was ASSUMING that everything was aligned properly. With the limited contact area available on a Metro, the first thing you do is make sure everything is aligned...use a streightedge to make sure that your belt & pulley are rotating on the same plane...if they are off, you'll notice un-even belt wear. BY ALL MEANS..try aligning & proper tensioning of your belt first...this may fix it...but the fact remains that there is just not very much contact area where the belt turns the alternator. Whatever you do, remember to NOT over tighten the belt...alternators are expensive...belts aren't so bad. If everything is aligned, the belt is at the right tension, (be sure that your water pump isn't causing the problem...it's probably not), & it still squeals, you can either live with it , or "under-drive" (install a larger O.D. alt. pulley) the alternator. I think that this is the way to go...you will be lessening the load on the engine(this will improve gas mileage & performance), & your belt will live longer. the extra wrap area on the larger alternator pulley should get rid of the belt slip alltogether. As for proper belt tension, there are tools out that guarantee perfect tension, but they are a pain in the butt, & not always accurate. My favorite "ballpark" solution is simple. Take your hand, (with the engine OFF) & grab hold of the alternator pulley. Try to turn it. If it turns easily, the belt is either too loose or worn. If it is impossible to turn, the belt is too tight. (if your bearings are good) Now, COMMON SENSE says that if you have junk bearings & the alternator will not turn, the problem is NOT the belt tension. If you are not sure how to check the bearings, do this...(not perfect, but works 98% of the time).
Loosen all of your belts. With the belt tension OFF of the pulleys, spin your alternator by hand. (with the ignition OFF). If you give it a good spin, it should contonue to rotate for a second or so after you take your hand away. For the water pump...do the same, except the water pump (if the coolant system is full), will stop spinning sooner. When you rotate either the pump or the alt. by hand, with no belt tension, they should be VERY easy to turn. A torque wrench calibrated in ft# should not be reading anything, one reading in in# should read less than one...Hope this helps you out

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