2006 focus belt noise?

[mgs2006]

Hi, I purchased a 2006 focus zx4 back in novemeber with only 5 miles on it, it now has 9,000. since day one I have heard a belt of some sort make a chirping noise when the engine is started on cold starts, early in the morning etc. it will only happen one time in a day, and it has to be cold (im in ohio, so its pretty cold, but ive never had this problem) I took it to ford and they dont hear the noise becuase they look at it after i drive it there, and i just seem to be getting nowhere with them. the noise is annoying, and for how much i am paying for the car, it should NOT be making strange noises. I also notice that my passenger seat tends to squeek when people are sitting in it and we come to a stop, and get going again. while these two things are very minor problems, its still quite annoying. Any suggestions?

[osoblanco]

I had the same problem on my 2002 wagon (Zetec). This root of your problem is that the belt tensioner has broken or slipped internally and is not keeping your belt tight enough. When you first start your car in the morning, the belts are at ambient temperature. Starting puts a temporary extra load on the belt as it has to get the alternator/power streering/waterpump/etc up to rotational speed. The belt slips a bit until everything is spinning happily, and that's the squeal you hear. It's analogous to what happens to your tires when doing burnouts. Once you have driven the car for a bit, the belt warms up and has more "grip" on the pulleys, so there is no squeal.

Fortunately, the tensioner is easy to get at and not too expensive. I took mine off and took it to a dealer so I could compare the torque of the old versus new. Problem was immediately obvious. If yours has been that way since day 1, maybe Ford will fix it under warranty. Good Luck!

I don't know if it was related, but I had to replace my alternator about a month after I first noticed the squeal. (I tend to let things go until they become critical, especially when it's cold out) The alternator is a real bitch of a job as there is not enough room between the firewall and the top of the cam cover to get it in/out.