Please help with my annoying sqeal

[wingman1305]

I've got a 97 park avenue. If i run it for maybe 20 minutes a squealing starts to sound from under the hood (where it is at specifically I cannot tell). It only gets worse the longer i drive it. But it only seems to squeal when the car idles, it doesn't so much while i'm accelerating. If the car sits for a few hours I can restart and drive another 20 minutes or so til it starts again. I had my friend look at it and we've replaced the belt and alternator but none of that has worked.

All suggestions welcome. Thanks

[Alibi]

It could be a bad tensioner. Why not pop the hood when it is squealing (you said it would at idle), use a dowel rod or bit of pipe and use it to listen for the source of the squeal.

[wingman1305]

No success. Just by ear it sounds more towards the backside of the engine near the firewall. My buddy has also suggested things like power steering and pollution filter...still need help.

[Joshuas7schev]

I know it seems to be at the back of the engine. However if the engine is equipped with a supercharger then the front bearing needs to be replaced. Also get the car warm when it begins to squeal very quickly turn the car off remove the belt and start it again only momentarily and this may help eliminate the noise to a moving part associated with the serp belt.

[wingman1305]

No supercharger.

Your saying start car let it warm to the squeal then shut it off, remove belt and restart without belt?

That would be alotta work for me...removing a belt on that old 3800 isn't very convienient

[yutz1]

Check to make sure your PCV valve is in place. It's on the passenger side, installed in the top of the black plastic intake manifold. If not present, or loose, it can cause the symptom you described at idle.

This happened to me when I forgot to reinstall it into my new Dorman intake manifold which I had replaced due to the coolant leak that happens eventually with the factory intake manifold on many Park Avenue and other 3800 engine model years (mine a 1998).

[wingman1305]

Do you possibly have pictures or instructions because quite honestly i'm not sure what it looks like (i'm sure its right in front of my face) and not sure how to check/replace.

[J J]

sounds like the tensioner. They are a trip to replace !!!!

[wingman1305]

that sounds logical but i used a broom handle to listen to it and nothing was out of the ordinary sounding.

[Alibi]

I'm thinking that the O-ring on the PCV valve is either missing or not sealing correctly. Has this been replaced lately? Theres a good tutorial on the topic that has been linked to in the past, try doing a forum search for it.

Edit: I found the link. Read this forum and the link is posted about 3/4 of the way down.

[wingman1305]

nope it hasn't been replaced recently and i don't see that link your talking about...i tried searching but no luck.

[Alibi]

Oops, my bad. Forgot to paste It was over in the LeSabre forums, but its basically the same car and motor.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...CV+valve+noise

Post #9 has the link to the tutorial. Although it hasn't been replaced, you may want to consider checking this out to be sure that the O-ring is still seated right...and while you're in there you might as well replace the valve as it is really cheap.

[wrightz28]

I had a occasional squeal from my PA. Every time time I'd accelerate past a shopping mall entrance from the passanger seat area.



Sorry couldn't resist. The easiest way to identify if it's a belt driven accessory is to remove it and turn them by hand, it's not that hard to remove.

[wingman1305]

PCV valve replaced...still squeals

[wingman1305]

so whats my last option here...check the automatic tensioner?