I get an engine belt squeaking sound randomly. Sometimes it's there badly and sometimes nothing at all. I see no pattern or ties to weather (humidity?). It's worse in the lower RPM ranges.

I've had my belts replaced twice now this year and had a mechanic take a look at the pulleys the second time ("they look fine") but they keep squeaking.

It's driving me MAD

First set of belts was from autozone, second set from Mazda dealer (Ocean Mazda).

Should I go to another mechanic or am I missing something obvious?

 

what do you have? ps, air pump? ac?

 

All three. The squeak also stops after ~3500RPM so highway cruises are quiet.

 

check if your belt is loose, does is squeak with a/c on or off?

 

buy some "belt dressing"

 

I have the same problem, never got a chance to look and fiddle around yet though but I'll let you know if I find something.

 

You need to isolate which belt is the culprit.
The AC belt is easy to remove, no ill effects driving without it.
PS is worse but can be done, at least for the length of a short drive to see if that's the one.
Alternator and airpump (if still present) are impossible, you'll just have to guess.

I've only had squeaking belt problems once and it was solved by simply switching brands.
Oddly, the offender was a new Bando which is the brand preferred by many and a Gatorback eliminated the squeak.

Assuming you don't have a pulley misalignment, perhaps a different brand might help.

 

Belt dressing is just a fix for worn belts. Considering the belts are under $10, it makes sense just to replace them. Clean up the pulley grooves at the same time to remove any rust or debris.

 

Do you have a two belt alternator? Just asking because there is a chance one belt could be longer than the other and it will cause a squeak.

 

True, but a little squirt is a lot less work than removing belts to isolate the problem. Once identified, replace with a gatorback.

I use it regularly on my supercharger belt, as the slippage is a norm for them. I just apply the day I plan to race and makes the belt stick like **** to a blanket.....

 

are you sure it is not a bearing in one of the pulleys?

 

I bought some belt conditioner and was able to reduce the squeaking enough to know it's mostly the AC belt.

Although I said I replaced the belt set twice, the second time around I hadn't changed the AC belt because the Mazda dealership had it on backorder for months (wtf?). I called back recently and they still haven't gotten it in. They wont give me a refund without a receipt - as if it's 1990 again. Idiots.

My friend also suggested I should take sandpaper to my pulleys if they seem slick (the belt contact patches are all almost like a mirror shine). Make sense?

Here's my questions:

1) Can I just take it to a mechanic and tell him to fix anything squeaking related (pulleys too, etc)?
2) Where can I get complete good quality set of belts aside from a Mazda dealer?

 

I'm a fan of Goodyear Gatorbacks, others prefer Dayco and some folks don't care.
I got mine at a local speed shop, you can get them from Summit, I think.

 

Don't let anybody who doesn't know the car touch it. Doubt it should be too hard unless you don't have the time to do it yourself or something.

I have the same squeak, although it's only when it's around 0-5 *'s out. I've suspected a pulley bearing from the start.

 

I have a dual pully with no PS and AC and every week I have to tighten the damn thing up until both belts stretch more than I can adjust.. I've gone through 8 belts in less than a year. All different brands. it's driving me nuts. the longest lasting belt I could find was from a farm supply store and it was meant for electric motors.

 

That ain't normal.
There is nothing radical about the pulley design or ratio, the component layout or the belt path that would explain such high belt wear.

Not normal at all.

 

Quick tip- You can always take a bar of soap and put it on the belt as the engine is running. This helps finding which belt is the one squeaking. The soap acts as a dressing, and stops the sqeak for a moment. If none the soap doesn't work then chanced are its not a belt squeaking more likely a pulley.