Technical Help - AC Compressor/Power Steering Pump Pulley/Belt Squeal

clewis5018

Member
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2003 Mazda Protege ES
Alright I need some help on what I should do about this reeeeaaalllly loud squeal Im getting. Its either the belt, the tension, ac compressor, a misalignment of pulleys, or something to do with the pulleys themselves.

Problem:

So everytime I start my car after it has been sitting for multiple hours I get this really loud squealing sound that usually initiates once I go in reverse or in drive... sometimes even while Im still in park and havn't done a thing. I lubricated the belts with some bar soap which helps temporarily but I would have to re apply each time I am about to start the car which I know will not be good for the pulleys.

Important Detail #1(Steering Knuckle/CV Drive Axel Repair): I recently had these parts replaced because of a cracked steering knuckle: The steering knuckle, lower control arm, sway bar, cv drive axel, wheel bearing because of an incident where some lady ran me off the road into a curb which cracked the knuckle and blew out both my right tires and ended up ripping my cv axel out of the transmission after hitting a bump a few days later...

Important Detail #2(Alternator Belt Repair): The day after I hit that curb (before my cv drive axel came out) my alternator belt also snapped which I had my buddy who works at the mazda dealership replace. Now right after replacement nothing was wrong, no squeal, the next day is when my cv axel came out and caused my car to be out of commission for 2 weeks until I replaced the parts listed in detail #1. Once those parts were changed I noticed the squealing the next day, that same day I got an alignment, and took a 140 mile drive up to where I live now ( probably not the smartest idea but I had no choice. ) and the squealing continues during start up.

Now.. today I was inspecting the belts while it squealed upon start up, and notice my ac compressor pulley started stopping and going stopping and going. I believe this is where the LOUD squeal comes from. However the pulley begins to spin normal and the squeal goes away once I start driving( even if I start driving then go park it will still not squeal; ONLY DURING START UP AND STARTING TO DRIVE ). I did notice a quiet chirp/squeal sound come from my power steering pump as well too though the other day. I messed with the tension with front and back tensioners which I shouldnt of done cause I dont know s*** about belt tension but none of the tightening or loosening seemed to help or make it worse.

Someone help, any information/suggestions help. Sorry if that was confusing and if you have questions feel free to ask.
 
Detail #1: Who replaced the cc axle parts? If the sounds started immediately after that, take your car back and explain what is happening. They should at least take a look. The squealing is almost certainly a loose belt. If the tensioner pulley is not spring-loaded, the new belt should be retensioned after a certain number of miles.
 
Same buddy who is a technician at the Mazda Dealership, he did it in his garage. Very stupid I know but Im a going to school and have a limited budget and had to make it work. And yes the tensioner pulley is not spring loaded. Also, I just went to a mechanic to just check it out and he said the pulleys look fine and aligned and the belts are fine so I think it is the tension. Any suggestion on how tight the belts should be?
 
I believe mechanics use a belt tensioner tool. However, whenever I've changed belts, I made sure that the center of the belt couldn't be easily pushed in by more than a small amount - the longer the distance between pulleys, the more deflection I allowed.
 
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