You didn't happen to spill any antifreeze on the belt did you? That makes for a noisy belt that won't go away.

 

Just because it doesn't "feel" loose doesn't mean it isn't. Get a pry bar, loosen the two bolts and and pull it as taut as you can with one hand and tighten it back down with the other. If it's slipping and making noise then it's because it's either loose or old. So do the basics of narrowing down your problem. Just because someone replaced it 3 weeks ago doesn't mean they did it right. My wife's car had a squeeling ac belt and the guys that did it for her told her that it was the ac going bad. What it was was that it was just a really hard place to get to and they didn't want to deal with it. 10 mins outside with a pry bar and a socket wrench fixed the problem.

 

JR, ok if thats the case, how could i solve the slight drain of the battery at idle?

Camaro, no i dont think so. there was some that was on top of the container but i suppose it could of gotten to the belt..

Kyphur, ok but i dont want it to tight either tho..yeah thats true, after they put it on, it wasn't tight enough so i took it back and they tightened it back up...i will check out the alt belt tho..

also a couple of weeks ago this weird noise started, i dont know if its the alt belt or what because it doenst sound like the usual loud higher pitched squeal you get from the alt belt. it only happens when i push the pedal too but it sound kinda like a card flapping against a bikes spokes (but not that loud).. but it does get quite loud on the highway..i can try and record for you if that would help too

 

here's the car at idle:

http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...t=MOV01432.flv

here's the car when reving:

http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...t=MOV01435.flv

 

ok, that's just about the same sound that I had as well, in the winter it squeeled at first too, as well as when I revved it. It does sound a bit different though, almost like something that needs to be oiled but i don't know what that would be.If it's not that for any reason, my brother had a similar sound and it was just his power steering pump squeeking for whatever reason. Best bet is the belt, if it looks like there might be something on it then take it off and clean it or something. Here's a test: take off the alternator belt and start it to see if it still squeeks. Don't run it too long though, just long enough to make sure it is or isn't making it still. Do it while it's cold as well because you'll be disabling the water pump; you wont need it too much if it's still cold and doesn't need tp pump the coolant.

 

Sure does sound like a belt to me.
One thing you can try. Look at the belts with the engine off, if the side of the belt looks shiny it is glazed over from slipping. Carefully and I DO mean CAREFULLY, with the engine running hold a wire brush to the side of each belt. This will break up the glazing on the belt and help it grip better. If that cures it the belt may last a bit longer.

 

bob, ok well if it is my power steering pump, do i just replace it or can i fix it? ok i will do that test and try tightening the belt a little more to see if it continues to squeal.whats the best way to tell if the belts to tight?

JR, yeah i thought it sounded like a belt too and its coming from the drive belt area too..but it sounded a little different than the norm..how fast can a belt become glazed over? and is there a way to make the belts not slip or squeal?

 

To me that sounds more like a dry or bad bearing type of squeak, instead of a loose-belt type of squeal. You don't have A/C do you? Sometimes a bad A/C clutch will squeak like that when it's free-wheeling, and the noise will go away when it's turned on (locked together).

 

ok how do i replace the bearing? no i dont have A/C

 

Before you start tearing anything apart, you want to isolate the sound so you know for certain what's causing it. First remove your power steering belt only, then run the engine. If the sound is gone, you know that's the problem. If not, do the same with the alternator. While the belts are off, give both the p.s. pump and alternator a spin by hand and see if you can hear the noise. You can spin the water pump as well just for fun, but generally when a water pump goes bad, it would have more of a lower pitched groan, not a squeak. Since the noise is at idle as well, you should be able to hear or feel something if you give them a good twirl. Also with the engine running with the alternator still connected, wrap the palm of your hand over the top of the alternator (watch out for the fan, it bites). If it has bad bearings, you should be able to feel it like a grinding in your hand. If it feels like it's turning smoothly, then the bearings should be OK. An alternator can also make a squeak noise just because the brushes are riding on the armature funny, and that's more of an easier fix. If you are able to take it apart, you can dress down the armatur with a piece of emery or wet-or-dry sandpaper. An alternator can get rebuilt, either by you if you're capable, or a rebuilder if you have one in your area, otherwise get a new one if it's bad. If it's the power steering pump making noise, you're going to want to get a new one. I wouldn't replace anything though until I could hear which unit is making the noise. I would still want to rule out the belts. Although to me it sounds like a squeak and not a belt chirp, it's difficult to know with absolute certainty by listening over the internet.