Alternator belt whistling: 5 main causes of belt whistling. How to eliminate whistling

The operation of cars, both domestic and foreign, is sometimes accompanied by an unpleasant whistling sound. The generator drive belt whistles. This phenomenon occurs more often in cold or rainy weather, when the engine is not warmed up.

It is possible to operate such a vehicle, but the whistle means that the drive is slipping on the pulleys without rotating the generator shaft. Accordingly, the battery does not receive the required charge.

The problem may be caused by other, more serious reasons. Why does the alternator belt whistle? What is the problem and what needs to be done to fix it?

Reasons for whistling

The cause of the whistling may be hidden both in the belt itself and in nearby units. When a car owner asks for help, it often turns out that the generator is whistling.

Belt faults

There may be several reasons why the VAZ-2110 alternator belt whistles. However, the first place in terms of frequency of occurrence is the wear and tear of the material from which it is made. The rubber stretches, loses its shape, and begins to slip.

Diagnostics is carried out visually, based on the degree of belt tension. If it sags and can be easily turned by hand (while the pulleys remain motionless), then the cause of the malfunction can be considered found.

In addition to the above, the belt drive whistles when the pulleys are oiled. This usually happens on older engines, where oil seeps through seals and gaskets. The generator drive on Priora and other VAZ models is not geared. Therefore, it easily slides over oily surfaces. Diagnosis is carried out visually.

The drive may not whistle constantly, but periodically whistle for some time after a cold start in winter. In general, if the situation returns to normal after warming up, no intervention is required. The fact is that the rubber from which the element is made becomes hard in the cold and does not adhere tightly to the surfaces of the pulleys. As it warms up, it takes on a working form and the whistling stops.

Generator faults

The problem with the whistling of the VAZ-2107-VAZ-2101 generator and the entire front-wheel drive line of cars usually lies in a collapsed front cover bearing. In this case, both the bearing itself and the belt slipping along the jammed pulley can make noise. The malfunction is determined “by eye”.

In some cases, alternator drive slippage may be caused by a misaligned alternator pulley or crankshaft pulley. The belt begins to move at an angle, touching the side surfaces. At the same time, even a new alternator belt will whistle. A breakdown can be determined by severe wear on the belt drive. The drive “eats” on the sides.

Lubricants

To lubricate the alternator belt, use only approved fluids.

Below are several types of them:

LIQUI MOLY KEILRIEMEN-SPRAY is a product for treating V-belt and poly-V-belt drives. The manufacturer claims that this spray increases elasticity, improves traction properties and reduces the likelihood of slipping, protects rubber from negative influences, increasing service life, increases the overall efficiency of flexible transmission, and eliminates squeaks.
HI-GEAR BELT DRESSING – spray conditioner for drive belts. The product allows you to improve the adhesion properties of flexible gears, increases their service life by 1.5-2 times, protects against drying out and cracks, and reduces noise.
VERYLUB is a spray product designed to care for belt drives. The liquid cleans working surfaces well from dirt, eliminates slippage, and protects from negative influences.

The above are some of the most common means for lubricating the generator drive, but there are many other options on the auto chemical market:

Weicon;
LOCTITE 8005;
Forch P325;
Gunk M206;
Permatex PR-80073;
ABRO;
PITON
Wurth.

All of these products are inexpensive, but can really help eliminate unpleasant sound.

Silicone lubricant in the form of a spray for treating rubber elements and the Hi-Gear conditioner have proven themselves to be effective.

The use of these means increases the elasticity and “sticking” of the drive to the pulleys.

But the use of WD-40 for these purposes is not recommended. This spray contains petroleum products that can have a negative effect on rubber and lead to its rapid aging.

This treatment can really help eliminate whistles under the hood, but only temporarily, and after a certain period they will return again. Therefore, only replacing the alternator belt will help you get rid of third-party sounds for a long time.

Possible repairs

What to do in this situation? The solution depends on the identified malfunction. A loose drive should be tightened. Kalina cars and other front-wheel drive VAZA models have a tension bolt that allows you to adjust the degree of belt tension. To carry out the manipulation, loosen the fastening bolts, then tighten the adjustment bolt a few turns, achieving optimal tension. A correctly tensioned drive should bend no more than 1 cm under hand pressure. If this cannot be achieved even with the bolt tightened to maximum, the belt should be replaced.

If the pulleys become oily, the drive should be removed and the inside should be wiped with alcohol or gasoline. Pulleys are cleaned in the same way. If the belt has been in an oily state for a long time, it is recommended to replace it, since fuels and lubricants destroy rubber. Also, current seals and gaskets must be changed.

In cases where the alternator belt whistles “when cold,” repair is not required. It is permissible to slightly increase the belt tension. However, if the whistling noise disappears after warming up, this is not necessary.

If, as a result of diagnostics, it was revealed that the front bearing of the generator is whistling, it is replaced. To do this, remove the unit from the car, dismantle the front cover and, after removing the faulty bearing, press in a new one. This is also done when the pulley is skewed and the generator shaft is jammed.

The alternator belt whistles on a VAZ 2107

Often, the appearance of any malfunction in a VAZ 2107 car has a sound accompaniment, which allows you to diagnose the problem with a high degree of confidence.
One of these problems is the alternator belt slipping, as a result of which it whistles due to friction against the pulleys. Due to this malfunction, the generator is unstable and the battery is no longer charged. Since the VAZ 2107 generator, be it an injector or a carburetor, has the same type of drive, which means they have the same problems. The only difference is that the injector has a crankshaft position sensor, which will have to be removed if the belt needs to be replaced.

In fact, the reason why the belt whistles can be easily eliminated with your own hands, without the help of specialists. You just need to make the correct diagnosis, and then it’s a matter of technique. Here are the main reasons for slipping:

Weak tension;
Generator bearing failure;
Pollution with fuels and lubricants (fuels and lubricants).

For all of the above cases, DIY repairs will not take much time. In this case, no special tools are required. You only need two keys, 17 and 19, and a pry bar.

Now let's look in order at how to repair each of the indicated faults in the VAZ 2107 with your own hands. Let's start with the simplest thing - weak tension. Most likely, during operation the belt simply stretched and began to slip on the pulleys. If its size does not yet exceed the maximum allowable, then we simply tighten it, otherwise it will need to be replaced with a new one. To tighten it with your own hands, you need to:

Using a 17mm wrench, loosen the nut securing the generator to the bracket;

Using a 19mm wrench, loosen the generator rod nut;
Most likely, it will not be possible to tighten it manually, so we use a pry bar as a lever;
Having fixed the position of the generator with a nut on the adjusting bracket, we check the tension. When you press the belt between the pump and the crankshaft, the deflection should be within 12-17 mm, and between the pump and the generator - 10-17 mm. After you manage to tighten the belt in accordance with the specified requirements, tighten both nuts to prevent spontaneous loosening. If the cause of slipping is the difficult rotation of the VAZ 2107 generator pulley caused by bearing failure, it will need to be repaired. You just need to remove the generator by unscrewing the nuts mentioned above, after which the bearings are replaced. Having completed the repair, you need to put it back in place and tighten the belt, according to the previously given recommendations. Not everyone can replace bearings with their own hands; do not hesitate to seek the help of specialists. This will help you avoid problems with the generator in the future. And the last thing that can cause slipping is belt contamination. Most likely, only replacing it can solve the problem, since it is almost impossible to completely clean the surface of the belt from fuels and lubricants without damaging it. That is why replacement is the most optimal solution to the problem. In some cases, especially in the cold season on a cold engine, a whistle may occur due to a not very high-quality belt that has become stiff in the cold. After the engine warms up, the whistle disappears. This is a completely normal phenomenon and no repairs to your VAZ 2107 will be required. You just need to make sure that the belt is intact to avoid its possible breakage on the road.

Source

Why does the alternator belt whistle when cold or hot and what needs to be done?

The problem may be caused by other, more serious reasons. Why does the alternator belt whistle? What is the problem and what needs to be done to fix it?

Prevention

You can prevent slipping of the generator drive by timely checking and correcting its tension level, replacing the belt if there is damage or severe wear.

It is important to monitor the condition of the engine seals and the cleanliness of the engine compartment. At the first sign of wear on the generator bearing, it is necessary to replace it.

During the operation of the vehicle, the motorist encounters various troubles. So, over time, the steering wheel begins to play and the suspension begins to knock. Sometimes it whistles. Why does this happen? This problem can catch a motorist at the most inopportune moment. Well, let's look at why the alternator belt whistles on the Kia Rio (sedan) and other cars.

Dimensions

It is quite possible that you have selected the wrong alternator belt size for your 16 valve VAZ 2110. This often causes whistling. The correct size of the alternator belt for the 8 valve VAZ 2110 should be determined in advance, even before going to the auto parts store.

The sizes are different, and they are individual for each VAZ model.

If we talk specifically about the “ten”, then adhere to the following rules for choosing a belt size:

In the absence of air conditioning and power steering, 742 millimeters is suitable;
If the car is equipped with a hydraulic booster, then the size will be 1115 millimeters;
If an air conditioner is also present, then the optimal size is 1125 millimeters.

Some craftsmen regularly use original belts from other AvtoVAZ models - Priora and Kalina - to replace them when repairing their "ten".

Reasons why friction occurs and a squeaking sound is made

So, for what reasons does the alternator belt whistle? We will now try to talk about this. According to many motorists, the main reason for the appearance of third-party sounds is wear of the element. However, this is not true in all cases.

As stated above, this is only partly true; we will talk about other reasons further:

Often the problem with extraneous sounds is that the pulley on which the strap is placed is dirty with some kind of lubricant. This could be either motor oil or any other lubricant that got there accidentally during any repair work. As a rule, this problem occurs not only during startup in wet weather, but at absolutely any time. When the lubricant gets on the element, it ceases to provide normal adhesion functions to the surface of the pulleys. As a result, an unpleasant sound appears.
Another reason is component sagging. When starting in wet weather this is most noticeable. By the way, this problem is one of the most common, so when it comes to whistling, motorists are always advised to check the tension or condition of the belt.
If the element is too tight, it will be at its stiffest, which can also lead to noise. If this is the case, then the strap will not be able to transmit sufficient rotation to the pulley, as a result: all elements that rotate with the strap will make a whistling sound. As a rule, car owners encounter such problems in the cold season, because if the strap is hard, then in cold weather it will shrink even more.
Another reason is bearing wear. If this component is worn out, then the consequence may well be the appearance of third-party sounds when starting the motor, since the bearing itself is part of the drive structure.
And, of course, the last reason is the wear of the strap itself, which occurs when its service life is exhausted.

Tension

This is perhaps one of the most common reasons why the alternator belt whistles on the VAZ-2110 and other domestically produced cars. Owners of foreign cars are not immune from this problem. Whistling can occur for two reasons. This is a very weak or too tight belt tension. Moreover, the problem may disappear and appear again. So, if the belt is tightly tightened, the whistle will occur only in the cold season. As soon as the engine warms up, the belt regains its shape and the sound stops. But this does not mean that you can continue to drive with such a problem. This significantly reduces the life of the belt and bearing.

Cleanliness of parts

Few people know that the engine compartment also needs to be washed periodically. Moreover, this is not done for aesthetic pleasure. The fact is that when heavily soiled, the belt drive loses grip with the pulley. A characteristic whistle begins. In addition, dust particles act as an abrasive inside. As a result, the question arises: “Why is the new alternator belt whistling?” But it’s not just dust that can contribute to this problem.

If the engine gasket leaks oil, it may spray onto the crankshaft pulley. As a result, the belt loses its rigid adhesion to the shaft. The clanging and whistling begins. This is why it is so important to keep the engine compartment clean. By the way, after washing you can find traces of oil leakage. This will allow you to timely diagnose a breakdown of the gasket or oil seal and fix the problem.

Alternator belt tightening sequence

Using a “17” wrench, slightly unscrew the upper fastening nut connecting the generator to the bracket.

Loosen the fastening nut at the bottom (just unscrew it a few turns).

If you need to loosen the belt, grab the generator and pull it towards you (if you need to tighten the belt, pull it away from you). After which it is necessary to tighten the nuts and check the operation of the generator.

Before starting the engine, turn on several main consumers, for example, the stove, high beams and heating. If the whistle disappears and the charging level remains at a normal level, then the work can be considered successful.

At the same time, remember that over-tightening is also unacceptable (this can lead to increased wear on the pulleys and belt).

If replacement is necessary, the sequence of actions is similar. Loosen until the belt is removed from the pulleys. Don't forget to read the article about replacing the timing belt.

There are situations when the alternator belt whistles from time to time, for example, when the temperature drops or humidity increases outside.

In this case, you can use special additives (sold in standard cans). The method of application is very simple.

It is necessary to spray the composition on the inside of the belt and pulleys. The cost of such products is from 500 to 1500 rubles.

If your car's alternator belt squeaks, you shouldn't immediately rush to the service station and make expensive repairs.

In most cases, the problem can be solved much easier and in a few minutes. And now you know how it's done. Good luck on the roads and of course no breakdowns.

Source

Performing tension

If there is no wear on the V-belt drive, but there is a whistle, first of all, check the tension level. We will not use complex terminology, but will simply advise you to press with some force on the belt in the middle.

If the tension is done correctly, then the belt will bend no more than 8 millimeters. If the deflection is greater, then the element will have to be tensioned, and if it practically does not deflect, the tension will have to be loosened.

The problem is not the whistling. Due to weak tension

The battery does not charge effectively, and the drive itself begins to wear out faster. Excessive tension can lead to damage to the alternator bearings and stretching of the belt.

Correct tension of the VAZ 2110 generator belt is performed as follows:

Loosen the generator from the bottom and top. A nut is used for this;
Turn the adjusting bolt and adjust the belt;
If you want to increase the tension, the bolt is turned to the right. Thus, you move the generator away from the cylinder block;
To loosen the tension, move in the opposite direction - to the left;
Use a wrench to grab the fastening bolt and turn the crankshaft a couple of turns, then check the tension;
If all is well, the tension is correct, the nut can be tightened back.

We have already figured out how to tighten the alternator belt. But such measures are not always relevant. If the element is cracked, overstretched and no longer tensioned, then there is nothing left to do but replace it with a new one.

In fact, replacement cannot be called a complex procedure. Follow the instructions and everything will work out.

Slightly loosen the bolt nut from the lower mounting of the car generator, as well as the tension nut.
Loosen the tension of your belt further. You already know how to do this from the previous section, where we talked about tensioning the alternator belt.
Move the generator towards the power unit, which will allow you to remove the belt from the crankshaft and generator pulleys.
The next step is to install a new element. To do this, you will need a high-quality belt purchased from a trusted store. What exactly this part will be and what size it will be is not difficult to determine. But quality comes first.
First, the belt is put on the crankshaft pulley.
Now it goes to the generator pulley.
At the last stage, you have to repeat the tension adjustment procedure. You already know very well how this procedure is carried out, so there should be no problems.

As practice shows, many experienced VAZ 2110 drivers, who have been driving this particular model for many years now, carry an additional alternator belt with them in the trunk.

This is due to the fact that its breakdown can occur at the most inopportune moment. This node cannot be called the weakest point of the “ten”, but problems may arise with it. And it is better for you to be prepared for such a situation.

Otherwise, you will have to call a tow truck, go to the nearest service station, and pay a lot of money for the services of specialists. Although, if you have a spare alternator belt and a standard set of tools, if it breaks, you would spend literally a couple of tens of minutes and calmly continue driving with a new belt. Because the choice is always yours!

During the operation of the car, the owner is faced with many problems, including an unpleasant situation with. He begins, seemingly for no reason, to “whistle”, and it is not so easy to immediately guess why this is happening. In our case, we are not talking about a worn or old belt. Everything is clear here - I replaced everything. No, everything is much more interesting, and, as in an exciting English detective story, we will look for a cause-and-effect relationship.

Inspect the belt and look for reasons why the belt whistles.

So, why does the new alternator belt “whistle”? As it turns out, there are several reasons for this and they are all presented below.

Natural wear and tear

As you know, this element is subject to heavy loads. Therefore, it must be durable and at the same time elastic. The generator belt is made of rubber with a reinforcing filler. The service life of this product is 60 thousand kilometers. Of course, the resource directly depends on the load on the generator. But if there is a whistle from the engine compartment, it is worth remembering how long you have not changed this element. Remember that over time the belt loses its quality.

By the way, judging by the reviews, the most durable and hardy is This element has the shape of a trapezoid when cut. This allows it to withstand heavy loads. However, the mechanism is not designed for reverse bending. Therefore, it is not used on all cars.

Bearing

This element can also cause a whistle. Why does this mechanism fail? As with all bearings, the lubricant can be washed out here, which compromises the integrity of the race. Moreover, it is impossible to determine the cause externally.

The bearing will be like new. But as soon as it starts working (that is, starts rotating), you will hear a characteristic noise. This element is non-removable and cannot be repaired. If it fails, only replacement will help.

How to tighten up?

Checking the tension level without tools is quite simple. So, if you press your finger on the middle part of the belt, it should bend by 6-8 millimeters. If the element is tight or too tight, the situation needs to be corrected. Let's look at how to do this using front-wheel drive VAZ cars as an example.

So, we will need ring wrenches “17” and “19” (or better yet, with a ratchet and a head). The setup process takes no more than ten minutes. So, let's get to work. First you need to unscrew the mounting nut that secures the generator and bracket on top. Next, unscrew the same nut at the bottom. It is enough to loosen it a few turns. If you need to tighten the element, you should grab the alternator and pull the belt away from you. Next, tighten the corresponding nuts and check the tension level. If the belt is too tight and needs to be loosened, we perform a similar operation. However, here we need to pull the generator towards us. So, tighten all the bolts and start checking. If the tension is at the level of six to eight millimeters, start the engine and turn on all the main consumers of electricity. These are optics, air conditioning, stove and so on. There is no point in turning on music, because we need to listen to the whistle of the belt. If there is no noise, the work is considered successful.