vr issues

[smoknvr:)]

hey guys got a prob wid the vr on cold start up first thing in the morning,theres a screeching like a dry bearing noise very distinct from front of motor,the car warms up and it goes,am thinkin harmonic balancer?or water pump,as its been changed to an aftermarket item,but am also curious as to why it goes when the car is warm,driving home from work no probs,am not to worried as am fitting a em90sc motor and box down the track,but still wanna have a good daily ride with no probs, any help is appreciated thanks folks..

[Patti2912]

I'm pretty confident that its your alternator belt mate.
A lot of belts and bearings can cause this sound but in my experience the alternator belt stops screaching when warm, as it gets worse though it will screach for longer and longer. Better get it checked out before it breaks and you break down on the side of the road in the pouring rain at 11pm, an hour between any significant town or help -_-

[hako]

It would have to be something that runs off the serpentine belt - either the power steering pump, alternator or the waterpump.....the alternator can screech on starting if the belt is old and dry and stretched, although it's not really common with serpentine belts. Same with the PS pump but that's usually when the steering is on full lock. The water pump would screech if the bearings were shot, but it would do it all the time.
It could be the tensioner not giving enough tension as well.
If it was me, I'd remove the belt, inspect it to see if it's shiny on the ribs or if any ribs are missing...if they are I'd buy a new belt. If the belt looks OK then try spinning by hand all the items that run off the belt - look for stiffnes/roughness.....do this before you start the car when it would normally screetch. Also look closely at each pully for black skid marks left by the belt when it slipped. If nothing turns up from this, try some 'belt grip' on the belt just to prove that it is the belt (you can buy this product but I'd google for a more common substance you can apply and costs nothing).
Good Luck.

[Sabbath']

Get a screwdriver that has the shaft going all the way through the handle, then place the blade on the bolts of the idler pulleys and listen at the end of the screwdriver. This way you can find out if the bearings in the pulleys are worn. But also try as above with the belt.