I am having a problem with one of my belts, I guess it is my pulley it is the belt located on the left side of the engine towards the front. everytime that the car is running the belt makes a whining noice and when I hit the gas it sounds a metal against metal noise. Does anybody have any idea what it could be?

 

maybe a tensioner???

 

^what he said, sounds like the belt may be slipping. incorrect tension can cause this. i would check the belt as well for wear on the sides, especially if you drive it daily. in the past when i had a belt fly off my van due to the tensioner going out, it shredded the belt up pretty bad and broke.

 

check that tensioner....ours aren't so good. i already broke two [:@]

 

What are the indicators for the tensioner going out? Sounds, Noices, Etc.

Sometimes...When I start the car in the morning there is a little bitt belt tick tick tick I hear.

And...sometimes when I turn the fan to 3 or 4 I feeel the engine grap like the compressor for the
A/c has been engaged, is this normal?

 

when you turn on the a/c the compressor has to start up. once its spinning its all good but when it initially starts it needs that extra 'cranking' to get going. this puts more stress on the belt and tensioner. normal? in a way, a'dip' in theRPMS isnormal given thepower is being taken away from the engine to turn the compressor. but if its making any odd noises, like asquealing,your belt may be getting worn and slipping under the added stress of starting up the compressor. a harsh 'grinding' kind of sound when you crank the a/c on may be just that stress, but it could be the beginning of your tensioner struggling to keep up with the change in stress on the belt.
tensioners work pretty hard, as its ever adjusting itself as you drive it every day. also to be noted, any pulley or what not attached to the belt system could be getting 'stiff' thus also causing a strain on the belt.

if your belt sounds like a cross between a dying litter of kittens and 100 finger nails on a chalk board, then yup the belt is slipping away. could be not enough tension or could just be the grippies on the belt getting worn down.

the tick tick tick i couldnt say, could be many things. could be anything from the valves tapping a bit until the oil gets to circulating about?

 

i got a thumping noise both times they went out

 

haha, i got a really loud thumping in my minivan when the tensioner went bad... it was going bad and grinding away, belt squealing away and shredding on the sides. then with a rather loud thump thump thud (the belt coming off and hitting the inside of the hood), i lost it all (alternater, power steering, waterpump etc). had the wife bring out a new belt and the tensioner wouldnt even line it up right. limped it back though.

its one of those things you want to get fixed before it leaves you stranded.

 

I listened to it and popped the hood this morning on startup...45 degrees out and I hear from the belt are, around the power steering pulley a tick....tick tick....tick...tick tick...revving the engine has no effect but goes away completely within say 5 minutes...

It did not used to do that?[&:]

Tell, me....tensioner or belt time? 2004 with 29,000 miles...

BTW: I'm putting on a new PCV valve today...10 bucks at dealer, no other place carries it[:@]