Pamela just started doing this wierd thing... if I floor it moderately to very hard, whenever she hits 4,000 RPMs I get a high squealing noise. Sort of like belt slippage. Not the nails-in-a-jar sound of predet, but '78-detroit-power-steering-belt-worn-raw sort of Stuka squeal. Once I'm up to speed it vanishes.

Suggestions on what to look for??

 

I get that too. I thought it was a noise from the fan......unless it is the belt on the fan, with the fan clutch being dead.

Only difference with mine, is that it will keep going with RPMS. From 4000 - 8000, it will stay squealing.

Which belt is it, people?

 

throwout bearing or possible water pump bearing?

 

Can you duplicate it while revving the car under the hood? Have a friend rev it to 4g and listen. I doubt throwout/pilot bearing.

Likely belt slippage, alt. bearing, water pump bearing, air pump.

If (!!!!!!!) it only does it under load, then check for exhaust backpressure. I saw a Pathfinder once that had plugged cat, it would squeal like mad under load at exactly 3-3200 rpm. The exhaust gas was pushing back toward the engine and escaping through the gasket at the flange where the cat bolted to the pipe. That was a weird one!

 

maybe the fan, take it off but careful of the temp. see what happens. then R&R belts. see what happens. oh yeah and i heard that the V-belts smooth kind tend to do that, NAPA has teethed belts... try it. good luck mantis

 

power steering pump?

 

One thing about these cars, and i guess it's all of them.
everythings great and always it's all of a sudden ****
starts out of nowhere. airpump ?

 

I also noticed with mine, when it squeels...you get that light metal bell ringing noise.....

Which, sounds like a pulley ringing.

Whats the common ringing noise maker in a 12a?

 

Do a quick and simple test. Remove your belts and start the car up and rev it a few times. Still hear the noise? Its an engine or transmission problem problem.

Noise gone? Its in your air pump/alternator/waterpump or AC compressor or fan clutch.

 

My '83 12A fan belts squeal at 5k and higher. It's gone without the fan there so my fan clutch is going.

Also, the throwout bearing can cause a funny squeal too. It goes up in pitch with RPM, especially in 1st, then when you push in the clutch to go to 2nd, it quickly winds back down. Maybe that's more of a tranny thing though. Or both?

Also, try lowering the alt so the belt has no tension and let it run for maybe a minute. Check if the sound is still there. Be careful! Good luck.

Edit: ah, slag posted while I was typing.

 

I've the power steerin/AC/Air pumps removed, and a relatively new, low obstruction RB exhaust, so that discounts those...

I'm thinking the fan clutch might be going. The squeal is somewhat intermittent, and I noticed today the car got past the 1/2 way mark on the temp gauge for about 3 minutes.

 

If anyboby riding with you mentions it, just tell them that that's when your 5th and 6th ports open up and your tires break loose for a few seconds

 

only one who's mentioned it is the teenage chick I drove home... and she still thought Pamela rocked

 

Hey Manntis, do you have a dual sheave alt belt or the yoohoo belt?? I have the A/C, air pump, etc removed and I get the exact same squeal at 4k. The one and only fan belt left is slipping on the water pump at high RPM and driving me nuts. It didn't happen when the fan belt was new but as it has worn in it started slipping and I don't want to pull it any tighter than it is already!

I'm planning to stick the 3L220 yoohoo belt on this weekend and see if it clears it up. Plenty of people swear by it so I'm hoping for good results. Otherwise I'll be trying to hunt down that Mitsubishi dual sheave mentioned in the 2nd gen forum....

..Matt

 

I'm using the dual pulley designed for the FB that I carry on my site...

 

Still using that picture of my alternator? I feel so cool .

I would definatly check belts. Look around for "dust" that will accumulate when the belts slip.

~T.J.

 

I think Pam needs some KY jelly , shes probally getting old and dry...

 

I've had good results using Gates or Mazda factory (Mitsuboshi) belts. All the cheap belts seem to stretch throughout their (short) lifetime when they are tightened up enough to work properly on a single-belt application.
What the heck is a "yoohoo" belt?

 

HA-HAAAAA!

 

Check the waterpump.

When mine went out it was making a squeeling noise very similar to a belt or brake noise.

Grab the top of the fan and try to move it back and forth, if you can move it more than half a inch or feel some play then replace the water pump.

I got one from my mazda dealer for like $40 and it took about 2 hours to put in.

But I did a electric fan at the same time

 

Apply some belt dressing to the belt and see if the problem persists. My belt was slipping and that stuff fixed it for about 3 bucks. (canadian)

 

kewl. I'll check Canadian Tire for it tomorrow thanks

 

A quick fix is to hit it with some WD40. It evaporates after a little while, but it's a quick way to tell if the belts are the noise makers.

 

good to know

 

Definately the belts. A $3 can of belt dressing solved the problem.