Engine High rpm belt squeal

Belt squealed like hell when I got it. Changed the idler pulley and belt, now it only squeals when I’m on the gas above like 4k. I’ve narrowed it down to the alternator or the tensioner, There’s some rubber scrapings built up on the side of the tensioner and the sound is coming from that area. Any insight?

The tensioner is just on the edge of the belt check area, but the car has the AC deleted and the PS moved up so I’m running an 84.5” belt, Gates K060845. Previous owner had left a belt card for a napa/gates 86.5” belt but that didn’t make sense to me.

Here’s a quick shot of the belt, the outside is getting melted it seems.

Swapped the 86.5” belt in and the squeal comes on at a lower rpm, around 2,500. There is some slight in and out play in the power steering pulley, 1/16th of an inch according to the ole tape measure.

Shorter belt - Squeal comes from alternator/tensioner area

2” longer belt - Squeal comes from power steering area then eventually the alternator/tensioner area

Trying not to be a parts changer here haha

Took the clutch fan out because I saw some crap in there. Cleaned it all up, reinstalled, squeal gone. I did notice lots of stress cracks in the plastic of the fan around the hub, and at speed you can hear a slight pulsing squeal/whine. I guessing the fan is separating at higher rpm and causing an imbalance.
Can anyone confirm I’m not crazy?

7991LXnSHO said:

It sounds like at least two problems. That fan needs replaced before it blows chunks, and by crap, do you think it is the fluid that helps the thermal fan clutch lock up?
The squeal could be from the clutch stuff leaking on the pulleys or belt. From your first post, I expected a bad accessory that was hard to turn, or a bad tensioner allowing slippage.

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Fans definitely going, looking into the contour swap now just stuck on what fan controller to go with to make things work as normal.

I never knew there was fluid in those clutches. It was caked in dust and dirt, had a clump of leaves in there too.