Does a squealing sound mean loose belts? I heard it yesterday when I turned my defrost on. When I turned it off, the squealing stopped. Then when I turned the heater on, it didn't squeal. Sounds like I should get the belts tightened anyway, huh?

The defrost turns on the A/C compressor which puts extra drag on that belt. I don't have an A/C Fiero so not sure if its a separate belt or not. Does sound like a loose belt though. Does it also squeal when the A/C is turned on?

When you turn on defrost or a/c ---it kicks the rad fan... ( I think ?) but not 100% it will do something with a/c compressor also, which would be a heavy load, which would be a squeaky belt. You could tighten it , or grab one of these, best bang for the buck out there, and never worry about squeaky belt or changing it the hard way again... https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/034366.html

quote Originally posted by 3800superfast: When you turn on defrost or a/c ---it kicks the rad fan... ( I think ?) but not 100% it will do something with a/c compressor also, which would be a heavy load, which would be a squeaky belt. You could tighten it , or grab one of these, best bang for the buck out there, and never worry about squeaky belt or changing it the hard way again... https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/034366.html

I knew I could count on you Superfast. Is that thing difficult to install, I'll probably take it to the same people I've been going to. Should I get a new belt while I'm at it?

You could install this , it`s a piece of cake, he has a web-site with very easy 1.2.3. directions posted. It also comes with the install sheet. Rodney has really top notch parts, I think the difference between the 2 is with Dodgerunners you don`t have to loosen anything to change the belt every again, its a idler and tensioner, so you all you need to do is stick a torx-socket on the end of your ratchet, push down on the tensioner pulley, slip off the old belt, then slide on the new on.

Just a heads up .... neither the belt tensioner nor the idler pulley will correct the problem if it is actually the A/C compressor belt that is squealing. This is a seperate belt, and not in the loop that the idler or tensioner serves ... and yes the A/C compressor is engaged in defrost as well as the rad fan

Rich

[This message has been edited by Richjk21 (edited 01-18-2007).]

Dodgerunner has got a web site and is selling the tensioner now.

http://www.geocities.com/mycarsr/Fiero1.html

This should help......I'm getting one for my turbo 3400

the belt tensioner is only for the alt, water pump and crank. the A/C compressor belt is directly connected to the crank via the pully, but is completely seperate from the other belt. so none of the tensioners work for the a/c. but you can pop a new belt on and make sure you tightel the belt yourself. it should solve the squeak. and yes the compressor kicks on when you turn on the defrost..reason is this: when the a/c is on the air is essientally dry. meaning it holds no moisture. when the defrost is turned on its usually to defrost the windows from inside of the vehicle...if the defrost shot out warm air from just the heater core then the air would be tainted with the moisture from the ambiant air and fog up the windo. not a good thing to defrost and cause no visibility.... thats why it kicks on the a/c compressor, to dry out the air.

and a side note....a/c doesnt air cooler, it means air conditioning. it conditions the air, not only making it cold, but also making it 'dry'. a common misconception...

[This message has been edited by americasfuture2k (edited 01-18-2007).]

See if its in the engine bay or under the dash. Your blower motor in the dash could have a worn bearing too. Cheap fix for quite a while if its the blower fan motor...drill a very small hole in the little 'tit' at the end of the motor. Thats where the sealed oilite bearing is and a drop of oil in the hole can add quite a bit of life to a noisy motor.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 01-18-2007).]

That belt tensioner will most likely fix your problem. The alternator is slipping because you add a load to it when you turn on the defroster which includes the rad fan and the HVAC blower. I've been meaning to fix mine because it is doing the same thing. Mine doesn't do it every time I turn on the defroster, but it is more likely to happen when it is rainy or humid or during the first 5-10 minutes of driving (my alt seems to work harder during those first few minutes). Just the other night I had the defroster going and the headlights on. Whenever I hit the brakes I could watch the voltmeter drop from over 14 volts to somewhere around 9 or 10 volts, then as soon as I let off the brakes the volts would climb back up. Turns out the brake lights added just enough load to start the belt slipping.

------------------

Don't look now, but I think the idiots have taken over the asylum.

AIM: JSAL86

just tighten the a/c belt, blower motor will squel anytime the vent fan is on. the a/c compressor will run whenever the a/c is on or the defrost is on, to dry out the air to defrost the windshield faster. the belt tensioner wont help that although it is a great idea and i am getting one of those. the moisture squeal it will fix and if you have your lights on and your voltage drops when you hit the brakes you need a new alternator or possibly a bad ground.

------------------
Glenn Lintemuth
A&P Mechanic
Colorado Springs, CO
88' Convertible "BeyondGT"
88' GT, white 5speed
89' K-5 Blazer on 44's
04' Silverado Ext Z71 on 33's

What year and engine are you running?
I'm kind of suprised people are coming up with solutions without this information.
There are several diferent belt setups, mine uses 1 serpintine belt to run the whole shebang and it already has a tensioner.
Other year/ engines use 2 V belts. It depends on what you have, to be able to give a definative answer.
I don't want to step on anyones wagger, but unless I'm missing something, it will make a diference.

------------------
Ol' Paint, 88 Base coupe auto.
Turning white on top, like owner.
Leaks a little, like owner.
Doesn't smoke, unlike owner

quote Originally posted by 3800superfast: You could install this , it`s a piece of cake, he has a web-site with very easy 1.2.3. directions posted. It also comes with the install sheet. Rodney has really top notch parts, I think the difference between the 2 is with Dodgerunners you don`t have to loosen anything to change the belt every again, its a idler and tensioner, so you all you need to do is stick a torx-socket on the end of your ratchet, push down on the tensioner pulley, slip off the old belt, then slide on the new on.

I just got the Rodneydickman pulley installed and everything is sounding good. No more squeals.

Thanks for all the input guys.

The a/c does not turn on when you put defrost on. The A/C wont even turn on unless its like 45 degrees out side.

quote Originally posted by richfiero: The a/c does not turn on when you put defrost on. The A/C wont even turn on unless its like 45 degrees out side.

No disrespect meant, but this is news to me. I wasn't aware that Fiero's came with computer controlled A/C. I could be wrong, but I haven't found the outside temperature switch on mine yet. If it's not computer controlled then how does the a/c know to turn on when it is over 45*.

I do know my 86 astro van turns the a/c compressor on when the defrost is engaged. not sure about my fiero yet as I don't have it running yet to test it.

GM's have been having the AC come on with defrost for years. The theroy is that the air is dryer and won't fog your windshield more when you initially turn it on. It cycles on and off. I vote for this belt also. I'm not sure if your AC works normally or not, but the clutch could be seized causing the squeel.

if it is the ac thats a seperate belt and it could be seized up so you might want to check that out

while we're on the subject, could you guys tell me how to change the separate A/C belt (86 2.8) i bought the belt because the one on there is freyed a little and it makes me nervous (dunno why, it's not like the alternator belt)

we couldn't figure out how to get to the brackets to loosen the A/C. there's one bolt on the top and like 2 on the bottom?

Okay, I'll pass along a method I read on here ... I have not used it before, so make no guarentees, but it sounded pretty reasonable to me. First there are like 2 mounting bolts for the top bracket, they are basically inboard and outboard, they are the pivot points for the compressor. Then there is the one bolt at the bottom bracket, this is the one that moves in the slot to adjust your tension. The method I read said don't mess with the upper bolts, but loosen the bottom bolt, then you can use the cutouts in the bottom bracket (see pic below - Couresy Jazzman) as a lever point to move the compressor and apply tension while tightening the bolt. This pic is looking up at the lower A/C bracket from below (think laying on your back under the car). Like I said feel free to give this a try .... if it doesn't work you can always still loosen the top bolts, but they're a real bear to get at .


Rich

Like stated above, you don't need nor want to loosen the top bolts. Just the lower one and then you can tighten the belt to the A/C.

GM has been having the A/C come on with the defrosters for years now, but as a repairman at Buick City explained to me it has more to do with avoiding warranty costs of seals drying out during the winter than anything else. It does indeed dry the air to aid in defrosting but mainly it cycles the compressor to keep everything lubed.

You also have to remove the serp. belt to be able to change the AC belt since it sets behind the serp belt on the crank pulley.
So have to loosen two belts.

Cheap fix for quite a while if its the blower fan motor...drill a very small hole in the little 'tit' at the end of the motor. Thats where the sealed oilite bearing is and a drop of oil in the hole can add quite a bit of life to a noisy motor.

thats all it was on mine ...

------------------
It isnt re-creation....its recreation!!!!

when i turn on my defrost, eventually the main (water pump, alt., crank pulley) belt will sqeel. I have a/c, but its not hooked up,
nor is there a belt around it.