After alt and water pump replacement a little over a year ago, I couldn't get the alt belts (yes, two, both going from the alt pulley to the crank pulley... go figger) to stop squealing when the headlights or heater blower were on. At least, not at idle. Once rolling it would usually recover.
I went through belts like candy. Driving me nuts. Everything looked lined up, the alt was adjusted as tight as I could, yet I couldn't shut the things up.
These belts are 3 months old:
On the Swedish Bricks list a few people recommended replacing the alt bracket bushings.
Bushings? Oh, crap. I saw those in my myriad trips under the car. Never would have thought about bushings on an alternator bracket. So even though I knew they were there, I couldn't seem to consider them as an issue.
So, here are the bushings I pulled out:
So, even though this wasn't an ACVW issue, it's a good reminder to NEVER ignore or disregard something just because you aren't familiar with it. Be very careful of mental blocks. They may be hiding what the real problem is.
Oh, and the belts are super silent now after installing new bushings and new Conti belts. Blower full blast, headlights on, high beams on, stereo on, windows rolling up and down, interior lights on, etc...
