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Can a bad tensioner whine?


MikeF

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I have a 99 Grand Prix GTP with 90k miles. The car has been making this weird noise for awhile now, its kind of a high pitch whine noise that doesn't sound too different from the normal whine of the supercharger or similar to the noise a power steering pump makes when its low on fluid. The noise is MOST noticable at idle and is definitely coming from the passenger side of the engine bay near the belt area.

 

I finally had time to get out there and attempt to diagnose it. The noise SOUNDS like it may be coming from BELOW the supercharger, I also noticed that the tensioner pully for the supercharger MOVES a half inch or so in a way that doesn't look normal when you rev the motor and makes a grinding noise on top of the whine while its moving.

 

I definately think its safe to say that the tensioner is bad or atleast needs to be tightened \ adjusted, I just wondered if these things can cause a whine when they go bad.

 

Thanks for any input

-Mike

 

 

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remove the belt(s) and spin and push on all the pulleys. noises can be hard to diagnose, try to feel for rough turning pulleys...

 

if the pulley is moving side to side (perpendicular to the belt plane) then it needs replaced.

 

 

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may not be the source of the noise but from what you described the SC coupler sounds like it is failing.

which can be checked by removing the belt and turning it back and forth, iirc

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Looks like you guys were right, its not the SC or the tensioner. I pulled the belt off the SC and started the car and the noise is still there. The noise is almost definately coming from the AC compressor. My AC stopped being cold about 2 years ago, hopefully it leaked out of the compressor so when I replace it and refill it, I'll have cold air again.

 

Are these things typically hard to replace? Looks like just a few bolts that I can get to from the bottom.

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the compressor clutches do grind every now and then and can be adjusted fyi. your loss of air conditioning could also be a result of a leak, which means you'd need to do a thorough a/c job: orifice tube, o-rings/seals, low and high side valve cores and caps, and new freon+pag oil. it would suck to refill the whole system only to have it empty on you in a week or two because of a common leak.

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