I'd like to first start off by saying that I don't know a lot about how to fix things on cars. I own a '98 Cavalier and the serpentine belt is driving me insane right now. It will not stop squealing no matter what I do. The belt is not worn, has no cracks and the ribs are not glazed over at all. Tried a soap bar to it to see if it was dirty, and that quieted the issue for about a day and then it was back to what it was. I then sprayed a little bit of water on it, which immediately quieted the noise which leads me to believe that there is an alignment issue somewhere. The auto-tensioner pulley was just replaced a few days ago and it still squeals. The noise sounds like it is coming from somewhere near the cabin of the car, but I really don't know how to take care of the issue. Any help is appreciated.

 

I had that problem a while ago and changing the belt solved the problem. Maybe the belt is stretched. How old is the belt? When was it last changed?

 

ditto
just because the belt isn't cracked or glazed it could still be bad. put a oem belt on it. the ribs of a new belt and pulley grooves should have a slight interference fit. When this fit is gone, the belt squeals.
put a large dab of rtv on the belt then run the engine...its a temporary fix until you get a new one.


when the belt is off, spin all the pulleys to make sure the bearings are ok.

 

So no one thinks he's got a seized item on his belt?

Sounds like he had the issue before the belt and pulley.

 

I've had the car for about two and a half years now and the belt has been there since I got it. It's been squealing for about 3 months now.

 

Do you see the belt skipping by an accessory item? Something might not be turning.

Why did you replace the tensioner of all things?

Is your water pump seized? AC seized? power steering seized ??

 

If it's been squealing that long it needs to be replaced no matter what the cause!

 

that is why when the belt is off...you spin all the pulleys. when the belts off, run the engine and if the noise is gone, its belt or pulley related.

 

The power steering is fine and the fluids there are good. The AC is almost brand new, haven't checked the water pump yet but the car isn't running hot so I don't believe that's the issue. I'll take the belt off and check all of the pulleys as soon as Im able to get help with the belt.

 

So I went out tonight and looked the belt over really close while the car was running. Sounds to me like the squeal is coming from the power steering pulley. I checked the p/s fluid and it is where it was last time we filled it (a month or two ago), but I did notice that it looks like the pulley itself is wobbling. I took a slow-motion video of it and confirmed that it is wobbling slightly. I'm going to try and get the belt off tomorrow or Saturday to mess with the pulley without the belt being in the way.

Thanks for all the help again. I do appreciate it.