I have a 97 NA 3.8 Olds 88 LS..

just recently put in an ac delco alternator cuz there was some squeaking and a little grinding noise from the old one...

however now with the new one, there is squeaky belt noise... inspecting the pulleys with the belt off, everything seems smooth and tight.. the tensioner pulley, alternator pulley, waterpump, power streeting, a/c compressor..

feels like possibly the belt tension might be a bit loose? however the tensioner spring still feels tight and it still takes lot of strength to move the tensioner to get the belt off?

I examined the serpentine belt and it looks ok, no cracks... it'* got a new waterpump, tensioner pulley and alternator..

Any ideas on how to fix this? the gm factory service manual doesn't have much diagnosis for this...

Have a spray bottle of Windex or just plain water handy?

Start your engine and spray the belt a few times. Be careful not to get the bottle or your hand near the belt.

If the belt is squeeking, the water will temporarily quiet the thing. If the noise stops, it IS the belt. If you just can't stand the noise until you get a new belt, take a little break fluid or power steering fluid on your finger and apply a very light film of it to the contact surface of the belt. May last a little longer.

Thanks Ted! i was wondering where my damn fingers kept goin.

thanks for the suggestions..

i tried spraying some brake cleaner on the belt and it got quieter, but after it dried up it started squealing.... so i tried a fix i read from a newsgroup, got some baby powder and coated it on the belt and it seems to be have temporarily quieted it..

it seems like the squeakyness is from the toothed side of the belt which is a bit surprising, the rubber and teeth are all in good shape, no signs of cracking or
anything.

I'll start planning on replacing the belt sometime over the summer.. any suggestions for brand of belt? generic work just as good as oem?

Definitly go with GoodYear Gatorback belt.. they grip better and last longer then any I know. For the extra $$ its worth it for the extended life and grip.

THis is what you do to test if your tension is bad. Take your thumb and press down on the belt (engine off ) if it goes more then 1 maybe an inch and a half then your Tensioner is Bad. Just a thought that might help ya