Skip to main content
Topic: Nasty High pitch squeal (Read 1488 times) previous topic - next topic

Nasty High pitch squeal

Hey all,

I finally got the cougar running decent.  Turns out one of the intake gaskets was fubared.  The used egine I put in had sat for 3 months and probably a little longer in the car, it had coroded between cooling port and exhaust port.  Anyway.

Now when i'm driving the car and holding the foot feed at a constant place (ie: not accelerating or decelerating, cruising)  at or above 65mph there is a nasty nasty high pitch sqeal.  Below 60 it sounds almost like a vaccuum leak but not quite.  It is still a squal but doesn't sound like something is moving fast enough to sqeal. 

Last year after my accident I had the same problem.  When i changed out the alternator and regulator I had no problems.  I did the same this year as both had gone bad from sitting (presumably) and I still have the sqeal. 

It's so obnoctious it makes my head hurt.  Any ideas.  The vehicle is an 86 cougar with the 3.8l and 55k on the engine and 195k on the throttle body.

tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.


Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #1
Checked your wheel bearings recently?
-- 05 Mustang GT-Whipplecharged !!
--87 5.0 Trick Flow Heads & Intake - Custom Cam - Many other goodies...3100Lbs...Low12's!

Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #2
just the other day and had no play in them.  It seems attached to the actual foot feed.  IE if i push it down, even a little it goes away and if i let up on it a little it will dissapear.  If i flutter the pedal it will go in and out.

tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.


Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #3
Still got the smog system? My pump froze up shortly after did that.

Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #4
PS pump?

*shrug*

Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #5
You know, the smog pump possibly makes sence.  It is brand new.  The old on locked up in 2 days.  From the time i parked the car to change the engine to the time I took it off.  There is a break in period for those and that could quite possibly be the cause of it.  I hadn't though of that.  I would have though the break in would have been done now though.  Just about a thousand mile on it.

My buddy has a stethescope.  I mite put my ear up on the PS and SP to see what's up.

Thanks guys.
tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.


Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #6
Try dribbling a little water on the ribs side of the belt. If it goes away for awhile it could be a pully alignment problem. Or it could be the belt. I have had belts that I couldn't make stop squealing. Sometimes turning the belt around to run in the opposite direction helps.

Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #7
Brand new belt and I know that's not the problem.  It's a differnt kind of sqeal.  And has followed 2 differnt belts.  I did do your test though to verify and that' didn't fix it either.  My buddy wnet for a ride with me in it today.  He's a military mechanic.  He thinks it's something in the CFI.

tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.


Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #8
Belt tensioner? :dunno:
Mine started as an occasional squeal on acceleration and then squealed while cruising and eventually locked up.

Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #9
New tensioner as well. It's driving me nuts.  When the car starts up i've noticed a squeak when it first starts and it sounds odly like a belt so maybe it is the bel causing the problem.  If i run soap on the belt you think that would help diagnose it or ruin the belt.

tc
1986 Mercury Cougar -- Midnight Wine and Taupe  ($1700) in 1999 w/ 103,000 miles.  Now with a motor from an 87 with 54K on it.
1988 Mercury Cougar -- Light Sandlewood Metalic  ($40)  in 2003 with 111,000 miles.  Needs a fender, some welding and a good tune up.  Possibly my next daily if i ever get it to the shop.
1991 GMC Sonoma, My $50 daily driver.


 

Nasty High pitch squeal

Reply #10
Quote from: tcanthonyii;104037
When the car starts up i've noticed a squeak when it first starts and it sounds odly like a belt so maybe it is the bel causing the problem.  If i run soap on the belt you think that would help diagnose it or ruin the belt.tc


I wouldn't use anything that will leave a residue on the pulleys.

Squeaking on start-up is usually a loose belt. It is slipping on the alternator. The alternator has a heavy load on it recharging the battery power you used to start the car.