super loud squeal and check gauge light.

[phogan]

98 cherokee v6

having some trouble with my serpentine belt, ie lots of squealing when starting [moreso first time in the morning].  thats not the part that worries me though.
when squealing, the battery indicator drops below normal.  sometimes it drops all the way to the bottom, and then the check gauges  light comes on.  i put some belt dressing on to half assed deal with the noise, but i know that is not the answer.

one can only assume [and this is me talking with EXTREMELY limited knowledge of how any of this works, i am mostly grasping at straws right now with this theory] that the belt is slipping on the alternator wheel, and causing it to not charge properly.  as far as i know, this should be an easy fix, because from what some people have told me so far, the tensioner for the belt might just not be functioning properly [i dont know if it sticks, or if it doesnt stick..  or how it even works. ]  can anyone offer any advice, maybe a place that i can go to get it assessed for free/ fixed for cheap...  thanks alot

phogan

[esi]

You might have an alternator thats about to seize. when they sieze they will usually stall the vehicle or make alot of smoke as it shreds your belt. Pull the belt off and give the alternator pully a shake. If it has play or doesn't spin freely its time for a new one.

[AV.NINE]

agreed!

[LifesGrand]

I would also agree that one of the pulleys is causing some grief due to the fact that you have a self tightening/adjusting tensioner pulley... It's spring loaded & should have a fair amount of pressure.

Edit: your year of jeep may not have he same tensioner as mine, maybe someone could clairify on the difference in years?
Also check your PS bracket, they have a tendency to crack & may of become loose?

[99xjer]

 my jeep xj is doing the exact same thing. the loud sqeal and the battery thing...and it comes on and off... did you ever get it to fix this thing?? I've took mine to the tire craft on Mccleod trail, where they said its my ac unit that needs to be replaced. I just ended up disconnecting the AC for now, but it's still squealing........TT

[phogan]

my jeep xj is doing the exact same thing. the loud sqeal and the battery thing...and it comes on and off... did you ever get it to fix this thing?? I've took mine to the tire craft on Mccleod trail, where they said its my ac unit that needs to be replaced. I just ended up disconnecting the AC for now, but it's still squealing........TT

not fixed yet, actually.  my ac is fine, i havent had a chance to pull the belt off, but thanks for all the advice.  i just warm it up, and once its warm, usually then it is fine.

[bae146]

You really should fix this, as it will leave you sitting on the side of the road with a truck that wont move under its own power.

[phogan]

actually, drove it to bc, and the squeal wasnt too bad, but then, once i got here, i had the belt adjusted and the squeal went away.  apparently, as my farm mechanic said, it wasnt 'swinette'.  apparently, it needs to be 'tight enough to play a tune, like the hair stretch over a pigs bunghole.'  go figure.  but, we did determine that it was the compressor motor kicking on for the AC that is the problem.  thanks for all the advice, though.