Squeaking in the mornings + burning smell?!
 

Hi

There is some kind of squeaking from the engine bay when the engine is cold. I popped the hood, and smelt something burning (not gasoline :) , it seemed more electrical). The squeaking rises in pitch if I give it a little gas in neutral, but is masked by engine noise (or disappears - I can't tell) above 3000 rpm.

I searched on this site, and some people say it's the belt, others say it's the alternator, others talk about coils and yet others talk about bearings.

I'm guessing the easiest thing to try is to make sure the belts aren't loose. How loose can they be? Is there an easy way to measure belt tension?

What should be the next step?

Thanks...

Belts would be my first choice. If the noise only happens with your AC on then it's your accessory belt, otherwise its the alternator belt. Belt tension is easily checked by hand, but hard to explain. They should be tight light a guitar string, but not so tight that they might snap. If there is any fraying or cracks it's time to replace them.

i had a similar problem almost two years ago. my alternator was going bad, seized up and shreaded the belt. what a mess. between the coolant and belt pieces. do not let this happen, if the belt goes it takes out your water pump too. lucky for me i cought it before my car over heated, just a little coolant was lost. as far as belt tension there is a measurement for deflection(i think thats what its called) but a good rule of thumb is when its tight you should be able to twist the belt about 90degrees if that makes sense.