I have a 1997 Ford Probe that keeps throwing alternator belts. The mechanics I take it to say they have no idea why. After a new belt gets put on a few months later it squeels at start up, when I use the AC and then at night when using head lights. Car even dies. Car has 146,000 miles. Power steering and electric windows with AC and power sun roof. The windows go up and down a lot slower than 4 years ago. Timing chain/belt was replaced 3 years ago. Squeeled all the time before that too.
There was a service bulletin in the 90's about the power steering pulley alignment. It is pressed on and some of them caused a belt misalignment issue. Over time, your pulleys and bearings have worn causing this problem to be exaggerated. The first place to start is checking the condition of these pulleys and bearings. Visual signs of wear and looseness of bearings are easily checked by a qualified technician. A worn tensioner can change the belt alignment at different positions. It may look good at idle, but may tip to one side as it adjusts going down the road. Pulley alignment is usually checked with a simple string lined up on all pulleys (in the same groove of each pulley). If one pulley is out of alignment with the others, the belt can easily walk off over time. I have also seen a different brand of belt being just a bit shorter, causing misalignment of the tensioner. So start with a good visual inspection and go from there. A helping hand is good when checking pulley alignment from different angles. This problem CAN be fixed! I hope you find a conclusion to your problem.
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