One year ago, after driving 8 or so hrs., at 108,000 mi, my 2003 Buick Rendevous started making a groaning sound which would last 15-30 seconds. When exiting the turnpike, the sound lasted nearly 1 min. The next day, the Buick dealer could find no cause but put a new serpentine belt on it which solved the problem for a few months. (I had previously replaced the serpentine belt at 96,000 mi as routine maintenance.) After a couple months, I heard the sound again and took it to my local Buick dealer who could find nothing. It was o.k. for about 6 mo. Now it groans again. My local mechanic heard it but could find no cause. It groaned almost constantly a couple days ago while I was driving in slow traffic w/the a/c on but quit when I turned the a/c off. It sometimes groans with the a/c off, especially on a turn from a stop sign. I now have 114,000 mi. The sound seems to be originating from the engine. Has anyone else experienced this problem and found a solution?
It could be a bad tensioner or maybe a compressor. Should be easy. Us a mechanics stethoscope to isolate the noise and replace the part.
I have experienced the problem but the solution was to change the belt every 15,000 miles which was 2.5 years with the truck. Serpentine belts don’t always last a long time.