# Squeak on A/C Belt **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** corolla, clutches, airconditioning, toyota\ **Created:** [February 22, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squeak-on-a-c-belt/44935 "2010-02-22T17:01:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![walterjd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@walterjd](https://community.cartalk.com/u/walterjd)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squeak-on-a-c-belt/44935/1 "2010-02-22T17:01:34Z")
I’ve got a stumper for you: 97 Corolla 1.6L. The A/C belt goes around three pulleys: crank shaft, idler, and A/C clutch. When I remove the A/C belt the squeak goes away so I assume the problem is with the idler pulley bearing or A/C clutch bearing. I’ve replaced both bearings but it still squeaks. Why?! Facts: --squeak gets faster as engine RPMs increase --squeak is constant whether A/C is on or off --the A/C worked over the summer, but I can’t tell if it still does (it’s below freezing outside) --I’m confident in my ability to tell the difference between belt squeak and bearing squeak ---
**Author:** ![jmcarc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/278dde/32.png) [@jmcarc](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jmcarc)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squeak-on-a-c-belt/44935/2 "2010-02-22T17:26:17Z")
I was also confident in my ability to tell the difference between belt squeak and bearing squeak. A few weeks ago, I thought my water pump was on its way out until I replaced the serpentine belt. The squeak disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squeak-on-a-c-belt/44935/3 "2010-02-22T17:34:20Z")
Have you tried a new belt? ---
**Author:** ![walterjd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@walterjd](https://community.cartalk.com/u/walterjd)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squeak-on-a-c-belt/44935/4 "2010-02-22T18:04:11Z")
No, the belt (Delco brand) only has 17,000 miles on it so I didn’t want to replace it. Additionally, no matter how tight or loose the belt is, the squeak sounds the same. It wouldn’t make sense for the squeak to be from the belt, but then again, I’ve tried everything that does make sense. ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squeak-on-a-c-belt/44935/5 "2010-02-22T21:57:34Z")
Replace the belt. It may only have 17K on it but they do dry rot sitting on the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![SteveRB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@SteveRB](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveRB)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squeak-on-a-c-belt/44935/6 "2010-02-22T23:35:33Z")
Replace the belt, I had a belt squeaking and it did not clear up until I switched brands of belt. Make sure all the surfaces are clean, no oil or belt dressing on them ---
**Author:** ![walterjd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@walterjd](https://community.cartalk.com/u/walterjd)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squeak-on-a-c-belt/44935/7 "2010-02-22T23:56:50Z")
Alright, alright 🙂 I’ll replace the belt. I’ll try one from the dealer sometime this week. ---
**Author:** ![walterjd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@walterjd](https://community.cartalk.com/u/walterjd)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 5:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squeak-on-a-c-belt/44935/8 "2010-03-06T05:34:16Z")
Thanks to everyone who replied! I bought a new OEM belt from the dealer ($31.83!!) and so far, I’ve been squeak-free. I’ve found that, even though OEM is sometimes twice as expensive as generic, it’s cheaper in the long run to go with OEM.