I have notice an occasional screeching occuring and it doesn't happen all the time. Sometimes I'll drive for an hour without a peep, but when it does peep its loud and abnoxious.

I assume its my alt belt....should I loosen it a tad? or could it be something else? Temp is fine/normal. Its an 84 wagon 4wd auto.........

 

Thanks.........

a few things to check....

perhaps the belt needs tightening, see if the belt is shiny on the V side or cracked... might just replace it

or it might be your alternator or water pump trying to die... locking up...

if youre gonna tighten the belt, you can check em both with the belt real loose.

see if they feel smooth or if theres any binding or roughness when turned

The Alt is brand new, and the belt is fairly new. Regarding the Water Pump, how should I test it to see if its ok?

 

Cheers.........

the electric fan can make an absolutely wretched screech if the motor starts to go. it sounds like there's a fire alarm under the hood. just a thought.

Dunno if you have a/c or not but my idler pulley for the a/c squawked intermittantly until it finally locked up at 2 a.m. on the highway with a carload of people:rolleyes:

let the belt loose and turn the pump/alt by hand to see if theres any

lumpy or binding

 

might be that electrical fan too, if you only hear screeching when its hot

You said the alternator is brand new, correct? By chance have you checked the belt tension since installing the alternator? The belts tend to stretch a bit and need to be tightened up a bit a few hours running time after installation.