What is wrong with my 97 Ford Probe?

Question

Ok guys first I will tell you problems and describe noises... then I will tell you what I have done to fix/check it. Please help me figure this out.

1- When I start my car the engine screams and then I floor the gas and the scream gets louder then stops and everything seems fine

2- I stop at a light with my heat on (Winter in NY), If the heat is on low no noise at all, Heat on med slight squeeking sound (sort of like the sound a hampster wheel makes when a hampster is running on it), The higher the heat the louder the noise, when the light turns green and I go it repeats the same noise as when I start the car in the morning then goes away

3- If I stop at a light and watch my battery indicator, Low heat not much change, higher heat the battery seems to drain, highest heat its drops drasticly BUT never completely drain, when I go again it goes back up to normal

Battery was recently charged and fluid was added (charge = normal)
Altenator is charging normal

Also at a light the heat starts to get cold and when I go again it kicks back up to hot

Oh yea... this was also happening in the summer with the A/C except no noise and at a light the A/C would barely work

Answer 1

It is either 1. the belt is worn and slipping
or 2. the tensioner pulley spring in worn out and not putting enough tension on the belt there for it is slipping. Requires replacing the tensior pulley, around a $200 job at a shop.

Also check to see that all pulleys are turning and none are locked up.

Belt on this car is not adjustable, only the tensioner pulley holds the tension.

The clicking noise ( hamster wheel) is the blower motor cage wheel, not uncommon on a Ford. This will not cause any major problems though it will eventually need to be replaced as evetually it will quit turning and you will have no heat or AC as this is what forces the air into the car.

Answer 2

Your alternator belt is probably slipping because it is loose or glazed. Look at your belt that turns the alternator when the car isn't running, check to see that it is not too loose, also the condition, if it seems hard or has a glaze it should be changed. They sell belt dressing for this but if you know the belt is bad it's best to change it before it breaks and leaves you stranded.
The belt will squeal when there is a load put on the alternator. In the morning the alternator has a load because it is trying to replace the power from the battery that was used to start the car.
At a stop light the more power you use the higher the load on the battery, the higher the heater fan setting the higher the load.
At a stop light the battery indicator will drop rapidly from 14-15 volts to around 12 volts because the alternator is charging at 14-15 and will show right away when the belt slips but will hold at around 12 volts because the battery has 12 volts.
If this is also affecting other components that are driven off the belt it is probably slipping off the crank pulley (the main pulley that drives the belt ), check the condition of this pulley as well as the belt and that there is no oil leaking onto this pulley.

Answer 3

1. Belt squeal. Common problem on cold belts, goes away as they warm up. If this is the 4-cyl engine there are 3 belts and all are manually tensioned. You may have one or more that has stretched and is loose, causing it to slip and make the noise or there might be a pulley problem causing the squeal. Maximum belt deflection on a not-brand-new belt is 7-8mm, at least for the alternator belt. I don't have the spec for the other belts but probably similar.

2. Bearing in the HVAC fan and the belt squeal from #1 respectively.

3. The more accessories you run (load) the more voltage they draw, so the guage should drop some. It is possible voltage from the alternator may be too low to both run the accessories and recharge the battery fully. This would be an indication not necessarily that the alternator has failed but it may be reaching for the light. Have it tested again under load to see of the voltage is within the specifed range - voltage should be between 13 and 14.7v, preferably over 14.0v.

Answer 4

The first one (and possibly the second) is most likely your serpentine belt making noise. There's most likely nothing wrong with it, some belt dressing or having it adjusted would stop it- an honest mechanic will adjust it for a few bucks. Belt dressing is temporary fix.

The other problem, I'm not sure of. One thing that I always look at with older less expensive vehicles (for myself anyway) is, don't be to petty with it. This problem most likely won't affect the performance of your car and may cost a small fortune to fix.


Post Edit: Call the service department at your local Ford dealer. The person who answered above may be right about not being able to adjust it on your particular car. The dealer will tell you. But don't go there to get it fixed, they'll rock you for triple the amount that a smaller service station will.

Answer 5

there is an difficulty-free thank you to purpose it your alternator. it is difficulty-free to purpose in case you be attentive to somebody with a voltmeter. right this is how: a million) value your battery, in case you do not you will get conflicting solutions interior the subsequent factors. 2) Pop the hood with the engine off and connect the voltmeter around the battery terminals. a solid battery will learn 13 volts. Any much less and the battery is knackered. 3) With the voltmeter linked, initiate the motor vehicle and see what the voltmeter reads. it is going to say someplace between14 and 15 volts. Any decrease than this and you alternator is up the spout and not charging your battery. it is often an difficulty-free interest to alter for everyone with hassle-free mechanic skills.no better than an hour for many vehicles. remember, if the alternator isn't charging adequate, once you swap the motor vehicle off, the battery would be ineffective already. once you're battery reads 13 volts, and the voltmeter reads 14/15 volts while the engines on, then you've a undesirable earth someplace that's shorting the battery. If it is not between the above, take a inspect your fusebox, see if something has long previous. It does sond a sprint extra like a undesirable earth, as they're difficulty-free to reason those thoroughly inconsistent issues. the concern with having no potential, sounds a sprint like a knackered gasoline pump, consistent with probability the undesirable earth and gasoline pump are one and the comparable. while did you final replace the gasoline filter out? a grimy gasoline filter out will impede overall performance and make the motor vehicle run poorly, and that they are often not replaced while carried out by DIY mechanics.

Answer 6

Check your belts, sounds like one is loose....Simply tightening one should fix this problem. Usually when the belt is loose it makes a hampster wheel sound this belt controlls the alternator and water pump.

Answer 7

That screaming noise is most likely a belt, as for the other I have no freaking clue. Have a mechanic look at it.

Answer 8

Serpentine belt..... either needs tightening.... or replaced. There is an idler pully that is supposed to tension it. Sounds like the belt needs replaced. Not turning the alternator, power steering pump..etc... very well.

Answer 9

You have a defective heater blower fan the bering have worn so bad that it is causing the battery to be over taxed and also you have a low coolant level in the radiator. Hope this helps.

Answer 10

I'm with TKinMI and others on this one.

Your belt is definitely shot. Just get a new serpentine belt and take it from there