Hi All,
on our way home today a sound started coming from the engine compartment. It sounded like a slipping belt. We turned off the AC and the sounded faded but did not completely go away and the engine is running a bit rough now.
I put a code reader on it and nothing and no CEL.
When we got home, I lifted the hood and ran it with no AC. Again, slight noise at idol. When I hit the accelerator, the noise gets louder...still AC off.
Then I turn on the AC, increase RPMs and not only a louder squeeling, but now the battery light turns on. Turn off AC or decrease accelerator and light goes off.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
J.

PS 2002 Millenia S 85K miles

 

Babyhuey is decidedly gone from here. I have written him on a few occasions to ask what's up and nothing... no reply at all. I even wrote him to suggest that his Moderator status was in jeopardy. Still nothing.

As far as your problem is concerned, it sounds pretty straight forward to me. Either a bad accessory (not A/C) drive belt, or a bearing in the idler, alternator or water pump that is freezing up causing excessive strain on the existing belt, especially when additional load, like the A/C compressor is added.
I had a similar problem in a Datsun truck I once owned. It turned out to be the front alternator bearing.

 

Thank you for the fast response. It looks like a shop trip unfortunately.
Sorry to hear about BH though...it looks like Keninn is still posting from time to time though.
Had the water pump done back around 63K with the timing belt.
What a great forum.

 

just letting anyone interested know. Before I took her in this morning, I noticed a loose belt. It is hard to get in there, and I had a tough time just pointing it out to my wife. I left the car with a note in the drop box at our mechanics as they were not open yet.
I just got a call from the mechanic...it is a belt tensioner.
I found the part online for mid $300s. With a new belt and such it will be just over $400 plus labor, but of course our shop is adding markup on the part so it will NOT be just over $400. That is the one thing I hate about not teching the issue myself because at the end of the day, I could've handled this problem. I continue to watch eBay for a service manual...I passed one up a while back that got up to about $60 and I though that was too much...my bad for sure as I have not seen any in a while.
Oh well, we'll have our Milly back tomorrow morning sans the chirping.
As always, great place to discuss Milly issues.
Later.

 

OUCH!!! Yes, $400+ for a belt and tensioner (idler, as I referred to it) is a lot of scratch.
Sorry 'bout that.
If it makes you feel any better, the day after Christmas last year, I gave my dealer $350 to diagnose and replace a faulty fuel return check valve which had I known where it was (I thought it was above the fuel tank), and what the problem was it would've cost me $168 in parts and 10 mins of my time.
Welcome to the "new" world of electronically controlled everything in cars.

 

i went thru this a while back. wife came home in the black car, said the a/c was out. i went for a test drive, but as soon as i started it, i could hear the belt slipping. open hood, tensioner was gone. cost me 362 plus shipping. install was a bitch. i had to remove the right side motor mount, and drop the engine to get clearance. then, i had to buy a special tool to get leverage on the tensioner to get the belt back on. some tensioners kill the bearing, which is available separate, but not thru mazda. it can be pressed off/on. mazda only sells the complete assembly. however, in my case, and it sounds like yours is the same, the spring in the tensioner broke. there is no fix for that, just replacement. there are 2 tensioners for the accessory belts, they are both different. i later bought a spare set off ebay for 25 bucks.

 

Thanks for your replies...Keninn, if it was a install bitch for you I am glad I didn't attempt this. I have a few tools but nothing near what I assume your garage has.