Belt squealing noise... how many belts are there on the 360?

r u sure its not the fuel pumps?

 

Squealing fuel pumps?

 

The car has a power steering belt, an A/C belt and an alternator/waterpump belt. The belts really need to be adjusted with an ultrasonic tension meter. The alternator belt adjustment is a fine line between not making noise at startup and destroying the bearings in the waterpump. People try and shortcut them all the time and your experience is one of the two usual results of that practice.

 

I have a Hz belt tension meter for sale - hint, hint I think it's still listed in Ferrariads.com

I'll 2nd what Brian mentioned about the Alternator belt. That applies to all cars, not just the 360 - although I'm sure it's even more critical as far as the adjustment goes on a car such as the Ferrari.

With regard to the alternator specifically, you have to keep in mind that the alternator is basically a motor that is putting out electrons instead of using them. There is an armature which rides on bearings or bushings inside the alternator. I don't know the specifics the Ferrari design, but the issue boils down to this: if the belt is too tight, the lateral force on the armature will destroy the bearings in the alternator. If/when this happens, typically the alternator will seize, which of course, is not good. When the alternator stops turning, usually the belt keeps going and is shortly after that destroyed. Again, speaking in general terms. I had this happen once on a Datsun motor that I built and it's no fun. Keep in mind, anything else powered on that same belt (such as a water pump, etc.) loses power. This can be a critical event to your motor. There are plenty of stories of people who lose an alternator belt and think "no problem, I'll drive home on the battery and fix it". However, if the belt also runs across the water pump pulley, then you are driving home with not only no alternator, but also no circulation in the cooling system. Bad idea.

The line between too much lateral force on the alternator shaft (and thus bearings inside the alternator) and too little - which will often result in the belt squealing when cold - is a very fine line indeed.

I would be very careful taking the car back with instructions to quiet the belt. If someone just adds tension to the belt without regard for the forces that it's applying to the shafts that the pulley(s) are attached to, you can end up fixing one problem and creating several more.

One solution is to purchase some silicon grease (the kind used for brake pads, etc.) You can apply that to the belt and it will quiet things down for a few months at a time. It's not as good a solution as getting the belt's tension within specs using a sonic Hz meter, but it's one possible solution that I have used in a pinch (and while it's not a permanent solution to the underlying problem, it usually doesn't cause any harm either).

Ray

 

They do buzz a little, maybe the OP is confused.

maybe I am

 

Whatever else, be assured that it's not your timing belt so you're not in danger of immediate destruction!