2.5 gen Tundra Platinum Crewmax (2016) Alternator Squeaking Noises

Every morning when I turn my truck on, I hear squealing/squeaky noises as if its coming out of a pulley. Earlier I changed my battery cause it had lower CCAs. Now even after that the first 5 to 10 mins I have to listen to this noise before it goes away. Noticed it once or twice where my radio shutdown after a malfunctioning noises it made followed by some times radio just doesnt connect to phone and I need to turn off the truck and start it back again for it to connect back to the radio. Later noticed once or twice a little bit of a pull in power when I tried accelerating. It all sounds to me like this is an alternator issue (since Battery recently replaced with OEM).

Talked to the dealership (in Texas) on phone and they are ready to rip me to shreds, want to keep the truck for the whole day, then later will hand me a bill that I may not be able to pay off. So I need some tips from DIYers here. How can I go about fixing this?

 

Batteries only last 3-4 years usually. Having one die does not mean you have an alternator issue.

Could be alternator bearings or any tensioner/pully/accessory bearings.

First thing I would check is the drive belts. Look for wear and cracks, they can get noisy when doing bad....belt slips.

And I would suggest going to a trusted local auto shop rather than a dealer for any such work.

 

My alternator failed a while back, but it made more of a whining noise and it was loud and changed tones with the engine throttle. A squeeking noise is more of a tensioner, belt or idler pulley issue. I didn't notice anything too off on the electronics, but when I had previous battery issues, it definitely affected and cause some weird issues on the truck. If you are having unexplained electrical issues, then I could see how the alternator is causing this problem.

As far as fixing it, I did it myself and it was one of the more difficult repairs I've done between the Tundra and Sequoia. You basically have to remove the power steering pump (at a minimum) and the space is very tight. Toyota states to remove the radiator as well, but you technically don't have to do that (it'll definitely help with removing and reinstalling both the PS pump and alternator if you do). Anyway, it was probably a 6/10 in difficulty for me, mostly because I didn't remove the radiator and trying to reinstall the PS pump in the blind, under it and not being able to line up everything (due to the radiator) caused me to burn a crap ton of time. In hindsight, I'd probably remove it and use that as an opportunity to change out the coolant.

That being said, I think the first thing I'd do is look into replacing the belts or idler and tensioner pulleys before I even attempted replacing the alternator.

 

I checked it earlier and couldnt see any belt slips. I guess Ill check with an auto shop close by and see what they come back with. I forgot to mention earlier though that I did get it checked with an autoshop earlier and their diagnostic system pushed them out of the diagnostic a couple of times they tried diagnosing the alternator. Not sure what caused it but they atleast were able to test that the battery was getting charged.

 

Thank you! I think Ill go to an autoshop and get it checked one more time. and if its just the tensioner Ill get it replaced.

 

The tensioner, belt and idler pulleys are all pretty easy to replace, if you are mechanically inclined.

 

Just replaced my belt, pulley and tensioner due to a squeak now the squeak is gone and i have a whine that looks to come on when the ac clutch engages fml

 

My cold weather squeak is the idler. I should've done the belt, idler, and tensioner all at once.
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