Metallic Squealing Under The Hood

[RX in NC]

I have no pictures to post but this issue has been discussed in great detail in several threads here on this forum. You might want to search using "AC/Alternator belt" as your key search phrase. But it's really pretty simple as long as you have the right tools. I assume your 2001 configuration matches our 2000, but you may want to check that with a phone call to Lexus.

Here's what I did:

There are three bolts that must be loosened in order to change or tighten the AC/Alternator belt.

First, find and loosen the "pivot bolt", which is on the top side of the alternator housing attached to a black metal bracket. Use a 14 millimeter socket wrench. It is by far the easiest of the three bolts to access. The head of this "pivot bolt" faces your right front wheel.

Second, find and loosen the "mounting bolt", which is on the bottom side of the alternator housing almost diagonally opposite the "pivot bolt", towards the radiator. Use a long-handled 12 millimeter box wrench. There is not enough room to get your socket wrench down into that space. The head of this "mounting bolt" also faces your right front wheel.

Now, find and tighten the "adjuster bolt", which is on the mid-upper side of the alternator housing towards the radiator. This is the only bolt of the three whose head more or less faces the radiator. Use a long-handled 12 millimeter box wrench and be prepared to spend quite a bit of time tightening that bolt because due to the extremely tight working space in that area, you will only be able to tighten the bolt perhaps one-tenth of a turn at a time. As you tighten this bolt, you will gradually see and feel your AC/Alternator belt tightening up. Take it to where you're comfortable with it, and when you're satisfied that you've taken the slack out, re-tighten the "mounting bolt" and finish the job by re-tightening the "pivot bolt".

It probably took me about twenty to thirty minutes to do this job. The vast majority of that time was spent in figuring out how to best get the wrenches down into the two tight spaces, and then being able to work the wrench only about one-tenth of a turn and then having to re-position the wrench after each tiny turn of the "adjuster bolt".

All of this work is done leaning over your open hood at the right front wheel.

Hope this solves your problem, but if your AC/Alternator belt is original to your vehicle, it's time to replace that belt. Most exterior belts are good for about four years. These Toyota exterior belts are just average in quality - they're not heavy-duty.

Let us know your results.