Scotty,
I have a 97 Nissan Pathfinder. This chirping sound has been driving me crazy. I thought for sure it was a belt. This truck has 3 separate belts. I replaced all 3 and the 2 idler pulleys and the noise is still there. I do not believe it is the PS because the sound doesn't change when you turn the wheel. The sound also does not change when you turn on AC. I have tried running the belts real tight and more loose. Sound is better when tighter but still there. I do not believe it is the water pump that was new recently. Could the new belts just be bad? Could it be the fan clutch? Maybe the bearings inside the alternator? I am lost. It is hard to pinpoint the noise, it seems to jump around when you are listening under the hood. Have you ever had this experience? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.
First you can try running the engine briefly with all of the fan belts removed. If the noise goes away you know the problem is in the belt system.
A mechanic's stethoscope or a length of hose can be used to try pinpointing the noise. Another approach is to remove the belts and rotate all belt-driven accessories and pulleys by hand to check for roughness or noise from the bearings.
Also bear in mind that new parts are not necessarily good parts, especially cheap aftermarket replacements or allegedly "OEM" parts from eBay or Amazon that all too frequently are counterfeit.
A repair manual for your vehicle can be found at the link below:
https://charm.li/Nissan-Datsun/1997/
Could it be the fan clutch? Maybe the bearings inside the alternator?
you bet. Turn the pulleys by hand and see (or hear/feel rather)
