Slipping belts develop a glaze, and then tend to slip even when properly tightened. Spread a small amount of brake fluid on the contact surfaces of the belt to recondition the rubber. 

Karl Wolz
Sent from my electronic umbilicus

On Jun 3, 2013, at 8:08 AM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Bad bearings rumble, not screech. You won't quite a bad bearing by adjusting belt tension. A loose belt can also damage bearings in addition to burning up and leaving you stranded. Invest in a belt tension gauge. Even a cheap one will help. Good belt and pulleys you should be able turn engine over with a wrench on the alternator pulley nut. This belt has to transfer horsepower. With so little wrapped around the drive pulley it takes a lot of tension for it to work.
> 
> Dennis,
> From my phone.
> ________________________________
> From: Todd Last<mailto:Rubatoguy@COMCAST.NET>
> Sent: ‎6/‎3/‎2013 10:12 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM<mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Subject: Re: unhappy alternator bearing
> 
> I am pretty confident that it is the bearing, but it would be wise to
> check the belt tension.
> I always prefer an easy fix to a complex one!
> 
> regards,
> Todd
> 
> On 6/3/2013 4:48 AM, Stuart Fedak wrote:
>> Just to clarify, are you sure this is the alternator bearing?  Is this noise always present, or just when starting?  I have found that when the alternator belt is loose, that it will scream horribly until the rpm gets up and the alternator is fully engaged.  Loosen and re tighten the belt tension as per the manual and see if the noise goes away.  It is also a good time to check the belts, and if there are any cracks, replace with new belts.
>> 
>> If you change the belt, you will most likely have to re tighten in a few weeks, as the belt will stretch a bit with use as it "finds it's groove".
>> 
>> Cheers!
>> Stuart
>> 86 Vanagon GL camper
>> 
>> Sent from my electronic umbilicus
>> 
>> On 2013-06-03, at 12:35 AM, Todd Last <Rubatoguy@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>>