I am experiencing a squeaking noise from infront near the fan belt area. when i accelerate,it gets louder. I discovered that the power steering pump is leaking ,so i topped up the reservoir and it stopped for one day. the following day the squeaking noise is back .Could it be the tensioner ?

When in Park or Neutral does the noise change if you rev the engine? Whining noise generally come from a worn bearing so there will be a few things to check.
First check the serpentine belt. A loose or worn belt will cause noise. Carefully watch the belt with the engine at idle. Does it run smoothly or 'bounce' as it spins? Bouncing could suggest the spring in the belt tensioner is worn and has started to go slack.
Stand in front of the vehicle with the hood open and carefully listen to the engine. Sometimes you can hear if it is on one side of the engine or the other.
The most likely causes of the whine will be...
Power steering pump, A/C pump, Water pump, alternator pulley, belt tensioner and it's pulley or an idler pulley.
Parts like the alternator have more than one bearing in them so that could be another area to check. If the serpentine belt is off you can spin each pulley by hand. Listen and feel for a gritty growl as it spins. Bearings in good condition are usually smooth and quite.
Try this YouTube video. **NOTE** Be VERY CAREFUL if you try the tests in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRHj9_pwx7o

Hi Mary:
Squeaks from the engine area will be coming from moving non-lubricated parts.
Try checking:
- Serpentine belt. These will squeak like crazy if they have anti-freeze on them.
- Water pump. They have a bushing with a seal. Even if the seal is still not leaking, the bushing can be worn and will make some noise.
- Alternator, power steering pump, air conditioning pump can all have similar broblems with bearings.
MECHANICS TRICK! Use a stethescope to listen near the part you're checking. This is a mechanics stethescope, not the doctors kind. I just use a 2 ft long piece of 1/2" wood dowell. Hold it at one end with my thumb over the end, put my thumb against my ear, and touch the part that I'm checking. Obviously, the motor has to be running while you do this, so STAY SAFE! Do not let the dowell touch any moving parts. No kidding. Your motor can talk to you.

Sounds like u could have another leak possibly, coolant or oil getting on the belt, also look for the belt tensioner, when they go bad they will squeak really loud

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/michael_2094e122cc46f24c

Check power steering fluid. "Whining" is too broad a term, sorry.

It doesnt have to be over heating if the water pump bearings are bad. I take wd-40 and spray one pulley at a time on the back side if possible to isolate the bad pully bearings. Start with your ac compressor first because next to the idler the ac pulley sqeals alot.

The engine serpentine belt may be worn or wet. The belt slips, causing a high pitched squealing or whistle noise. The other possiblility is a bearing beginning to go out on one of your belt driven components

Sound like lose belt or weak belt tensioner

If 3.3 or 3.8 Liter, these use push rods, the 3.0 V6 uses a timing belt. Often times pumps will crate a groan type sound. I'd remove the serpintine belt and start for a moment, if the sound stops it then eliminates troubles within the engine. Or you can pick-up a mechanics listening ear piece (kind of like what your doctor uses to listen to your heart) Carefully place on or near items and listen for noise. PS: if the noise increases when turning the steering wheel that would be your power steering pump. When water pumps fail (or begin to) often times the bearing withing them will begin to growl. If there is any leakage at the water pump this is a sure sign that it is failing.

Please let me know if this had assisted you,

Thanks,
Tom

It can be a lose or old belt. If your belts are in good condition still and have no cracks, you can buy some "stop squeak" spray from any car parts store and follow the instuctions to apply it to your belts and eliminate any squeakings from that.

If it only occurs while you are steering, its likely that your power steering fluid is low, or your pump needs replacing.

This is how you avoid major repairs...take care of them when it is still just a "tiny noise". If you are unfamiliar with working on your car, take it in to a mechanic you can trust and ask them to look at those areas.

It very well could be the pawer steering pump. But to isolate the squeking sound, take that can of wd-40 and find the idler pully and tensior pully. Spray the bearing area of both pulleys. If your bearing in those pulleys are going bad then it will make that noise. If the wd-40 quits the noise at one of those tow pulleys then you know which one to replace. If its does not, then start looking to replace the powersteering pump. I take it you have checked the power steering fluid levels and they are ok?? Also, you stated that the noise started after you bought the alternator, then try a new alternator. It might of just been a faulty alternator. Happens all the time. One last inexpensive tip is replacing all belts with new. Belts get glazed over and dirty and cause noise too. One last question. Did you make sure the belts were tight enough? Just a little variance in the belt tension can make the difference.