ok so i got off my lazy ass and took the belt off this morning before going to work to find the culprit. it's the tensioner pulley that's causing all that racket! it has a lot of resistance when spinning, more than the other idler pulleys.
got the part from ECS for 50$ shipped. (thanks for the tip EJ!
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epapp you were right, the belt is so easy.. not sure where i got the idea it's a pain. I feel pretty silly i didnt do this in the first place.
thanks guys!