Troubleshooting 2nd gen squeel

Hello all, new member here. I've been trying to troubleshoot a loud squealing noise coming from my engine/trans axle area of my 2007 prius touring with 171,000 miles. When I accelerate I hear a loud metal on metal type squeeling noise. This noise is only present when accelerating and doesn't happen when I'm off the accelerator or turning. I've changed out my trans axle fluid, serpentine belt, water pump and belt tensioner. The Toyota dealer told me it was a water pump, so I reluctantly Changed that out this last weekend with no change to my issues. I've so noticed a significant loss in Mpg and power since this noise has been present. I do have a bad catalytic converter that I've thought could be clogged leading to an excess of back pressure to the motor. I've spent hours on various forums trying to find a resolve to this but have yet to find someone describing the same issues that I have. Any ideas or knowledge on this would be highly appreciated.

 

There are no warning lights associated with this issue. I have not jacked it up to listen to it. My next game plan might be to jack up the front end and run it in maintenance mode to see if i can target the noise. I have ran it in maintenance mode on the ground, but I couldn't get the engine under enough load to make this noise.

 

Yeah, I changed it myself. There's no other pulleys that it could be unless it's a crank bearing/crank pulley. The belt only incorporates the water pump, crank and tensioner. I've adjusted the tightness of the belt to see if the sound changes but it didn't.

 

So I've put it in maintenance mode but could not duplicate the discrepancy due to not being able to put the engine under enough load. I've spent hours rereading through various prius forums and have yet to read one that resembles my exact issues. I've seen those cheap cats and have read up on them. That may be my next move. I appreciate your input.

 

Good idea. I'll try to post a video on here when I get off work today.