Belt Squeakin

[Ryan]

Blew a hose and sprayed coolant all over the front of the engine. The belt started to squeak really bad. Replaced the belt and it still squeaks. Tried belt dressing, nothing works.

 

[Dr. Jeckel]

Try cleaning all pulleys with carb cleaner to get the residue off. Spray the carb cleaner on the rag then rub on the pulleys. Don't know if this will help but its worth a try.

 

[Rickracer]

You won't believe this, but it works.....

....smear some Crest toothpaste on your belt and pulleys. Then start it up. It will sound like hell for a few minutes, then smooth out. Once it quietens down, you can rinse it off with water while it's running. The surfactants in the tooth paste will remove the coolant (and belt dressing) residue, and polish the belt and pulleys so they match each other. I think belt dressing is one of the worst ideas ever.

 

[Ryan]

Thanks I'll give it a try. I've heard of stranger things.

 

[scgnx]

That may also be a sign that you AC bracket is coming loose. That's what happened to me, started out just squeeling then as the bolts started working loose the whole AC pulley would swing out of alignment and eventually destroyed the belt. The bolts are behind the AC unit and go into the block. Just my experience.

Good Luck

Scott

 

[Ryan]

When I sprayed on the dressing the squeaking stoped for a few seconds and started up again.

 

[Gary Wells]

FWIW & IMHO:
If the motor compartment took on water for any length of time there is a possibility that water got into the bearings of any of the power components and destroyed, or is in the process of destroying the bearings themselves. I would use a large screwdriver as a stethascope and check out the alternator, idler tensioner pulley, air conditioner, and power steering pump. Most probable to take on water, I would think, would be the alternator or the idler tensioner pulley.

 

[Rickracer]

What he is describing is typical after a blown radiator hose

And I have dealt with it literally hundreds of times over the years. When bearings go out they usually don't squeak, they growl.

 

[Gary Wells]

FWIW & IMHO:
Well, I have only had it happen a couple of times, so I probably don't have enough experience to determine the difference between a squeak, squeal, and/or a growl. What's a growl to you might be a squeal to somebody else. And I could swear that I put the word "possibility" in there somewhere just in case. I didn't say that it was "Gospel Truth" or law. I am sure, considering that you have dealt with this scenario hundreds of times that you are correct. Just trying to help, but I guess that "bad advice or opinion is just that.

 

[Lee_Burough]

I'm fighting this too

Just bought a 1999 Durango with a squealing belt. I think its a belt. Removal of the serpentine belt showed all the pulleys solid and spinning freely.

Belt dressing helps for a short time and then its back. Tried the toothpaste. Sure is a mess The process threw a lot of greasy material mixed with the toothpaste all over the place. Applied it three times (a whole tube). The pullies look cleaner (they had scammer residue between applications of toothpaste).

Its all cleaned up now and louder than in the beginning. Its a new belt.

Since the belt tensioner and toothpaste stop the squealing temporarily, I don't think its a bearing -a bearing would make noise independant of the belt dressing, right?


Edit
Just went out and did a quick stethescope test. It revealed a sound (may be a growl, but not exactly) in the idler tensioner that was not in the a/c, or p/s....

What next? Looks like an idler tensioner bearing?

 

[Gary Wells]

You used the wrong brand of toothpaste.



I am sorry, but I couldn't resist the temptation.

I am going to keep my mouth shut this time, but I do hope that both you guys find the problem.

Idler tensioner bearings or alternator bearings, maybe?

does everything on the belt line up square & true, anything coming loose?
Ok, I will go away now.

 

[Lee_Burough]

 

[Gary Wells]

You'll wonder where the squeaky went,
when you brush your belt with pepsodent.

 

[Rickracer]

Wells, I believe you may have taken my last post wrong (not bad advice)

I was not saying you were wrong, just trying to reassure Ryan a little. Some folks make way more of a problem than it needs to be. Belt dressing tends to complicate things, because it masks symptoms temporarily, and it's messy, but doesn't really accomplish anything. Sounds like the tensioner* is on it's way out. If it is cocked, even a little, it will make the belt squeal, and all the toothpaste, belt dressing, or even salad dressing in the world won't stop it.

when you brush your belt with pepsodent.

A paste made up of Comet or some other surfactant would do equally as well or perhaps better, but toothpaste is easy and makes your motors breath smell better. It's easier to rinse off too.

* Try removing the belt, and spin the tensioner by hand. The pulley should turn smoothly, but not necessarily freely. If it spins freely, or feels rough, the bearing may be bad. Most likely, the tensioner itself is worn to the point it's getting cocked, which makes the belt track cockeyed, which would be where the squeal is coming from. Tensioners do have a finite life cycle, and we replace a bunch of them on vehicles only a few years old these days.

 

[Lee_Burough]

Fantasia!

My wife thought she was watching "The Sorcerers Apprentice" in her kitchen this morning.

I found an old pump bottle of LAVA soap with a bit of soap remaining. Added a little water. Added a couple tablespoons of comet. Mixed.

After taking the serpentine belt off and rechecking the pulleys again, I put the concoction on the serpentine belt and pulleys. Its absolutely quiet. Didn't wash it off. Just left it there and did some errands. Still quiet.

I apologize for hijacking your thread Ryan. If the coolant you mentioned is the only cause of your squealing, the toothpaste cure will surely cure it. Time will tell whether I have solved the squeal or not.

Thanks everybody!



Leeb

 

[Lee_Burough]

Its BAAAAAaaaaak

Requsting help from Rickracer,

Welp, the squeal is back. I can silence it for a few miles with straight comet salted on the belt. But, it comes back.

The Squeal comes from the tensioner pulley/Alternator side of the Dakota engine. Replaced the tensionner pulley today. Still squeals.

I noted that the angle of the tensoiner pulley didn't look right. One side of the pulley is closer to the front of the engine than the other, resulting in more tension on the back half of the pulley than the front half (I mean to say the pulley bolt doesn't point straigtht ahead at a right angle to the travel of the belt, it toes in slightly like its pigeon toed)....Could this misalignment be the source of the squeal? The alternator is next.....

Thanks for your help on this problem

lee

 

[Turbo Brian]

If you replaced your original belt on the Buick with a 640K6 instead of a 635K6, you have a belt that is 1/2 inch too large and it will squeal.

It seems that most of the electronic catalogs have the 640K6 listed because many belt companies do not make the smaller size.

(640K6 means 64", 6 rib)
(635K6 means 63.5", 6 rib)

 

[nuc]

Had same problem, used correct belt and replaced tensioner bearings, still squealed. slightly loosened bolts connecting alt. to bracket. Put pry bar between a/c compressor and bottom of alt., pried upwards and tightened alt. bolts, no more squeal. Hope it helps for you.

 

[Rickracer]

Classic tensioner wear

Replace the tensioner itself and your noise will go away. When the pulley is misaligned, it feeds the belt to the next pulley at an odd angle, and it has to "slip" back to it's normal path. That's where the squeal is coming from now.

 

[RAMAIR1]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I just wanted to thank RickRacer for posting the toothpaste trick. I had never heard that one before, but it worked instantly for me....hopefully I will stay squeak free over time. I had an annoying belt sqeal after replacing my t-stat....now I just have to figure out my annoying rear drum squeal...

Thanks again...