Since i bought my car, i've had a loud squeal from the serpentine belt. It squeals from startup, through all types of driving, and also at idle. The squeal gets louder when i put more load on the belt when the A/C is engaged. It seems that the flat (unribbed) part of the belt is dragging on one of the pulleys and i cannot figure out why!

I have tried everything.

The ac clutch and compressor have been replaced, the bearings on both the tensioner and idler pulleys have been replaced and spin freely, the power steering pump has been replaced, the alternator has been replaced, and my crank pulley seems to be fully in tact and is not splitting or separating and has no play.

When the belt is off, NONE of the pulleys squeak or spin awkwardly or roughly. The power steering pump pulley and hydraulic fan pulley both have some restriction to them when i spin them ( i assume this is ok becuase they are both hydraulic and the restriction is fluid being pumped ).

I've replaced the belt 5 times, and found that it is silent until the flat part wears down far enough to start squeeling again. And the wear is only on the front 1/3 of the belt. I have also cleaned all the pulleys thoroughly several times and dried them.


I'm at a loss, and have no idea what to do?


My current thoughts:

Bad tensioner? But theres plenty of tention on the belt, and while the engine is running, the tensioner doesn't fluctuate beyond the small indicators on the housing.

Too much fluid pressure? I'm thinking that maybe there is too much fluid pressure building up in either the power steering system or the hydraulic fan system that may be restricting those pulleys. If this were the case, then a certain pulley would be spinning slower than all the other pulleys, causing a drag on the belt as its traveling around the pulleys.

Again, please help

 

Try some belt dressing?

 

mines used to be like yours..just go to Auto Zone and buy the Good Year GatorBack Serpentine belt and your noise will go away..

 

please dont use belt dressing, the gatorback for sure

 

So you're saying it is a belt issue? I've been replacing it with gates belts since i get them cheap.

What causes you guys to think its a belt issue? The belt is RUBBING in a spot. It is physically wearing away after literally 2 days. How can this be the belt's fault...

Oh, and i used belt dressing two belts ago and it made the squeal 100x louder.

 

Sounds to me like something is mis-aligned.

KC

 

video of the squeal? i wanna see if it sounds like my squeal. heh

 

Huh belt dressing made all noise go away for me lol.. Probably something different though?

 

Sounds like your gates is to long. I replaced the belt tensioner and it didnt really help.

 

either something misaligned not enough tension or a pully is not moving well...

 

Mine only squeals after its rained for a couple of days and its not been driven.

 

Check your Harmonic Balancer!! (your main crank pulley). The rubber casing can separate over time and your pulley will split/spin. Draw/paint a white line clear across the front face of the pulley. Drive the car and the see if the line is no longer straight. This is not a uncommon thing to go south. The rubber in the pulley gets old/hot and oilly over time and breaks down. Also, make darn sure your tensioner is in good shape.

 

Get a GatorBack!

Also, take the pulley off of your belt tensioner and take that to an auto parts store and have them press a new bearing in. My local CarQuest did it for eight dollars. Took my squeal away and haven't had any engine noise since.


Now, I am **** about maintenance like that (best insurance in keeping your car longer). I actually replace my serpentine belt annually with a fresh GatorBack. Expensive belt at $30 or so, but to me its worth it.

 

that's exactly what happened to mines..right when i was about to go to work, BAM...the harmonic balancer fell apart into 2 pieces..

 

I have already replaced the bearing in the tensioner pulley with a new one. I'll draw a paint line on the crank pulley and see what happens.

I'm still skeptical about the gatorback. I'm sure its a great belt, but I still don't see how its going to resist the wear issue. Maybe I'll just bite the bullet and go get one... sigh. Wonder if they'll warranty it if it squeals?