Belt Chirp.....

[Sal329]

So the other nigth I started the car and u could hear the belt squealing LOUD. I sprayed with some stuff we had at work. It was nice and quiet. Next day same problem, same solution lol. Well this went on till I finally had some time to go to Advanced. I picked up a new belt and Idler pulley. My pulley you could see was frozen in place and the ball bearings missing. Today I finally replaced the belt and pulley. Nomore squeal. Now it goes... Chirp..... Chirp... Chirp... lol I check and there is no bird in there. Could the new pullye be defective? Does it need a few days to cure or somethin?

 

[kustomizingkid]

What kind of belt did you get? Gatorback belts from napa are sensitive to what direction you install them, they get noisy installed backwards.

 

[Sal329]

I picked up a dayco belt

 

[poniesviii]

4/5 times it's the belt. I've had new belts chirp. All I could find to do was replace the thing and hope for one that didn't. I've had this problem more frequently than just on the mark.

BUT, also you should've cleaned everything the belt rides on before installing the new belt after you put that gunk on the last one. Serpentine belts absolutely HATE belt squeal lube. That stuff's for V belts only.

In more minimal cases where I spilled antifreeze on the serpentine system I washed the belt in the tub w a brush using dawn dish soap. (I know it prob dries the belt out) and I cleaned every single pulley w a solvent soaked rag and it went away. So..

..point being, it could just be the gunk you used still remaining on the pulleys. It doesn't take but just a minimal amount of foreign substance somewhere on the serpentine system to make a squeal with as many grooves as a serpentine belt has.

 

[Sal329]

Not sure if oils make a difference but this is what I sprayed on the old pulley http://automotive.hardwarestore.com...ts-/castle-thrust-penetrating-oil-453068.aspx
I noticed the belt was off to one side of the tensioner pully. Not sure if this is normal here are the pics

 

[unity]

First off your whole belt is now oiled and will need replacing. Oil breaks down rubber. Penetrating oil is the worst.

Remove belt. Degrease everything well and get a new belt.

The tensioner is likely worn, I am pretty sure you can get the entire unit from a parts store. If not, jamie97lsc has a few I am sure.

 

[poniesviii]

Nomore squeal. Now it goes... Chirp..... Chirp... Chirp... lol I check and there is no bird in there. Could the new pullye be defective? Does it need a few days to cure or somethin?

I doubt the new pulley's defective. I'd say the system needs to be cleaned off, including all the way around the harmonic balancer and the belt in the bath tub w dish soap and a plastic scrub brush. Make sure it gets rinsed off good. Sounds bad to do but trouble shooting is to rule out problems not 90 percent rule out problems.

Then if it doesn't go away., which it probably will, but..

Buy a new tensioner. It could be walking (more like bouncing back and forth jsut a hair) and creating a squeal with bad bearings. I had one that made a noise. Don't remember if it chirped or not, but I knew it was going to need replaced and waited anyways, then pulled into a gas station one day to hear grinding, pop the hood and all the bearings had finally decided to fall out of the tensioner pulley. The pulley was spinning dead against my timing cover gnawing a huge gash in it with absolutely no bearings left. Not saying that's your problem, but your belt walk is weird in that picture as if the bearings might be going. I honestly can't remember if it was a chirp I was hearing before it went bad..

..

Then a new belt if none of that works. Except get a gatorback and put it on the right way. Seriously with a stock car I shredded two different serpentine belts just by throttling my car on take offs on the highway, the torque of the stock motor would squeal the belt for a couple seconds every time I got into it good and only a gatorback has proved to last and not squeal just from torque, it' s lasted 3 years which is a record for belts on this car.

 

[JRMARK8]

I got the same belt bird chirping noise as well,I sprayed wd40 on the idler pulley and made it worse .one night my car was running a co-worker herd the noise he was really looking for this bird i told him it was my car .I let the car run about 10,15 min noise goes away but really bad on rainy days.

 

[Sal329]

How do I know the proper way to install the gator belt. Who sells a gator belt?

 

[mespock]

First off your whole belt is now oiled and will need replacing. Oil breaks down rubber. Penetrating oil is the worst.

Remove belt. Degrease everything well and get a new belt.

The tensioner is likely worn, I am pretty sure you can get the entire unit from a parts store. If not, jamie97lsc has a few I am sure.

You can get new OEM parts from Max for about $60-$70 including shipping for 2 idler pulleys and new OEM belt.

Been there done that...

 

[Sal329]

I already have a new pulley and belt, don't really wanna fork out another $60 for another pulley and belt. I will look into the tensioner though.

 

[unity]

The tensioner pulley is what may be needed. Yes the guide pulley is new, we know that. If you pull off the tensioner you will see they are the same really.