My belts are squealing on my battlecruiser.
I replaced my belt and water pump (it seized on me and shredded the old belt) a few months ago and the new belt I installed has been squealing ever since. I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to adjust the tensioner on this thing to make it stop. How do I do it? I've tried to turn the nut on it and can't get it to budge and I'm not all that sure that that'll do it anyways.
Any suggestions?
Well first of all if your water pump went bad the chances of the belt tensioner caused it and the squealing. The tensioner is a self adjusting part. If it is seized up it will cause damage to the water pump and cause the belt to squeal. If the tensioner has never been replaced now would be a good time to do it. Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech
Nononononono... I caused it to seize. You know the little hole that drips coolant when the seal goes bad??? Well... me being the lazy-ass procrastinator I am, instead of changing the pump, I plugged up the hole. The pump eventually seized and I replaced it the next morning.
Odd part about it was that I picked up a new pump the morning it seized.
Your misdiagnosing allot of vehicles dirty
Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech
The tensioner doesen't have to seize to go bad. All the tensioner does is use a big spring to apply tension to the belt - and you ever notice how over time the springs in your sofa get crushed down and sag and lose their springiness? Same thing happens here. Once the tensioner's spring has sagged it won't apply the right tension and the belt will start slipping, which makes it squeal.
Ted
My tensioner was making a heck of a racket - a very high pitched squeel, difficult to hear, and even more difficult to pinpoint the location. Once I did, I shut the engine down, released the tension and slipped off the belt. I then spun the tensioner spindle by hand. You could hear that the bearing was shot.
After consulting this group, I learned that I was right in the mileage range that these tensioners tend to "go". I had the tensioner replaced, and voila! problem solved.
Only thing that concerned me was that the original tensioner had a metal wheel on it. The new one is plastic!
Oh well...
on the 2003 Caravan, is the tensioner the same design. Instead of waiting for it to go bad, is there a mileage we should change it as preventative maintenance. Tx
On a 3.3, I had a tensioner seize and snap completely off with relatively low mileage.Put the pivot stud in torsion and twisted it off. popped the belt in two when it did it. vehicle didn't have 20K on it. I would check the bearing and replace the tensioner if it is not free and quiet.
Frank
REPOST Hey Ted, What normally causes the tensioner to sag is the fact that it starts to lock up. Hit the accelerator pedal and watch the tensioner spring forward... when the tensioner seizes up it does not spring forward and pulls on the water pump. Have you ever seen a tensioner completely snap off? That's because the tensioner is not doing its job and twists at the stud which over time will just break off. Since the water pump bearing is weaker then the stud, the water pump goes out first. Most people simply replace the water pump as Dirty does. And when the tensioner is seized up the water pump will normally fail again. Bu your right the tensioner does not have to seize up to go bad.
Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech
Can't vouch for the 2003, but on my 1994 the mechanic said that they usually tend to fail - in general - somewhere between 150,000 kms and
180,000 kms. S>on the 2003 Caravan, is the tensioner the same design. Instead of waiting
Holy twisted metal Batman! That's nasty, and - from what I understand
- not typical. I trust that was fixed under warranty?
Yes, but not without a fight. Dealer claimed it was an uncovered normal wear part. At less than 20K. Go figure. As I recall, they finally agreed to do the work, I had to pay for the towing to get it to them.
Also had one go bad on a 3.8, but that vehicle had about 70K miles at the time it went bad. same thing, locked up (the pivot arm) and popped the belt. This one didn't twist off but stayed locked up and had to be replaced.
Frank
springiness?
I've never had it happen but a friend of mine has a great story when he was helping a friend of his drive a UHaul truck to Texas - the tensioner fell off the engine in the parking lot of a good old boys bar somewhere in Kansas.
Ted
what really sucks is when the tensioner breaks off and hits the P/S pulley (plastic) and breaks a chunk out to it. Put the tensioner on and the belt and then see the pulley. that pulley is a pain in the but to R&R.
When did they go to plastic? Both my 94 and 95 vans have metal pulleys on their PS pumps.
Ted
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