Serpentine belt replacement

a similar question. I have to do the same thing on my S10. Are there any differences between belt brands? THe one I have now makes a horrendous noise (did it from day 1). You can hear the car coming from a block away. IS something else wrong?

tensioner,should

Barry:

If you want the best Serpentine belt available....

buy a GoodYear Gatorback to get rid of the squeal noise

IF the belt is the cause of the squeal.....

GatorBack's cost about $55 from an alternator rebuild dealer....

Use a 15mm wrench to move the tensioner. Make sure you remember how the belt goes back on, hopefully you still have a diagram somewhere in the engine compartment.

Ian

Yes be sure you don't have a bearing problem in one of your accessories (water pump, alternator, power steering pump) One trick is to put a pole against each component body and listen at the other end while the engine is running - noting of course an object in the wrong spot of moving parts could render a nasty result. While you have the belt off, you can turn the pulleys by hand and feel if they may be rough (should be pretty smooth running). If luck is with you, the noise is just from the belt. Good luck!

I just pulled on the tensioner by hand....

~KJ/TLGM

tensioner,should

It must be a weak one! ;-)

Brian

Probably a tensioner on the Vortec v-6 or v-8. Those tensioners I can move by hand and install the belts. Other tensioners on other engines are far too tight to move. Not quite sure why the Vortec tensioners have so little tension on them..maybe due to the routing of the belt.

Ian

That's what I was wondering... because I remember my father working on the same truck ('88 S10) and using a crow bar..... I just hauled on it (wasn't super easy) got the serp off and replaced my alt in the parking lot of the parts place. Left it hangin over one of the pulley's and drove it 20min home with no belt.. (only disclaimer is I was rather sick at the time). She still drove like a champ after that... temp sensor never got over operating temp but it has been explained to me that that wouldn't mean much...

~KJ/TLMG