I just replaced the serpentine belt, which approached the limit of my mechanical abilities, but seemed to go well, i.e. no problems that I noticed. Now, however, when I drive the car, I get a hideous squeal or grind (Sorry, I know, but it really does sound like both at times), but only when I turn the steering wheel, or accelerate from a stop. Since my personal driving patterns require me to do both, I need to get this fixed. Anyone have an idea and an hint?
thanks in advance, Patrick boyd
Did your belt tensioner move OK when you released it to remove the belt? These tensioners are notorious for seizing up, or being so hard to move that the spring doesn't hold the belt tight.
Make sure your belt is tight.
Make sure you didn't get the cheap belt. Goodyear Gatorback is the best belt for the money. It was the only brand that did not squeal on my '94 Caravan. I replaced every possible squealing component that the belt touches... didn't help a bit. I even tried 2 of the "cheaper" belts. Once I got the gatorback, everything was nice and quiet.
Too bad the damned thing costed $30.
My first thought is that the belt tensioner is not doing the job. Next, the new belt somehow got "dirty". By this I mean it has oil or whatever on it. Remove the belt and wash it with soap and water or at least rinse it with water. Some of the pulleys could be dirty too, a bit harder to wash. If you're careful with the oversplash, you can wash everything with a hose while the belt is mounting and engine idling.
I suspect that with a new hose, unless the pulleys are dirty (thereby contaminating the new belt), the belt tensioner is probably the culprit. You can buy a belt tensioner gauge, but if you have over 100K miles, buying a new tensioner is not exactly a big mistake on your part.
-PapaRick
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patrick boyd wrote:
Troubleshooting V-ribbed Belt Noise
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