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252 Posts
Hi,
Here's a way to test for a noisy serpentine belt vs noisy bearings:
Put some water in a pump spray bottle and set the sprayer to a "stream"; like a squirt gun (not a misted spray). With the engine running and the you're hearing the squealing, spray a little water on the belt contact surface of any metal V-grooved pulley you can easily squirt at. If the noise goes away, you know it's a noisy serpentine belt. The water acts a temporary lubricant to kill the noise before it evaporates. Belt squeal may be due to misaligned A/C pump, alternator, power steering pump, etc. (read on).
As you are probably aware, a cold belt squeals more, so do the test when the engine is not already hot.
In my case, not one, but two remanufactured water pumps had the water pump pulley flange pressed on too far down on the pump shaft. I finally fixed the squealing problem by putting 4 washers underneath the pump pulley before bolting it back onto the pump flange. That set the pulley back out where it was better on the vertical plane with the rest of the pulleys and rollers. Not pretty, but it works: no more squeal.
Fyi - Doing the pump job twice was not the only blood let: Before I was finally enlightened about the "water spray" test (from a seasoned auto electric acquaintance), I replaced both of the serpentine belt idle rollers (~$50). I then replaced the serpentine belt with one of the new quiet Dayco "Poly Rib" belts that are supposed to help quite noise on older cars like my '93 Taurus (68,000 miles). The Poly Rib belt (~$30) has flattened ribs instead of pointy ribs). It made less noise than the older style "Poly Cog" belt, but there was still some noise: no fault of the belt.
I finally determined it was a problem with the water pump pulley alignment when I put the new Poly Rib belt on. I could see (and hear) that it was trying to "walk off" the end of the pulley. The Poly Cog belt (almost new) stayed put, down in the pump pulley grooves, and gave no clue where the problem was. I kept the Poly Rib belt is on there and it is working just fine.
If you're thinking about getting one of Dayco's new "Poly Rib" belts, you have to ask your supplier to actually look at the belt they have in stock, or order one from the factory for you. Unfortunately, Dayco's part numbers are the same. They have a sparkle to them also; like they have graphite or something embedded in the rubber.
Live and learn . . .
Brcobrem
Here's a way to test for a noisy serpentine belt vs noisy bearings:
Put some water in a pump spray bottle and set the sprayer to a "stream"; like a squirt gun (not a misted spray). With the engine running and the you're hearing the squealing, spray a little water on the belt contact surface of any metal V-grooved pulley you can easily squirt at. If the noise goes away, you know it's a noisy serpentine belt. The water acts a temporary lubricant to kill the noise before it evaporates. Belt squeal may be due to misaligned A/C pump, alternator, power steering pump, etc. (read on).
As you are probably aware, a cold belt squeals more, so do the test when the engine is not already hot.
In my case, not one, but two remanufactured water pumps had the water pump pulley flange pressed on too far down on the pump shaft. I finally fixed the squealing problem by putting 4 washers underneath the pump pulley before bolting it back onto the pump flange. That set the pulley back out where it was better on the vertical plane with the rest of the pulleys and rollers. Not pretty, but it works: no more squeal.
Fyi - Doing the pump job twice was not the only blood let: Before I was finally enlightened about the "water spray" test (from a seasoned auto electric acquaintance), I replaced both of the serpentine belt idle rollers (~$50). I then replaced the serpentine belt with one of the new quiet Dayco "Poly Rib" belts that are supposed to help quite noise on older cars like my '93 Taurus (68,000 miles). The Poly Rib belt (~$30) has flattened ribs instead of pointy ribs). It made less noise than the older style "Poly Cog" belt, but there was still some noise: no fault of the belt.
I finally determined it was a problem with the water pump pulley alignment when I put the new Poly Rib belt on. I could see (and hear) that it was trying to "walk off" the end of the pulley. The Poly Cog belt (almost new) stayed put, down in the pump pulley grooves, and gave no clue where the problem was. I kept the Poly Rib belt is on there and it is working just fine.
If you're thinking about getting one of Dayco's new "Poly Rib" belts, you have to ask your supplier to actually look at the belt they have in stock, or order one from the factory for you. Unfortunately, Dayco's part numbers are the same. They have a sparkle to them also; like they have graphite or something embedded in the rubber.
Live and learn . . .
Brcobrem
