Belt squeal....Help PLZ!!!!!!


Beef52751

Beef52751

15+ Year Member

Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
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Age
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City
Eastern Iowa
Vehicle Year
86
Transmission
Manual
The belt on my truck squeals like crazy...i tried belt dressing and it made it worse, it doesnt do it at idle but the second you tap the gas it sounds terrible!!!!!
any ideas on how to make it stop???
Thanks
Beef
 
I'd replace the belt first. If it still squeals, i'd replace the tensioner...not too bad a job at all.
Good luck.
 
get a bar of soap , start the rig and let the belts run on the soap. this trick works really good. and its cheap.
 
You DO know why the soap 'trick' works don't you?
That's not a fix...its just more pleasant on the ears. Seriously, if you can't afford a belt or tensioner with gas prices at todays level...you probably shouldn't be driving.
Here's a good comparison. You don't like that your shoes squeak when you play basketball. Just cover the bottom of your sneakers in soap and the sound will disappear...
 
Last edited:
I agree^^^^

Belts are very cheep and are meant to be replaced. Thats why they have a tensioner. Is it cracked at all?
 
the belt is only 5-6 months old and probally about 4000miles. i shouldnt need a new one yet should I?
Thanks
Beef
 
No it shouldn't...if the belt wasn't a cheapo offname that stretched already...you either have a bad tensioner(VERY likely) or an accessory not spinning right. Mine did the same thing...replaced belt and tensioner and problem has not returned.
 
nothing new to add except perhaps alignment issues between pulleys. Easy way to tell this is if you throw belts alot, which didn't seem to be in your post. Replace the tensioner and belt and you'll be fine as a frog hair split 4 ways......
 
Take off the belt and spin all of the accessory pulleys by hand. If they're all smooth, you probably have a weak tensioner. It's a common failure.

Squeal is caused by the belt slipping, which will wear out the belt. Even though you have a new belt, inspect it for any cracks or tears. Cracks across the belt are OK as long as no chunks are lifting out or missing. Cracks along the length of the belt are bad and the belt will need to be replaced.

Pay attention to routing when you remove the belt--it will make it much easier to reinstall.
 
If you bought a belt from an autoparts store throw it away. Go to Ford and buy the correct belt for your truck this will take care of the noise problem. I had the same problem on my truck and the autoparts store belt is not the right size that is the problem.:icon_cheers:
 
Not to mention check the idler pulley. The 3.0's idler pulley is problematic. The bearing tends to wear out fast, which causes the pulley to move slightly during operation. This can lead to the above problem.
 
Squealing issue.

Don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but tensioner replacement is recommended. Belt should be replaced with premium Gates, Napa, or Motorcraft. Rangers are not inferior vehicles, so they should not use inferior parts.

Things to do before you replace a belt, while it is off... Check tensioner and ac compressor and all bearings for play and movement. Check all pulleys for corrosion. If there is corrosion, use sandpaper and/or a wire wheel to remove it from surfaces. Check hoses/radiator for leaks. Sometimes small coolant leaks cause big squeaks. If you do all of this, you will have a nice, quiet truck.

I wish i could do this to my neighbor's Astro van. They have a super annoying squeak at startup and it drives me crazy.
 
look for burned rubber on the pulleys. if its been squealing a while and it is a bad tensioner/pulley then it will leave tell tale evidence. My Suburban did that and burned through the belt in 15 min, had burned rubber on the idler pulley. had to replace the belt and the tentioner. if it is a bad pulley replace the belt again too ...... if its squealiing its done
 
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