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anupaum

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All of a sudden I'm having serpentine belt problems. A few days ago part of my serpentine belt disintigrated, so I replaced it. Two days ago it began squeaking. It's not a little, minor thing, but an exceedingly irritating, nerve-grating noise that can actually aspire above my stereo!

The belt had come partially off, for some reason. I put it back where it belongs, sprayed belt dressing on it, but the squeak won't go away. I've NEVER had this problem before. I'm hoping someone here can let me know why this thing started squeaking in the first place.
 


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Are you sure it isn't a pulley going bad? Idler, tensioner or water pump?
 

fordboi415

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Cps squeels when going bad as well, if the squeel got louder when you put the dressing on it then its definatly a pulley bearing
 

anupaum

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Cps squeels when going bad as well, if the squeel got louder when you put the dressing on it then its definatly a pulley bearing
Oh boy!

Any ideas how to figure out which one? I've got an alternator, water pump, power steering pump and two idlers, in addition to the blower.

I wouldn't say the squeal got louder when I put belt dressing on it, but it certainly didn't seem to help!
 

anupaum

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By the way, what is CPS?
 

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pull the belt off and spin each pulley by hand, they should all spin freely and smoothly. The idler and tensioner pulleys can be usuals for going bad and either freezing up or practically falling off. Also check the tensioner to make sure it moves back and forth properly and actually has the normal spring action.

I've had an idler pulley almost come off, a tensioner pulley freeze up, and the tensioner actually freeze up and then pop apart... Thankfully all of the parts tend to be in stock at parts stores, and the new aftermarket tensioners are actually a much better design than the original factory tensioners.
 

anupaum

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pull the belt off and spin each pulley by hand, they should all spin freely and smoothly. The idler and tensioner pulleys can be usuals for going bad and either freezing up or practically falling off. Also check the tensioner to make sure it moves back and forth properly and actually has the normal spring action.
Ok, that I can do.

I've had an idler pulley almost come off, a tensioner pulley freeze up, and the tensioner actually freeze up and then pop apart... Thankfully all of the parts tend to be in stock at parts stores, and the new aftermarket tensioners are actually a much better design than the original factory tensioners.
My sweetheart is REALLY running out of patience with my truck right now . . .
 

anupaum

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I borrowed a mechanic's stethoscope and listened to the blower, the power steering pump, the water pump and the alternator while the truck was running. All I could hear was a normal-sounding, steady hum.

So I removed the belt. I can't tell whether it's been stretched. All of the pulleys spin freely. The idler pulley below the power steering pump is a wee bit wobbly (I can wiggle it ever so slightly if I try), and while the wheel on the tensioner pulley looks a tiny bit worn, it doesn't wobble at all.

I'm quite puzzled by this. If the problem turns out to be a stretched belt, then how did it stretch in the first place? I can't be swapping out $50 belts every couple of weeks!
 

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Take the belt back and trade for a new one. Have them measure the squeeky one against the new one, perhaps you got a defective belt.
 

anupaum

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Take the belt back and trade for a new one. Have them measure the squeeky one against the new one, perhaps you got a defective belt.
The problem is, once a belt has been installed, it has NO warranty. It wasn't squeaking when I put it on, and in fact, ran for a few days without trouble. I don't think the belt was defective. I think I've overlooked something . . .
 

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Hate to state the obvious, but have you checked the pulley alignment at all? In my past experience with large boats I found that a serpentine belt will not put up with any misalignment. The boats we built had large DC to AC inverter systems on them and we used to install two alternators on the engines to split the start and cabin power systems. Most of the engines used a serpentine setup and since the bracketry for the cabin power alternator had to be fabricated, alignment was sometimes an issue if the welders had a bad day. Sometimes as little as 1/16" misalignment could cause the belt to climb out of the pulley valley and basically destroy itself.

Is it possible that your blower pulley, or another could have shifted causing your issues? A quick check with a straightedge would give a definite answer.
 

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i had a worn out water pump on a 5.8 giving me a squeak causing the belt to slide a little sideways on the pulley as it passed over.
 

anupaum

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Hate to state the obvious, but have you checked the pulley alignment at all?
Yes, I have. It lines up beautifully, AND, when it's running, tracks arrow straight. Of course, I can't check when the engine has a load on it, and it's possible that the engine torque is causing a problem. However, I've had the blower on this thing for a long time, and it's strange that it would suddenly have developed this issue.

In my past experience with large boats I found that a serpentine belt will not put up with any misalignment. The boats we built had large DC to AC inverter systems on them and we used to install two alternators on the engines to split the start and cabin power systems. Most of the engines used a serpentine setup and since the bracketry for the cabin power alternator had to be fabricated, alignment was sometimes an issue if the welders had a bad day. Sometimes as little as 1/16" misalignment could cause the belt to climb out of the pulley valley and basically destroy itself.

Is it possible that your blower pulley, or another could have shifted causing your issues? A quick check with a straightedge would give a definite answer.
I'll check again. You're absolutely right, though. Alignment is a critical thing and it SHOULDN'T be going through belts like this!
 

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I added power steering to my Ranger. Went from V-belt to serpentine. Wanted to squeal. Had to shim the water pump pulley out 3/16" to get it into alignment. No more squeal.
 

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