HELP! After going from a light squeal to a loud howling very quickly, I spent about an hour reading related posts. I removed the PS/Gen belt, but the noise persisted. I removed the AC belt & the noise went away. Before ordering new belts & pulleys, I decided to clean up the PS/Gen Belt & put it back on in hopes of checking the harmonic balancer- the howling returned immediately. Is this a valid method of checking the harmonic balancer? Should I start by replacing it? I can't imagine both belts or sets of pulleys going bad at the exact same time. It is the only common denominator.

Suggestions/comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

Dennis

 

You have two belt systems on your car. One is the drive belt system, the other is the air conditioner belt system.
The drive belt system consists of the serpentine belt,the power steering pump, alternator/gen, water pump, harmonic balancer, idler pulley,belt auto tensioner pulley.
The AC belt system consists of the compressor, harmonic balancer,idler pulley, belt auto tensioner pulley.
First thing you need to do is isolate which system is squeaking. this can be done by releasing tension on the drive belt tensioner and removing the serp belt. This is the outboard belt of the two belt systems..if the squeak goes away, then it is the belt or a component of the drive system.
If the squeak is still there, then it is a component of the ac belt system.
to verify this release the belt tension from the tensioner and remove the belt. if the squeak goes away, then it is a component of the ac belt system..
A common problem is the belt tensioner on either system.. but verifying which system is at fault is the proper procedure.
You could replace both belts, but you may still have the squeak. So if you want to find the culprit, isolate the system, then spray the belt of the offending system and see if the squeak goes away. Try to stay away from the idler and tensioner while spaying..
I find that belt dressing may be good to identify a belt problem, but it is a temporary fix at best..
The real problem has been the tensioner and the idler.. both of these components have a sealed bearing which has been know to dry up or redirect the grease away from the bearing, thus causing the squeak.
If you find that a belt change does not correct the problem, then a change of both the idler and tensioner pulley is in order. If you just change the idler or the tensioner alone, it will cause the other component to go bad in a month or so. This has been the case with many members..There was a change made to the dusts seals to help correct this problem in newer C5's.
Lots of tensioner and idler pulleys have been identified as a problem.. and it can effect either system. One is not more prevalent than the other. So find out which system is squeaking first, in the drive belt system, it could also be the bearing of the alternator, power steering pump, or water pump too, but these are less probable.
I hope this makes things alittle clearer

 

I went through this also, check for bad pulley and if they are ok then replace the main belt with a goodyear gatorback ($30).

 

Do pulleys come off of both tensioners, or do you have to replace the whole unit?

thanks - Mike

 

there are two tensioner pulleys, and two idler pulleys, they can not be taken apart you have to buy the whole unit.

 

when our c5 is cold, we get slight squeak; when the car warms up, no squeak. seems to be one of the few pitas of owning a c5. bub

 

does this happen when you hit the gas? cause i hear a squeal when i accelerate at low speeds

-T

 

I eliminated mine (following evil twins suggestions)

I replaced my main serp belt (gator back), still a little squeal, so I ordered the serp and idler pulleys, and lower belt (a/c gatorback) and all is well...

took maybe a little over one hour or so to take off both belts and replace pulleys and replace belts...

hth

kasp

 

Great write-up!!!!!

Now, once I identify my problem, if it's a component, can I get it replaced under warranty?

. . . yeah, I'm tight.

 

sooo after (2) weeks i guess... we had a damp/dew morning (you know what I mean) and I fire her up..... well there is a bit of a squeal... not very loud at all, but definantly there..... sigh...

replaced:
both belts with gatorbacks
both pulleys (idle, and tensioner)

whats next? water pump, harmonic balancer, alt. bearing?

anyone replaced belts/pulleys and still had the squeal?

tia!

kasp

 

Thanks for the great info!

 

After 2 of my own attempts to fix it (new belt, then new tensioner), it persisted. Took to Chevy under warranty. They replaced the belt again (with less than 10 hours on mine - said of was glazed). Stopped it for a grand total of 10 minutes, then right back to the dealer. They replaced tensioners and idles on both drive and A/C system. Stopped the noise for about a day, then back.. Replaced water pump. Fixed it for about 1/2 hour...back AGAIN..finally - they replaced harmonic balancer. that did the trick. No problems since then (6 weeks ago and all is still good)
~~.
~~

 

ahh I was afraid of that... hehe, thankx for the reply tho! I'll look at replacing the ol Harmonic Balancer when I do the mezier water pump.. I supose...



Kasp

 

I also had this problem, squeeking belts I thought? Well, after 4 visits to the local GM dealer and 2 new belts and a belt tensioner, they replaced the harmonic balancer with a "new and improved" one. No more squeel!

 

How much was the replacement of the harmonic balancer? Mine has some slight wobble and has begun to squeak too... anyone remember the pricing or maybe I could just do it myself if not too challenging... I have replced the belts, tensioners, idler pulleys, and complete water pump ..... car runs cooler and no more coolant leaks but still a squeak and slight wobble in the balancer...so I guess that is the next step. thanks guys....

Thomas