Maybe some of you veterans can help me. My 2001 c5 has a squeaky chirp sound(prob 1 chirp a second) for about 5 mins after startup and then goes away. Where do I start? Belt? Pulley? Tensioner?
Thanks.

 

When mine did this I replaced the surpentine belts and the noise went away.

 

My belt squeaks once in a blue moon, always when the weather has been damp. Once the car warms up it goes away. It's definitely the belt on my car and not the pulley. The belt doesn't look worn, nor does it happen frequently, so I've decided to live with it.

I guess your problem could be a pulley, but it doesn't sound like it to me. You'd think it would squeak all the time if it were a bearing. Right?

If your belt looks good, then you might want to try some belt dressing. If that makes the noise go away, even temporarily, then you've found your problem. You can then have the belt replaced or choose to endure it until the belt is worn enough to require replacement.

 

A bar of soap will work in the absence of belt dressing.

 

E-T doesn't check in much but he posted this great advice on how to tie down whats squeaking

Belt Squeal Courtesy E-T

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 serpentine belt. This is the outboard belt of the two belt systems. If the squeak goes away, then it’s the belt or a component of the drive system.

If the squeak is still there, then it’s 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’s 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. 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 spraying. 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 affect 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 a little clearer

 

Your car is 7 years old, you are just now developing some squeak because the lube in your tensioners and idler pulleys is drying up... once the car is warmed up, what is left of the grease is being redistributed and the squeak goes away... this will get worse as time goes on... the fix is to remove the four pulleys and remove the rubber seals, you must use a silicone high speed high temp grease, no wheel bearing grease, no petro product grease. You can also replace these four bearings. its also time to change the belts...not because they will fail you, but because the rubber is old and this wears on the smooth idlers and causes wobble, you will note the uneven surface on the smooth idlers, and this also helps to wear out those four bearings.
Bill aka ET

 

This advice and the previous post sound great to me. I've had the chirping problem. I spent a small fortune at the dealership trying to resolve it. The fix lasted for a few months and then the chirping started up again, much to my disappointment. I contacted General Motors; they're trying to help me get it resolved. I wish I knew how to do the recommended fixes myself, and had the necessary tools and equipment.

I wonder about the bar of soap. Would that cause the belts to slip (and possibly add to the chirping), countering the friction they need to function properly?

 

Like other's have indicated, there are many potential causes.

I was lucky, I replaced the main serp belt and the noise went away!

How handy are you? It took me about 10 min to change the belt and that was the first time doing it on the C5.

Just need a basic rachet set, a belt diagram and I chose the goodyear gatorback as a replacement.

We're all here to help if you choose to do it.

al

 

I'm having the same issue. Once again, ET comes to the rescue.

 

I must be the exception to the rule. My chirping lasted until the engine warmed up too but it was caused by an exhaust leak. I tightened up those bolts and the thing hasn't chirped since. That was last year.

 

Got a set of Gatorback belts at my local Auto Zone last summer. Haven't heard the squeak since. I replaced both belts.

 

That's what I've heard... never tried it myself. Had the same problem with my car and they had to replace the belt tensioner (or so they claimed ).

 

What do u do with the bar of soap never had a problem with a belt so i guess im new to this

 

My chirp during start-up was created by the AC tensioner pulley bearing (not the tensioner itself) and the AC idler bearing. Both pulleys are the same IIRC.

 

Mine chirped so I changed the main belt and main tenshioner and the chirping was gone.

 

I had the same issue with my headers. I chased the "squeeky belt" for about 4 hours, untill I happened to glace at the header bolts and saw that one was loose.
It sounded EXACTLY like a bad belt or tensioner.

 

I know! What someone posted that made me look there was the comparison of blowing on a blade of grass as a kid. The chirping was caused by the same theory. Of course, the expanding metal from the engine warming up would make the chirping go away. The darnest thing!

 

I had a similar problem. Replaced both belts and it did not go away. I pulled the tensioner pulley off and it was worn out. I replaced it and have not had any problems since.

 

Well here's another chirpy issue for someone...

Just noticed that my 03Z chirps on startup too... but only when the clutch pedal is fully depressed. If I let the pedal up even 1/2", the noise goes 95% away.

After some driving, it doesn't chirp at all regardless of where the clutch pedal is.

 

Those any body haw any write up on how to replace those things ? and witch ones to get