chipscvettec5

Yep, many threads on this one but thought I'd share here because it seems the audience is larger...
- Process of elimination....Harmonic Balancer is okay, no wobbling. Changed out top Serpintine belt and idler pulley....Nope still there Next: change A/C idler pulley and belt...I'll let ya know if that fixes it.

Zorlac

My chirp remained after belt & pulley swap. Finally changed both tensioners and the culprit was the AC tensioner. It had too much play in it.

Camjamsdad

I replaced everything and still chirps. Only thing left is replacing the non wobbling balancer.

racebum

did you clean the pulleys before the new belt:? water pump, alternator or power steering also can squeal. the balancer is the least likely to be doing so. spin all of them by hand and make sure they feel really smooth

also, which belt did you buy? was it a poly dayco or gatorback? i hope so as gates belts with their higher rubber content are more prone to squeaking in our application

i have seen more than one alternator chirp when the bearings get dry

tycksena

I had a chirping problem a while ago and best advice I received was:

Remove the serp belt and start engine:

If it still squeaks remove A/C belt:

If it still squeaks --> harmonic balancer or some other major issue

If not, put serp belt on:

If it squeaks now --> problem is a pulley or tensioner in serp belt route

If no squeak --> problem is a pulley or tensioner in A/C belt route


Silicone lubricant will temporarily make it go away if sprayed in the right spot. Let us know what you find out. BTW mine ended up being the AC tensioner and idler pulley. I had coolant dripping on it which I believe contributed to the problem.

Evil-Twin

You didn't mention changing either tensioner pulley.
the first thing you should have done is do a search on how to diag this problem/
I've posted it several time.
The chirp usually comes from one belts system of the two found on a C5.
The drive belt system
the Ac belt system

First thing to do is when there is a chirp present, remove the drive belt.
restart the car to see if the chirp is still present.
if the chirp is still there remove the AC belt. The chirp should be gone. If this is the case, and you have identified the correct belt system. then replace the idler and the tensioner. The only other thing it could be is the Ac compressor bearing.
If when you remove the drive belt the chip is gone, then replace the idler and the tensioner pulleys. Although you could possibly have an issue with the alternator bearing, power steering pump, water pump or crank pulley. With no visible wobble the problem is usually found in the worn tensioner where the spring housing wears enough to cause the edge of the belt to hit the edge of the ribbed pulleys,. I've seen enough tensioners to wear even though the tensioner still has spring tension.
Bill aka ET

calivette805

Katech tensioner and call it a day

hmmmm16417

my harmonic balancer didn't really wobble, but it was coming apart and moving towards the engine causing the belts to squeal. I narrowed it down by removing all belts and starting the engine....still made noise.

racebum

that's what i traced my squeal down to. worn tensioner, beat the hell out of the belt, tons of rubber dust on the alt bracket. new tensioner, new belt, very quiet

Evil-Twin

a tensioner pulley is made up of two components, the pulley with bearing, and the spring loaded section. Many people think the bearing goes in the pulley but with regard to tensioners. its the spring loaded section that wears and actually ***** the alignment of the pulley on the tensioner. this cases the belt to " ring " in the ribbed pulleys. the side of the belt is hitting the very end rib, causing a harmonic chirp.
of course a bearing can go, but people rarely look at the spring loaded end of a tensioner.
Bill aka ET

Camjamsdad

That's where I'm at. All belts removed it chirps and absolutely no wobble of the balancer. Since its no easy job I put it off until winter. The chirp goes away once it warms up.

ranchonodinero

The "chirp" thread is timely. I am the new owner of a C5 and have had it a week. Purchased it from a reputable dealer that had replaced a worn drive belt. The belt is new and at the dealer during the test drive I did not notice the chirp. However, now that I've had it all of a week, I've noticed a definite chirp. The chirp is not constant, but is noticeable under load. Not too loud, but definitely there. The good news is that I've got 30 days to get it sorted out. The C5 is a 2004 automatic and is a high mileage car at over 90K. Looks to be well maintained-except for the chirp under load/acceleration. Thoughts?

chipscvettec5

Ok..promised I'd check back in when problem was FIXED. As mentioned earlier it's always a process of elimination....first replaced the top idler tensioner, pulley, and serpentine belt (Delco) but chirp was still there when I accelerated between 30-45 mph in high gear. Next, replaced AC idler tensioner, pully and belt (Delco) and all appears to be good. Didn't have to replace the Harmonic Balancer for now.......

racebum

replace both belts and both tensioners. use a poly belt like goodyear or dayco. they seem to be the least likely to squeal.

nearest i can tell gates and ac delco tensioners are identical if you want to order it all off rock auto