heggsc5

Looks like I'm going to have to break down and dig more into this than I was hoping. Been chasing what sounds like a belt squeal for a while now, just assumed it was the belt loosening, but tightened it up this weekend and it didn't change anything (may have made it slightly worse, but not 100% sure). Part that's driving me crazy is it only happens once the car is driving and it's good and warm. Won't make a peep otherwise. Parked and rev? Nope. While driving when cold? Nope. Starts after maybe 10+ min of driving and only while driving. I'll list symptoms below if anybody wants throw out some ideas. I'm leaning towards an idler or tension pulley...

- 2001 with ~53k miles
- A&A base kit with 3.8" pulley and ~4 yr old Gates RPM belt (older bracket, not sure which one). Belt is dead straight, no dust or any related issues
- Summit balancer (not an OEM balancer issue)
- RPM dependent (starts around 1500 rpm rpm, gets faster until sub-4k rpm, lose track of it around then so not sure if it keeps going. Dies back down if clutch pushed in)
- Did seem to go away the other day after I gave it a couple WOT passes to see if it was belt slip, but don't recall entirely
- Only happens after 10+ minutes of driving and only when driving (under load)
- Won't do it when parked and rev
- Chirp/squeal sound
- Sounds like it's coming from driver's side, but can't be 100% sure

I feel like it got a little worse after tightening the belt a little more, so could be pulley bearing, I'm just not sure why it would do it only while under load.

Any easy to way to test pulley bearings with everything in tact?

bookyoh

Quickest and cheap first step, clean all your pulleys and replace your 4 year old belt with a new Continental belt (<$20). You can find some NOS Gatorback belts but they seem to be well over $100.

Tusc

I will counter part of that advice. The RPM belts being no longer available, what you have is gold. They also do not stretch and were basically made 1/2" shorter than size listed if you believe the internet comments. Either way, I LOVED mine on my first blower setup as it did not load/unload the tensioner pulleys. It had also aided in resolving minor belt slip I had experienced.

But yes... when she's done, she's done eventually.

A mechanic stethoscope for $15 is in your future - just be careful with everything spinning.

Culprits to check:
Water pump
AC compressor / pulleys
It is almost never going to be blower kit related
The one which was causing the noise most recently on my former coupe was the AC idler. Mine had somehow fused to the mount and for the life of me I could not get it out to replace it before the car was totaled.

I used to have the correct part numbers - I don't currently, sorry - but I knew which SKF bearings to order to press into the pulleys and that did make a noted difference in longevity of operations and elimination of any/all noise for the duration of SC use. Come to think of it, the guys at A&A may be able to tell you the SKF part numbers you would want.

The AC idler was NOT one of these bearings on my car. I did not upgrade them because it was just the AC, not under high tension like the SC assembly.

Good luck. Hunting can be frustrating.

rrwirsi

I had a similar problem but instead of guessing and throwing parts at the problem, took it to my go to Vette Mechanic. He sorted out the issue and has been fine for 2 years with no more squeaks. He replace the belts and the tension pulley.

heggsc5

Thanks fellas. I don't want to be that guy, but I'm really having a hard time believing the main belt is the issue. It's pretty tight at this point and I have a hard time believing it's slipping under minimal load at low rpm. Being that it has less than 10k miles on it, I don't see wear or even age causing the issue. I certainly could be wrong and anything is possible, but my gut is telling me it's something else.

This was an older used kit that I had installed and I did pick up a spare plastic tensioner pulley that I have around here somewhere. Being that the bracket/kit has the most unknown history and age, it very well could be the bearings on that tensioner pulley. Problem with that, or any other tensioner pulley, is that I can't see the damn things let alone touch them lol. I might have to put the car up on the QJs to see if I have better luck from underneath. I've got a thick radiator blocking me up top.

I'm really just stuck between setting aside the time/motivation to dig deeper vs dropping it off to someone and paying them for their time to hunt it down. Not any nearby shops around that I trust, so I'm just going to have to dedicate a day to do it. Can anyone recommend an easy way to test/check pulleys if I loosen the belt? Obviously it doesn't do it cold, so I've got to get it good and hot and try to get up and underneath it while it's still hot...I know there are multiple ways to check a belt (water, silicon, dressing, etc), but what about pulley bearings without gunking up the good ones?

chevyorange

The tensioner is still a cheap part and can be swapped in like 15 minutes with one wrench. I'd say do that first!!

RedVlvtChzCake

Had a similar problem earlier this month, drive belt squealed between 1500 and 400 rpm, but died down with the clutch in and rolling. Replaced the 6 month old stock tensioner and 6 month old GM belt (I already replaced all belts, pulleys, and tensioners 6 months ago with GM or better parts as preventative maintenance). Problem went away and it hasn't come back with daily driving.

Don't use belt dressing! At best its a temporary mask the doesnt fix the problem and makes a mess of your engine.

Try the water method. Results are more noise, less noise, or no change. Try it with the cold engine, and if it starts to make a noise, then you have a clue. Try with the engine warm as well. Try to isolate the application of the water to the flat part of the belt and to the ribbed part to see if/when a change occurs.

The belt can be removed from the stock tensioner in a few seconds with a 15mm socket, yours may be different since it sounds aftermarket and not spring loaded. With the belt off the tensioner, feel all of the pulleys you can access. Do they wobble, do they turn easily, do they turn smoothly. Check the belt for any unusual wear. Checks the ribs on the belt and pulleys to see if there has been even wear accross all ribs.

Double check your balancer, does it look stable.

After your 10 minute warm up, do you notice a change if you turn the AC on/off. When warm and rolling slowly (maybe in a parking lot) do you notice a change when turning the steering wheel?

The tensioner (not just the pulley) is less than $60 from Summit and can be replaced in a few minutes by removing two 15mm bolts. The belt isn't hard to change, but maybe a little more difficult for you based on your thick radiator comment and your A&A. At least try replacing the tensioner, even if only temporarily if you prefer the aftermarket one.

Sounds like it could be frusterating if it only occurs when driving, personally I'd experiment by replacing the tensioner, but I don't know what the A&A does to your setup, good luck.

99vette9999

Does your steering pump pulley look like this ? I just had to replace this for my elusive squeaking and chirping ...replaced with a C6 pulley

Missileboy

OP, if you still are running the stock steering pulley, you should consider changing that stock one out to the C6 one. Part of my ECS kit is the steering pump pulley update as the stock ones are prone to breaking (due to additional belt loading on a SC setup) and if it is the source of your noise, it could be close to letting go-Just a thought

heggsc5

Sorry guys, I did forget a couple details haha. I do have the LS2 metal PS pulley on, so plastic stock one isn't an issue. I did also cycle the a/c on and off the other day to see if it made a difference, to no avail. As far as I know, the a/c belt is still original, so that was my first guess as well, but it doesn't make a difference whether it's on or off.

Unfortunately the A&A bracket I have doesn't make it a quick job to replace the tensioner. I don't recall what the stock orientation is, but I believe it's flipped on the bracket, so the bolt heads, pulley, etc, are essentially hidden. Which means the blower and at least part of the bracket has to come off if I'm picturing it correctly in my head at the moment. Not the end of the world, I was just really hoping to be able to diagnose this a tad more easily instead of taking random stabs at it like that haha.

Revlvt, good point about trying it cold regardless. If it's got a slight slip when warm, water might help it slip when cold. Good thinking

RedVlvtChzCake

Ahh, apologies for leading you on, it looks like the A&A replaces and mounts at the stock tensioner.
Maybe I'll know more about this if I increase HP one day. But for a stock setup it's easier to troubleshoot.

heggsc5

Haha no problem, more power more problems!

BRKLYN

does continental belt have a number? Mine back 13 years I did new pulley and belt, it was on and off again, learned to accept the chirp. Worse in cold weather.

bookyoh

I installed this one over 4 years ago and it is still mostly chirp free.

Continental OE Technology Series 4060798 6-Rib, 79.8" Multi-V Belt, Black