My o4 Vette's belts are squeling. I had the dealercheck it out, but all they did was tell me the belt was bad. I have replaced the belt and that worked for about 2 weeks. I am now applying silicon spray to the belt every month or so. Any idea's?
I have had the crank and cam replace @ 28,000 miles due to a flat cam. The squeling started after that

 

Try a Goodyear Gatorback belt. Also check the idler pullers.

 

had the same problem the gatorback is the ticket.........

 

crank and cam?! Wow. I would guess that they re-used your original crank pulley. Perhaps your crank pulley is now wobbling. Look under you hood with your car running to see if your main pulley is moving a bit. It's pretty easy to visually tell if it's wobbling.

 

I had the same problem. Turned out to be the A/C tension pulley was plitting.

 

what a fast response to my issue. thanks to you all!

 

Not sure exactly what type of spray you are putting on the belts, but the GM service manual recommends that you NOT use any type of belt dressing on a serpentine belt. It can cause belt deterioration, and make the noise worse.
I usually just mist a little water on the belt to see if that makes the noise stop. Then if it is the belt, I just replace it with a Goodyear belt.

 

Belts make a squealing noise because they are slipping. The noise should be worse during acceleration, if so, then it is just slipping, maybe because of what you are spraying on it or maybe because the tensioner is weak.
Do not spray anything on your belts.

 

I have tried belt dressing (What a f'n mess it made) I have tried water which lasted 1 day, I have replaced the belt twice, but not with a gator back. the silicon spray is the only thing that will last 3 to 4 weeks
tire dressing lasts about 2 weeks.

 

It will squel bad with no spray, it starts around 1500 and ends @ 3,000rpm. I have now replaced the belt twice. the new belts last for abouit a month before they start squeling. I am going to try a new tensioner, even though I do not think this will work.

 

there are two belts, two tensioners and two idler pulleys... the chance you pick the right component is very small.. a waste of time and money unless of course you are lucky.... it can aslo be a bad bearing in the ac compressor, water pump, air pump alternator... there is a procedure to isolate these parts and zero in on the culprit. So sad that some of these dealerships have the ***** to say they have professional mechanics working there.

 

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.
Bill aka ET

 

If you have a coolant leak and a squeal; probably it is the water pump.

 

there was no mention of a cooling leak. why cloud the issue with non-facts.

 

WHAT I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL TIMES, IS A BAD TENSIONER. TRY LISTENING TO THE TENSIONER. CHANCES ARE THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM. IF NOT...CALL ME 440-667-7516.

 

I assumed that this was a normal squeealing belt, but this may not be the case, it could be a bad bearing in one of the components that the belt turns and then spraying it with the silicone "lubs" the bad bearing for a while, untill the lub wears away, but silicone fixing the problem for 3 - 4 weeks seems a bit to long to me to be a bad bearing.

I wish I could hear it, you may be able to tell the difference, in sound, between a squealing belt and a bad bearing.

I agree, isolate the problem first.

Good luck.

 

Since this started after they replace the cam and crank, I would suspect the balancer on the end of the crank was re-used. Since this part is stretched over the end of the crank I would recommend that it not be reused. A new OEM one is cheap, also a piece of crap, and would eliminate this problem.

You squealing is being caused by the fact that the balancer has moved on the end of the crank which has moved the belts out of alignment. This causes premature belt wear. That is why a new belt works for a few weaks. The only way to fix this is replace the balancer with a new one. If your car is stock I would recommend an ATI balancer in the stock diameter. It will eliminate problems down the road when the crappy rubber in the stock balancer dies. Just ask me how I know that.

 

Thanks for (ALL) taking the time to go into such detail, I am new to this forum and I will be here for good. What a great asset.

I will isolate the problem first and then I will get back with you guys.
I was fixing (tx thing) to go ahead and be a parts replacer and not a mechanic. The dealer's are all parts replacer.

Maybe you guys would have an input on another problem with my Vett. I posted "studdering 04" could you guys take a look at the post and give me you expertise.

 

Take A Look At All Of Your Pulleys.are They Very Shiny?they May Just Have A Glaze On Them Causing The Belts To Squeel.a New Belt Will Be Quiet For A Short Time Until It Stretches A Little And Starts To Slip On The Glazed Pulleys.this Sounds Crazy But It Really Works.with The Engine Off,take Some Toothpaste On Your Finger And Rub It On The Front And Back Of The Belt.just About 2 Inches And Not Too Thick.start The Engine And The Fine Abrasive In The Toothpaste Will Clean The Glaze Off The Pulleys.your Belts Will Not Slip Anymore.you Can Also Use Valve Grinding Compound If The Glaze Is Very Heavy.i Know What Everyone Is Thinking (this Guy Is Nuts And Besides He Is New Here)but Give It A Try It Wont Hurt Anything And When You Open Your Hood Youll Get A Minty Fresh Fragrance.just Dont Put Listerine In Your Washer Bottle.

 

lol sounds like a nice experiment