C5 belt squeek!! Help
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
From: Columbia MO
C5 belt squeek!! Help
I have a 99 corvette and the belt squeeks real bad when its wet or cold outside. after car warms up or water evaporates...it completely stops. I had a brand new good year gatorback belt put on and it made no difference on the squeek. Any suggestions?
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,170
Likes: 27
From: Magnolia Greens NC
may not be the belt
...checked the power steering fluid level lately..may need flushing & changing? OR..air conditioner pulley bearings are the culprits sometimes..after the A/C kicks in...with a load on them, sometimes they stop squeeling. Try A/C ON, first ..when starting up...& see if it is quieter..if that doesn't work, start car... place a (long blade)screwdriver blade on each pulley-driven item & if you can feel it...that will be the source. Then it's one that has worn bearings: water pump, alternator, power steering, A/C.... now, I'm outa ideas, Game Over.
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte NC
squeak
Dude, after gatorback belt, new style idler (check that you have the new style), and chasing wild geese, my nasty squeak turned out to be the A/C idler. Replaced the idler and belt; end of noise.
Good luck
Good luck
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
From: Palmer Township PA
Hi
I hope this helps.... Just changed the tensioner pulley on my mother's 1997 Buick Park Avenue. It wasakink a loud sqeaking noise for about two months. It was a $75 part, but a new belt and to install required a whole cast assembly that is attached to the tensioer pulley.
Robert
Robert
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 128
Likes: 2
From: Trenton New Jersey
I had the exact same problem on my 03 C5 last winter. Whenever it rained, was very damp out or after washing the car the squeak was loud but went away after driving for a while. I read many posts in the forum on this subject but could not pinpoint the squeak. I knew it was a belt or a pulley and I eventually read a post that stated the squeak came from one of the pulleys (maybe even the balancer) that after coming in contact from the littlest amount of moisture it would oxidize/rust-up and cause a squeak. The part of the pulley that would squeak is the grooved area where the belt runs over and wears away the paint leaving bare metal. So I purchased the recommended A/C Gatorback belt and a new GM pulley to see if they were the culprit. I would start there and keep replacing pulleys and the other belt until the squeak was stopped. Long story short I waited until the Spring so I could do the work in warm temperature but all of a sudden the squeak stopped? It hasn't come back all Summer for some reason?? Can't explain it but I'm holding off on the knucklebuster job until the squeak returns. Maybe it has something to do with cooler temps and moisture??? Well goodluck with your problem I know the squeak can be loud and annoying.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 4,816
Likes: 132
From: Plano TX
its one of the idler pullies.. Replace them all.. Been there done that.. The factory pullies suck... Pull the bearing seals off one of your idler pullies and i betcha a million dollars its bone dry
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Instructor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 128
Likes: 2
From: Trenton New Jersey
Update: Squeak came back!
I had the exact same problem on my 03 C5 last winter. Whenever it rained, was very damp out or after washing the car the squeak was loud but went away after driving for a while. I read many posts in the forum on this subject but could not pinpoint the squeak. I knew it was a belt or a pulley and I eventually read a post that stated the squeak came from one of the pulleys (maybe even the balancer) that after coming in contact from the littlest amount of moisture it would oxidize/rust-up and cause a squeak. The part of the pulley that would squeak is the grooved area where the belt runs over and wears away the paint leaving bare metal. So I purchased the recommended A/C Gatorback belt and a new GM pulley to see if they were the culprit. I would start there and keep replacing pulleys and the other belt until the squeak was stopped. Long story short I waited until the Spring so I could do the work in warm temperature but all of a sudden the squeak stopped? It hasn't come back all Summer for some reason?? Can't explain it but I'm holding off on the knucklebuster job until the squeak returns. Maybe it has something to do with cooler temps and moisture??? Well goodluck with your problem I know the squeak can be loud and annoying.
