I can't take it anymore..Help!!!
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Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Spartanburg South Carolina
I can't take it anymore..Help!!!
This squeaking is driving me carzy!!
So far I have changed out in the following order:
Belt, Both Idlers, Both Tensioners, and that didn't work.
So today, I went ahead and changed out the alternator and put a new Gates belt on. I thought I had it fixed, but it came back about two miles down the road.
Weird thing is that it seems to only do it in a certain RPM range..such as 2K-4K.
Anybody have any other suggestions? It's driving me up the wall!!
Thanks.
So far I have changed out in the following order:
Belt, Both Idlers, Both Tensioners, and that didn't work.
So today, I went ahead and changed out the alternator and put a new Gates belt on. I thought I had it fixed, but it came back about two miles down the road.
Weird thing is that it seems to only do it in a certain RPM range..such as 2K-4K.
Anybody have any other suggestions? It's driving me up the wall!!
Thanks.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,475
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From: Dyer, IN
This squeaking is driving me carzy!!
So far I have changed out in the following order:
Belt, Both Idlers, Both Tensioners, and that didn't work.
So today, I went ahead and changed out the alternator and put a new Gates belt on. I thought I had it fixed, but it came back about two miles down the road.
Weird thing is that it seems to only do it in a certain RPM range..such as 2K-4K.
Anybody have any other suggestions? It's driving me up the wall!!
Thanks.
So far I have changed out in the following order:
Belt, Both Idlers, Both Tensioners, and that didn't work.
So today, I went ahead and changed out the alternator and put a new Gates belt on. I thought I had it fixed, but it came back about two miles down the road.
Weird thing is that it seems to only do it in a certain RPM range..such as 2K-4K.
Anybody have any other suggestions? It's driving me up the wall!!
Thanks.
I don't see where you changed the A/C belt. What happens when you run the engine without the main belt?
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dude...I know how ya feel...mine may have gone away but I doubt it....in a moment of sheer frustration I said I was buying a whole new fking motor 
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From: Spartanburg South Carolina
You know, I haven't tried to run it without the main belt. And come to think of it, I replaced the AC belt back when I put the underdrive pulley on as it was a smaller size.
But I went ahead and changed out the main belt when I switched alternators. The other reason was that the car wasn't seeming to charge properly.
But I went ahead and changed out the main belt when I switched alternators. The other reason was that the car wasn't seeming to charge properly.
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From: Spartanburg South Carolina
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From: Dyer, IN
You know, I haven't tried to run it without the main belt. And come to think of it, I replaced the AC belt back when I put the underdrive pulley on as it was a smaller size.
But I went ahead and changed out the main belt when I switched alternators. The other reason was that the car wasn't seeming to charge properly.
But I went ahead and changed out the main belt when I switched alternators. The other reason was that the car wasn't seeming to charge properly.
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From: Spartanburg South Carolina
I know, but some of the parts were changed when the cam was swapped, and the rest were done when the heads were put on.
I changed the alternator today for a different issue, but was hoping it would maybe "kill two birds with one stone".
I changed the alternator today for a different issue, but was hoping it would maybe "kill two birds with one stone".
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This may help isolate where the squeak is coming from. Serpintine belts have two contact surfaces. Heres and old school method. Take a bar of soap and rub it on the ouside of the belt while the engine is idling. Listen for the sqeak to go away. If your lucky and it does, then the squeak is coming from where the belt contacts the pulleys on the smooth side. Check for any glaze. If it still squeaks, try applying a little soap to the inside of the belt. WATCH YOUR FINGURES! If it still squeks, check the AC Compressor pulley to see if it's glazed. If you apply soap to both belts and it still squeaks then it's possibly a pulley bearing
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From: Spartanburg South Carolina
This may help isolate where the squeak is coming from. Serpintine belts have two contact surfaces. Heres and old school method. Take a bar of soap and rub it on the ouside of the belt while the engine is idling. Listen for the sqeak to go away. If your lucky and it does, then the squeak is coming from where the belt contacts the pulleys on the smooth side. Check for any glaze. If it still squeaks, try applying a little soap to the inside of the belt. WATCH YOUR FINGURES! If it still squeks, check the AC Compressor pulley to see if it's glazed. If you apply soap to both belts and it still squeaks then it's possibly a pulley bearing
Thanks. I would hate to think it's a bearing somewhere. I have changed about everything that is somewhat easily accessible.
I would have to get someone to help though. It doesn't do it at idle, but only at a certain rpm.
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From: Spartanburg South Carolina
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From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
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You seem to have checked everything so maybe its time to start at scratch and work through
This advice from E-T helped me when I had the problem:
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
This advice from E-T helped me when I had the problem:
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
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Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Spartanburg South Carolina
I will have to look at this more closely. The squeaking now seems to come and go without a repeatable pattern except that it only happens at a certain RPM...I guess similar to resonance.
I hope that it isn't the crank pulley. A few months back, I did have the cam swapped and an underdrive pulley put on, but the squeaking was present before that.
I didn't get a chance to pull off each belt and run the car as I had to take 25 ten year-olds on a camping trip for a youth program in our neighborhood. Needless to say, no one got a chance to sleep.
I hope that it isn't the crank pulley. A few months back, I did have the cam swapped and an underdrive pulley put on, but the squeaking was present before that.
I didn't get a chance to pull off each belt and run the car as I had to take 25 ten year-olds on a camping trip for a youth program in our neighborhood. Needless to say, no one got a chance to sleep.
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Has anyone mentioned wire brushing the grooves on the pulleys? Just because you can't see any crap when you happen to glance at them doesn't mean it should be ignored either. Any sand/dirt/debris packed in the grooves will cause the belt to ride a bit higher in the grooves at that point. Even if you do it and it doesn't solve the problem, at least you will have eliminated it as a possible cause. Generous Motors even mentions to do this in the service manual.
HTH
HTH