I have had a noise when the car is cold which sounded like it may be a pulley or belt. The noise would go away once the car was warm, so I didnt pay any mind to it. Today however, while driving, I started hearing this same noise. It was kind of intermittent. I dont have any codes showing up. Do you guys have any audio on what a pulley sounds like when its going bad?

 

You should be able to narrow it down by squirting some belt conditioner on the belt while it is running and if the noise goes away then it is your belt, I think water may work for that too but Im not sure. Also be sure to inspect your belt for cracks due to age, if your belt is fine and the noise does not go away when using the belt conditioner the you probably have a belt tensioner pulley and or idler pulley going out.

 

I would think if it was anything more serious, it would throw a code?

 

Most likely, but I dont know of anything else that would squeal under the hood.
My belt tensioner has actually just started to squeal and I cant hear it when Im right on top of the pulley but if I stand in front of the car and put my ear at the opening at the bottom of the hood it is very noticeable.

 

Not a squeal, but a chirp and some what sounds to be a pulley noise until warmed up. Today on the road with the radio off, I noticed that heard alot of what sounded to be pulley noise while driving. I would stop for a while, then re-appear.

 

I would have to say it is a pulley, I guess I would have to say mine is more like a chirp too I guess.

 

Belt noise caused by surface friction between the belt and pulleys is an all too common problem on the C5. Here's an analogy. Drag horse hair across a wire and nothing happens. Rub the hair with dried tree resin to dramatically increase the friction coefficient and you have a violin. It's essentially the same concept.

A noisy C5 belt, however, doesn't sound like a violin. It sounds like what we would imagine sounds just like a squealing bearing that is about to fail. Hired mechanics are all to happy to reinforce this image and send the owner on a wild ride replacing idlers, harmonic balancers, etc. Each time something is eliminated they proclaim, "See it's getting better, right?". Yeah, sure...

The simplest way to diagnose the belt problem is to squirt a small amount of Armor-All or similar protectant product on the contact surface of the belt while the engine is idling. If the noise suddenly disappears you know without any further diagnostics that the problem is belt friction and nothing else. Note that using some other chemicals can make the noise temporarily worse. (i.e. motorcycle chain lube is NOT a good idea. Ask me how I know!)

The noise will likely return as the chemical wears off, unfortunately. Gatorback brand belts have a slightly different rubber that eliminates surface friction and have been tried with good success by several forum contributors. Just do a search.

 

Mine does this too when you cold start it. the pirchy noise goes away but a meatal on metal rubbing sound continues and only gets louder as the rpms go up. (almost like the sound of bad breaks maybe) should i take those same steps before paying $120 to get it diagnosed?

 

I had the same chirp on my 99...ended up being the A/C tensioner. I replaced it, along with the A/C idler. Inexpensive fix, but a hell of a lot of money to the cuss jar! They are notorious for going bad.

 

hmm, well my A/C is done, blown, gone lol.(cant quite afford to fix it at the moment and theres no need now that its winter) Could that be why my car is making the noise?

 

If it is your ac clutch then that could be it or if it is locked up but you would see loads of smoke and your belt would break.

 

Even when the A/C is not working, the pulley and belt are still moving and possibly your source of the noise. Spray some lube on the tensioner and see if it helps or stops chirping...if it stops for a short period of time, that is the culprit. There are several write ups in the forums that address removal and replacement.

 

Well if his clutch has gone out which I know is not very common but it could make some odd noises, or if the oil has leaked out of his compressor.

 

the chirping is not really the problem. that stops after a few mins of driving. its the loud noise that stays. im not sure how to describe it. maybe like kkkeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth letting air barely pass through)

say it like you were jewish, no offense to anybody..

 

See if you can pinpoint where the noise is coming from by using methods described above and see if you can tell if it is coming from the top part of the motor or the bottom part.

 

i listened much closer with a second ear for help. it was my A/C pully. My A/C has been out for 6 months now. dont know why i didnt think of that

 

There are several good threads that show instructions on replacing the tensioner and the pully. The only real problem is the two transmission coolant lines in front of the pivot bolt.

My advice would be to install the new tensioner, take the top pully off the block, put the belt on and release tension on the belt by pushing the tensioner in a clockwise direction. When the tension is off the belt, slide the top pully on the block, release tension and put the top pully bolt in...This worked far better than trying to get the belt on from underneath the car.

Just make sure you have money from the cuss jar! Good luck!

 

So your compressor has gone out or is it just the clutch?
Or do you not know, but I would imagine you would know if your clutch had gone out because it would most likely smoke really bad.

 

Doesnt that go for just about any work on a car that involves turning a wrench?

 

the compressor is out, looking at 1400 to fix. i have a little while to build up the change jar and call around to get the best price