Chirping sound
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 7,429
Likes: 974
From: Morristown New Jersey
Oldtimer
Chirping sound
I have a chirping sound coming from the front of the engine. It increases in pitch when revved, doesn’t go away when the engine is warm. Belt is less than 2 years old. It’s been suggested that the idler pulley or belt tensioner could be the problem, and/or application of belt dressing.
I tried to upload a video but it doesn’t go through.
I tried to upload a video but it doesn’t go through.
Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 15,666
Likes: 4,093
From: Cape Coral, Florida
Yes, it could be a bad idler pulley or tensioner....spray some water on the ribbed side of the belt and if the chirp goes away you probably have an alignment issue. A laser alignment tool makes for a quick diagnosis...you a member of the Central Jersey Corvette Club ??...I see you're from Morristown. A video from SMA enclosed for your viewing pleasure !!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 958
Likes: 177
From: Newark Delaware
Do not use belt dressing. Find the cause of your noise. If you are mechanically inclined, Remove the accessory belt and start the car. If the chirp still exists, you have an issue with the AC idler/tensioner/belt. If the noise is not present when you remove the accessory belt, spin the idler pulley and the tensioner pulley by hand. They should be smooth and silent. Also, you can rotate the water pump pulley but I'm guessing that is not a problem. Also, when standing on the passenger side of the car, looking down at the tensioner, make sure the two halves of the tensioner are not separating. This will cause the belt to be misaligned. If it is, replace the tensioner. As the previous comment suggested, worst case scenario, the balancer is bad. That's a whole different discussion.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 7,429
Likes: 974
From: Morristown New Jersey
Oldtimer
Yes, it could be a bad idler pulley or tensioner....spray some water on the ribbed side of the belt and if the chirp goes away you probably have an alignment issue. A laser alignment tool makes for a quick diagnosis...you a member of the Central Jersey Corvette Club ??...I see you're from Morristown. A video from SMA enclosed for your viewing pleasure !!
Thanks for the video, it helped.
Robrote, seems like removing the serpentine belt is not so bad. A friend recommended I remove it and then remove the upper tensioner to see if it was bad. I’m a little nervous about getting it back in place properly but I do have the shop manual.
