Bat66

When I started up yesterday morning there was a squeaking noise coming from front of the car, if I spray a little wd40 on the belt groves its goes away for short time and come back, is that a sign of the dreaded HB going out.

TCW

No. You just need a new belt!

Tom

Bat66

Thanks, Gates or AC Delco.

Spoolin8

Gates, HD green, or a gatorback

Check and make sure the balancer isnt wobbling though. My first vette had a chirp, replaced the belt, balancer divorced from the vehicle two weeks later...

TCW

I like the Gatorback belt. Note that some HB wobble IS normal. These HBs are not "pinned" to the crankshaft so some movement is expected.

Tom

windyC6

I believe that it doesn't matter if the balancer is pinned or not because its not the pressed on to the crank shaft area of the balancer that wobbles, its the outer ring that wobbles due to the poor quality of the rubber thing-a-ma-jiggie (having a brain fart on the proper name..LOL) thats sandwiched between the two parts. So while a slight wobble is usually acceptable, you don't want it to get out of hand.

Augie 79

I like Dayco belts. My 2 cents.
augie

airmed2

You sprayed WD40 on a belt? You do know that's a lubricant, yes?

windyC6

LOL....A lot of people think like that, but the ol W-40 isn't much of a lube at all....won't do a whole lot more than spraying something with water as it doesn't last very long. But you definitely don't want to get carried away with it....

Tyler_RN_EMT

Same thing happened to mine when I got it out after winter... Spray a little soapy water or WD40 and it would go away for a few mins then return...

Car is at the dealer ready for pick up as I type this after replacing the Balancer under the extended warranty I purchased when I bought the car.

Hopefully it's just a belt... But if you replace and it returns in a short time better have someone look into the balancer. If you're still under warranty don't swap belts first. The squeak will help them want to replace. I've heard several people get denied the job when the belts weren't squeaking claiming that the wobble was within tolerances.

Good luck with getting it resolved!


Tyler

TerryL

No it's a solvent.

jrose7004

Time to replace the belt.

airmed2

OK, a solvent with lubricating properties. There are specific belt dressings to relieve supposed belt squeaks. WD40 is a magical thing, but to spray it on something that demands no slippage is an inappropriate use.

WhoIsPat

I agree, belt dressing isn't expensive and will get you by for a while, so no reason to put WD on a belt. Some people also spray brake parts cleaner on sqeaky belts, which will clean away the oil spots, but can also dry out the rubber and increase the odds of breaking the belt.

windyC6

WD-40 has a few uses, but i'm not sure i'd call it magic by any stretch. But duct-tape....now thats something to write home about !!!!

airmed2

http://www.wisebread.com/almost-2000...can-of-wd-40-1

Gearhead Jim

We just replaced the balancer on our 2009 at 90,019 miles. The original factory belts were ok, but I had them replaced just because. I used another set of GM belts which should be good until the car has 180,038 miles.
.

buckmeister2

To add to that, it is a protectant with mild lubricant qualities. It works well for protecting steel that sits unused (such as external steel on firearms). It is a poor lube in tight tolerances as it turns gummy after exposure to air.

Spraying on a belt does no harm, and will tell you if the squeal goes away that it "might be" the belt. However, that also might mean that a bad HB accelerated the wear on the belt, which lead to the squeal.

owc6

Didn't read more than the first half-dozen uses, but I knew a Marine colleague of Mr.owc6's who used to use it and a lighter to kill flying insects.

CadVette

WD 40 should not be used on your belts. Make sure your belt tensioner pulley is not making any noise also.