Squeaky Belt(s)

[Jesse R Pearson]

Hi all. I just replaced all of the belts on my 87 V10 and when I first started it, they weren't squeaking anymore, but after a few drives, one of them is starting to squeak again. Is this because of the AC compressor or alternator aren't tight enough? Thanks!

 

[SirRobyn0]

Could be. One thing is that sometimes V-belts will bed in, folks call it stretching, but that's not really what's happening, what is happening is they bed into the V on the pulleys and as that happens they get a little looser. Seems like some belts are more prone to it, and some vehicles are more prone to it.

Also if any of the pulleys are out of alignment that can cause noise and excessive belt wear. A balancer pulley (crankshaft pulley) that is worn out and moves up and down or in and out can cause it. Finally if any of the pulleys are glazed, usually only happens when a belt has been left to squeal for sometime, or if the pulleys are rusty, or pitted from rust, or oil getting onto the belts.

Short answer: check to see if they seem to loose, if they are tighten them a bit and see what happens. Also keep in mind to tight can be hard on the bearings on the various pulleys as well. So a good inspection is in order I think.

 

[Jesse R Pearson]

Could be. One thing is that sometimes V-belts will bed in, folks call it stretching, but that's not really what's happening, what is happening is they bed into the V on the pulleys and as that happens they get a little looser. Seems like some belts are more prone to it, and some vehicles are more prone to it.

Also if any of the pulleys are out of alignment that can cause noise and excessive belt wear. A balancer pulley (crankshaft pulley) that is worn out and moves up and down or in and out can cause it. Finally if any of the pulleys are glazed, usually only happens when a belt has been left to squeal for sometime, or if the pulleys are rusty, or pitted from rust, or oil getting onto the belts.

Short answer: check to see if they seem to loose, if they are tighten them a bit and see what happens. Also keep in mind to tight can be hard on the bearings on the various pulleys as well. So a good inspection is in order I think.

Thank you!

 

[SirRobyn0]

Thank you!

Your welcome. Please let us know what you find!

 

[Snoots]

Turn up the damn radio.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Dayco belts? If so, take them back and warranty them and get Gates belts.

 

[Jesse R Pearson]

Dayco belts? If so, take them back and warranty them and get Gates belts.

I think a couple of them might be. Are they junk?

 

[DoubleDingo]

Of course, my experience with Dayco belts was a serpentine belt, but every single one I got would squeak after a few days, and it didn't matter how tight I tightened the darn thing. Warrantied the last one and said to give me a Gates belt. No more squeak! After that, I always make sure I get Gates, whether it is v-belts or serpentine belts.

 

[Vbb199]

Turn up the damn radio.

 

[Ellie Niner]

Another thing that usually doesn't happen... but *can*, is a pulley with a worn out groove. I had that on a reman alternator on my 1975, which had a cast aluminum pulley that wore enough that the belt bottomed out in it while the vee section wasn't very snug. Have even seen it happen to a steel pulley once on a high mileage vehicle.

This kind of sh¡t is fairly common on industrial belt drives.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Another thing that usually doesn't happen... but *can*, is a pulley with a worn out groove. I had that on a reman alternator on my 1975, which had a cast aluminum pulley that wore enough that the belt bottomed out in it while the vee section wasn't very snug. Have even seen it happen to a steel pulley once on a high mileage vehicle.

This kind of sh¡t is fairly common on industrial belt drives.

Hey, it didn't censor you!

 

[SirRobyn0]

Dayco belts? If so, take them back and warranty them and get Gates belts.

I think a couple of them might be. Are they junk?

It's kind of a funny thing with belts. Yes, I'm running gates belts on my square, that and continental are my first choice at the shop, but some rigs don't like the ribbing. The only brand that isn't ribbed that I'm aware of is dayco. So for example my 77 Cadillac does not like ribbed belts on the alternator so I'm running dayco, because that's what it likes. V-belts can be finicky sometimes.

 

[Ellie Niner]

Hey, it didn't censor you!

I used an upside down exclamation mark for the "i" to skate past it.

 

[DoubleDingo]

I used an upside down exclamation mark for the "i" to skate past it.

Diabolical!

 

[Matt69olds]

Whatever you do, don’t put soap or belt dressing on the belt. The belt is sqealinh because it’s slipping, soap just hides the sound.

Very carefully (and I emphasize CAREFULLY!!!) lay a wire brush on the belt while the engine is running. Position the brush against the belt so it will fly away from you if it gets pulled out of your hand. Then put the brush on the pulleys. The idea is to remove the glaze from the belt and pulleys sothey don’t slip.