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The squeal is back!!

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majo0008

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Background: '99 SLT 5.9L 87000 miles?About 8 months ago I replaced the water pump because the seal went bad and was leaking. Before it went I did notice a chirping sound. About 4 months ago I began to hear a chirping sound again that seemed to only occur when the D started up and was cold. It also seemed to get louder at higher humidity and after raining. However it always went away after warming up. I decided to replace the fan clutch which didn't solve the problem. Now the noise is getting worse. While in park I only hear the noise if I rev the engine. However when I put it into R, N, D the noise starts immediately. I'd definitely describe it more as a squeal than chirp. It does get louder and occur at a higher frequency when the rpms increase so I think it's in some component on the drive belt line. I replaced the belt tensioner and idler pulley last week but it didn't solve the problem. The belt is less than a year old and looks okay. I have noticed the temp running a little hotter this summer (~210 consistently.) Do you think it could be the water pump? With the belt off I spun all the pulleys and can't hear anything obvious. I'll try the stethoscope trick but it's pretty hard to pin point the sound. I don't think it's the A/C compressor because the noise isn't effected when the clutch kicks in. The clue may be in the fact that the noise starts up immediately when shifted out of park. I don't want to have to take it to the stealership! Help!!

-Ryan
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
I just replaced both the idler pulley and the belt tensioner assembly/pulley last week so I don't think it's either of those. I need to do the stethoscope trick but it's a little scary with that fan whipping around in there. Does it hurt anything if I run the engine with the fan off for a short period of time? That way I could more safely get at the lower belt accessories? Does the crankshaft pulley/vibration dampener that runs the belt ever wear out? I haven't seen any posts about this ever before. So far it looks like the usual suspects (ie belt tensioner and idler pulley) aren't the culprits.

-Ryan
 
#4 ·
Let's recap: You changed the belt 8 months ago and the water pump as well as the belt tensioner etc. The noise is louder on revving, when it's humid and or has been raining. Temps are hotter in the 210 range.

Test the following?

Turn on all lights, hi beams, A/C, flashers and place max load on the alternator. Rev up the engine and check whether your amperage is still steady. What I'm leaning towards is belt slippage not from the tensioner but from "inferior" rubber quality causing flexing and slippage. Why?

I know the belt is relatively new, but the only common denominator amongst the symptoms you mention is the rise in temperature and the fact the whine increases with RPMs and when humid. Get a Gatorback belt not the usual OEM. Many of the components that you changed can fail again but it seems unlikely a water pump would seize or the tensioner would go bad. But a bad belt can ocurr, is easy to check, cheap and is the only thing I can think of that ties all of the symptoms together.

Just my 2¢.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Correct? Belt and water pump ~ 8 months old. I replaced the tensioner and pulley last week. I'll try the alternator check and go get a new belt tomorrow. Have you ever used a belt dressing? I was doing some searching and I saw a few different brands but they all claim the same thing. They're supposed to prolong belt life and reduce slipping and noise.

-Ryan
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
I tried the alternator test and turned on all the electrical components I could think of. The amperage indicator stayed constant. I was talking to my neighbor and he had some STP Belt Dressing so I figured I'd spray it on my old belt for kicks. It actually made the noise worse!! Now from what I understand this stuff is supposed to make the belt not slip. I hope this means the belt is bad and not one of the other components. I'll get a Gatorback first thing tomorrow. I hope this is the fix!

Thanks,

Ryan
 
#8 ·
Well, it was just a simple test to see whether the amperage was constant and not dipping due to slippage. But as it worsens with humidity and rain, perhaps the slippage isn't enough to cause a dip when you actually performed the test. But, if the noise was worse with the salad dressing, IMHO it does seem to point to the belt as the culprit.

Let us know!

greg
 
#9 ·
Agree

Belt sounds like culprit to me!
Stay away from belt dressings. They're simply a bandaid temp fix and not real good for the rubber either!!
Clean all your pulleys off and get a Gatorback.
Steve
DOC Pres
 
#10 ·
Get the gatorback. Also check the spring that keeps tension on the belt. I replaced my pulley and still had a chirping but, once I sprayed WD-40 on the spring part of the tensioner, it was all quiet! Just a thought, but it sounds like a belt thing if it's a squeal and not a chirp.
 
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Discussion starter · #11 ·
Update?Got the new Gatorback belt this morning. Cleaned the dressing off the pulleys. Installed new belt. Squeal Chirp is Gone!! I'm a happy man. Another situation where the simplest solution was the answer. Now that I think about it I was hearing the sound intermittently even when the belt was less than 4 months old. Well at least I got the new idler pulley and belt tensioner. It probably needed it anyways. I don't know if the belt was the cause of the increased temps lately but I sure hope so. It's nice and cool here in Minneapolis today so I can't put it to the test but I'm sure will be up in the nineties before long. One thing I noticed when I was cleaning off the pulleys was that the alternator pulley looks like it's starting to corrode and is kind of flaking a bit. I looked at the old belt and did see some small flakes in the grooves. I asked the guy at autozone if they carry just the pulley because it looks like it might come off separate, but he said the pulley/alternator were only sold as one unit. I haven't looked into this yet but I'd prefer to not replace the whole alternator just for the pulley. Thanks again for your help.

-Ryan
 
#12 ·
Glad

Glad to hear it all worked out for you.
Steve
DOC Pres
 
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