The serpentine belt is making a chirping noise because of friction caused by the belt rubbing on the side of the engine cover, where the belt tensioner is. I was having this problem so I replaced the belt tensioner and the adjacent pulls with new ones, which fixed it for one drive. I started it up today and when I went to accelerate, it got loud and so I stopped, popped the hood, and saw the same problem as before. I can do the work myself but I don't know what needs to be fixed. The pulleys on either side of the tensioner are the crankshaft pully (below) and the alternator (left side). Th
Hi there – I would start by doing a visual inspection of the serpentine belt, and the pulleys – are they visually in line? If not, which pulley is out of line in the direction of the engine cover? Are there bushings on the alternator mount which have softened, and are allowing the alternator to "give" such that the serpentine belt is close to the cover? The crankshaft pulley is not likely moving at all. Is the cover where the rubbing occurs coming loose, and moving into the serpentine belt? For assistance, I would recommend a serpentine belt replacement by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.
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The serpentine belt (also known as a fan belt, alternator belt, or drive belt) is a critical car component. Hearing a sharp squeaking noise or a loud grinding noise are tell-tale signs of wear. It`s your car telling you something`s not right, and it may be your car`s broken or old belt.
The belt squeals because there is improper tension in the belt drive system. This is usually caused by a worn automatic tensioner, but other causes can include a contaminated belt (oil, belt dressing, etc.) or a belt that is too long or worn out.
Slipping can be the result of a loss of belt tension (or a weak automatic tensioner) or pulley misalignment. When the belt slips off the track, the friction between the belt and accessory drive pulleys causes the belt to overheat. If you hear a high pitched squealing noise, it`s probably time for a switch.
Timing Belt Is Bad – your engine belts – the timing belt, serpentine belt, or v-belts – can also cause engine vibration or squealing. If one or all these belts is worn out or loose, it can affect other parts. That`s what makes the loud noises and causes the shaking.
Most common symptoms of failure. Engine Vibration: Crankshaft pulleys that have an integrated harmonic balancer will cause the engine to vibrate if the harmonic balancer or dampening system fails.
Seized Bearings – An indication that the pulley will lock up. Discoloration – This can be caused by intermittent seizure of the pulley bearing or a bad tensioner, causing belt slip. Surface Build Up – A key indication of a worn out tensioner causing belt slip.
Unexpected noise: A squealing noise often indicates slippage between the belts and the pulleys. A chirping sound could stem from misalignment of a pulley or drive belt, as well as a host of other issues. Tensile failure: A common indicator of misalignment, tensile failure may be due to uneven cord loading.
A misaligned belt causes a chirping noise as it enters a pulley. In most cases, you can attribute the chirping sound to one of the following issues: Pulley misalignment. Improper belt installation.
Trusted mechanic suggested spray silicone to quiet squealing belt. Tried it and it worked. Did it several times over a period of about 6 months or so. Serpentine belt broke most of the way across and beat the underhood mat up.
Belt Dressing Spray is a colourless, non-toxic adhesive and conditioning spray that provides instant grip to prevent belt squeal, slippage and wear. The conditioning properties of Belt Dressing Spray prevent the belt from drying out and cracking to both increase transmission efficiency and extend belt life.
If the belt is too tight, it will cause excessive side loads and overheat the bearings. This in turn causes noise, decreased output and even the seizing of the alternator. If the belt is too loose, it will cause the alternator to slip.
An over-tightened belt can burn out any bearing that the belt rotates on, including alternator, power steering pump, A/C compressor, idler pulleys, etc. An over-tightened timing belt can ruin any pulley bearing it is connected with.
If the dampener is not able to control the tensioner arm, it can cause fluctuations in tension. The belt may oscillate between too little tension and too much tension. The belt will slip and catch, causing noise and vibration.
Typically a damaged belt tensioner will not impact vehicle performance. It would cause the serpentine or drive belt to wear prematurely or to squeak – but not cause the acceleration issue.
Another common cause of serpentine belt noise is exposure to coolant. If you recently added antifreeze to your radiator and spilled some on your belt, it can quickly cause a squealing sound.
If your serpentine belt is failing, you may notice performance issues with your vehicle. The vehicle may frequently overheat. Your air conditioning or power steering may fail to work or not work properly. You may notice your vehicle battery failing to recharge if the alternator is affected by a bad serpentine belt.
That`s why it`s recommended that the serpentine belt is replaced early when the squealing symptoms are first noticed. Although it may be safe to drive with the squealing for a few days or weeks, the belt will eventually need to be replaced, and for safety, the earlier it`s repaired, the better.
For example, if your flywheel`s springs are damaged or broken, then the wheel loses some of the stability that holds it steady. Its vibrations increase and pass down to the pedal. If you have flywheel vibration problems, then you might feel that they get worse when you change gears or accelerate.
That`s why it`s recommended that the serpentine belt is replaced early when the squealing symptoms are first noticed. Although it may be safe to drive with the squealing for a few days or weeks, the belt will eventually need to be replaced, and for safety, the earlier it`s repaired, the better.
A bad tensioner will usually be accompanied by noise. This noise could be some type of squealing or rattling coming from the timing cover area. Also, when your timing belt is loose, it will cause some drivability issues usually under high load or high rpm.
When there are timing belt tensioner issues, the valve timing is slightly off. This leads to hard starting It may take a while for the engine to fire up properly. Even if you manage to start the engine, expect the engine to misfire or run rough.
It can squeak, squeal, chirp and clunk, imitating a bad engine-driven accessory or engine bearing. These noises can fool even the most experienced mechanic and lead to an expensive misdiagnosis. Squeals and chirps are definitely the two most common serpentine belt noises and usually result from different problems.
That`s why it`s recommended that the serpentine belt is replaced early when the squealing symptoms are first noticed. Although it may be safe to drive with the squealing for a few days or weeks, the belt will eventually need to be replaced, and for safety, the earlier it`s repaired, the better.
It can squeak, squeal, chirp and clunk, imitating a bad engine-driven accessory or engine bearing. These noises can fool even the most experienced mechanic and lead to an expensive misdiagnosis. Squeals and chirps are definitely the two most common serpentine belt noises and usually result from different problems.