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I have a 96 silverado and I can’t figure out why the belt is still squeaking. I’ve taken the belt off and spun all the pulleys and none of them seem to make noise. The previous owner replaced the alternator, idler pulley and a new belt and when I got it i put on a new tensioner and the noise went away completely for a couple minutes but came right back. Any thoughts ??
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Be careful if you do my suggestion, it is very dangerous when you have moving accessories with the engine running when trying to diagnose a noise.
Engine not running….Check your belt alignment; make sure pulleys are aligned flush with each other.(Ex) Power steering pump pulley end should be flush with the shaft on the pump at the end. Any past coolant leaks or antifreeze that got spilled on the accessory drive belt? Coolant will soak into the belt & cause it to squeak. Engine running… Spray a little water on the belt when it is squeaking, this will isolate either the belt or pulley concern. If the noise goes away, it could be a pulley alignment issue. If the pulleys are not in line with each other, it will cause the belt to slide on the pulley causing it to squeak.
If my suggestion doesn’t diagnose your issue this will do it: http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/diagnosing-noises-in-your-car
JTF has a good way to get you on your goal to find the reason behind that squeal. I already had a bad tensioner from dayco… the way they build it is wrong and the tensioner is sitting crooked in its place (the pin use to put the tensioner in its proper alignment is a bit fatter than oem or another aftermarket)
It’s not cause you have new part that mean they are good. The ps pulley is another area to look for as well.
If the idler pullery (grooved) are plastic. You may want to consider replacing it if they are original. They wear out as well.
If you find out that something is misaligned, you may have to replace the belt as one side of the V gets premature wear rather than both side.
Also make sure the belt is not longer than factory.. your tensioner should be half way or a bit more on its travel
Ok so I’m guessing its an alignment issue then because no matter what area I spray water on the belt the noise goes away for a few seconds then comes back. Also I have heard from several people that they have had problems with those tensioners too so would you suggest getting one from the dealership?
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