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Joined: 6/23/2009
Posts: 4
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I replaced the above about 15K miles ago and it chirps so I sprayed it with belt grip and it stopped chirpping immediately and ran quiet all day. However the next morning it sounds horrible until I spray it again and this repeats every 24 hours. I tried silicone spray and it reacts exactly the same. Any ideas how to stop chirpping for good? Thanks.
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Joined: 6/13/2007
Posts: 939
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Once a belt gets 'glazed' and starts making noise, anything short of FULLY REPLACING IT, is only a TEMPORARY 'BAND-AID' FIX. When you replace it, use a quality brand belt like a Gates serpentine belt. When doing so, be sure to inspect your 'idler pulley' for excessive 'play' or looseness (the bearings in these DO WEAR OUT eventually and need replacement) and also for any 'burs' on the other pulleys. The only 'smooth-faced' pulleys on this engine are the idler/tensioner pulley and the water pump pulley and generally the only 'source' for belt noise, unless ribs are missing from your current belt.
This task can easily be accomplished by the owner if they are knowledgeable of cars. All that is needed is to put a socket or wrench on the idler/tensioner pulley and loosen the tension on the old belt to remove it. Pay particular attention or get a belt routing diagram for it from an auto parts store. Some vehicles have this diagram on a label located under the hood near the engine. If you replace it yourself, MAKE SURE THE NEW BELT IS PROPERLY SEATED IN THE GROOVES OF ALL THE PULLEYS IT GOES AROUND. Putting it around the ALTERNATOR or POWER STEERING PUMP last is usually the easiest to do when working on this engine if it is a 3800 series V6 engine.
Hope this helps.
Slug-Gunner - - - Augusta, GA - - - Keep an "Open Mind" = You'll NEVER STOP LEARNING!
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Joined: 7/5/2007
Posts: 501
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Silicone spray has ruined the belt. It is impossible to remove it, so now it'll slip no matter how tight the tension. The only fix is, like Slug-Gunner said, is replacement with a quality belt.
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Joined: 6/12/2009
Posts: 21
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Belt dressing is the worst thing for a serpentine belt. It was an old farmers fix for slipping v belts but not multi groove belts. I have used a wire brush or file on the belt while engine is running, but it is somewhat dangerous. Make sure you don't have a water pump or something else leaking anti freeze on the belt. Once anti freeze comes in contact with a serp belt there's no saving it.
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Joined: 6/13/2007
Posts: 1118
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There should be a belt routing diagram somewhere either on the bottom of the hood or around the radiator. Follow that and you'll be in good shape.
Mike SE Kansas. Land of Ah's.
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Joined: 6/23/2009
Posts: 4
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I appreciate your feedback but the belt has made this chirping sound on and off since it was new. It is not glazed and is very difficult to replace because you have to remove a support bolt/bracket on the motor mount. The pulleys are in good shape and the tensioner including the pulley have been recently replaced along with the water pump. It is possible some antifreeze may have gotten on the belt from the water pump mist. One post said if that happens the belt is ruined. This does not sound correct to me. What are your thoughts? I do not understand how the belt could be bad if silicone spray or belt grip eliminate the problem for 24 hours. The belt is not slipping. The tensioner pully is smooth and not 100% aligned but when I aligned it with a washer spacer it did not change the sound. If I relax the tensioner approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch the noise stops. Any more thoughts?
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Joined: 6/13/2007
Posts: 1502
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I had a similar problem years ago. It started right AFTER I put on a new belt. I thought the belt was defective and got a different one. That one chirped the same way. I took it to the dealer and he performed a pulley alignment check with some kind of lazer thing. One of the pulleys, I forget which one, was a tad bit out of alignment. That caused the new belt to rub along the groves, rather then ride in them nice an straight. The alignment was corrected and I never had another problem. I do, however, totally agree with the above posters. Belt dressing is not a good thing, especially on a new belt. And silicone spray should never be used. It probably did ruin your belt and will cause slipping. You may not notice it when it's idling, but when the A/C is on and the alternator is straining to put out enough amps, there is a bigger load on the belt, that's the reason for the idler/tensioner.
Bob........54646 Central Wisconsin's most fun guy! Handy member since 3/14/'94
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Joined: 7/5/2007
Posts: 501
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The sound you hear may also be a bearing going bad, since the chirping disappears when you loosen the belt
Silicone is used to make things SLIP putting it on a belt, or anything that is supposed to GRIP is going in the wrong direction. Silicone is nearly impossible to remove and will continue to make things slip for a log time. Over-tightening to try to eliminate the slip leads to shortened bearing life.
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Joined: 6/23/2009
Posts: 4
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The noise is coming from the belt only. The noise was present before I sprayed anything on it. The spray makes the noise go away. I can understand that maybe the belt was missed up from new and that's why I have this noise but the spray did not cause the noise and does make it stop for 24 hours. I have been told that on some of these vehicles that the only quiet belt they have been able to find is the Good Year Gator belt. If I don't discover a better resolution here I am going to replace the noisy belt with one of these. I am trying to avoid another belt replacement if possible due to the difficulty involved with replacing it. Thanks.
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Joined: 6/23/2009
Posts: 4
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I think I might have found a fix for the noisy belt or at least a temporary one. A friend told me to try Ajax or Comet cleanser powder because he had used it before for this same issue with success. I tried it last night and it worked immediately and is still working this morning. More to follow. Thanks for the feedback.
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Joined: 10/13/2009
Posts: 1
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Stop using any kind of spray or dish liquid on your surp belt it will only deteroiate the composit of yhe belt and make it bridel and cause it to brake be for it is long do I hear this all the time where i work I am a parts person at Oreilly auto parts and the only thing you can do is to inspect every pully that the surp belt touches and replace if you can.
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