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Re: squealin betts...squealin belts...it's Christmas time in the city Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Wed, 13 Dec 2000 14:11:53
In Reply to: squealin betts...squealin belts...it's Christmas time in the city, K, Wed, 13 Dec 2000 12:51:35 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Adjusting belt tension is confusing without special tools. If you notice that 15mm (about 1/2 inch) is under 'moderate' pressure. You can't put a tolerance on the deflection without specifying how hard to push. 15mm +/- 3, with 'moderate' +/- 'a little bit.' Just wouldn't look right in the manual.
In general, belt squeal is due to a lose, not tight, belt. That is in the case of the squeal being due to a belt slipping slightly. Some folks use belt dressing (I prefer Thousand Island, myself), but I have never used the stuff.
When you turn the wheel hard over, you really put a demand on the power steering pump, which is driven by the serpentine belt. Not uncommon to squeal when cold.
Inspect your pulleys for oil or grease that may have gotten on them. When you had the belt off, did you spin the idler pulleys to see if the bearings felt OK? Those have been known to squeal when the bearings are going. Is this happening at 20F and below temps, or around freezing? If it's near freezing or above, the AC cycles on and off to help with defrosting - perhaps that intermittent squeal is the AC belt, which had to come off the replace the serpentine. Maybe it's not tensioner right. If the squeal is happening well below freezing, the AC won't come on, so it probably isn't the AC belt.
If the pulleys look OK, and the belt doesn't show any tracking problems (look for unusual wear on the sides) or glazing (look for shiny portions), then try tightening it a little. If you tighten too much, you'll put strain on the bearings in the accessories - PS pump, alternator, that sort of thing. It's very hard to know how much is 'too much', but if you're getting squeal, I would assume it's loose and tighten it a bit. If you're really worried, bring the car to a shop with (1) a belt tightening tool, and (2) the spec on how tight the belt should be (something I don't know).
Good luck!
, Thu, 14 Dec 2000 08:46:46, Thu, 14 Dec 2000 10:12:25, Wed, 13 Dec 2000 14:11:53 <-- Viewing This Message
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