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Car Engine Serpentine Belt - Multi Rib Belt - Belt Tensioner Questions -
This category contains featured questions as examples. They relate to most vehicles.
Question: 1997 Saturn SL2 mileage: 138,000. Ok experts...my serpentine
belt was squealing a few weeks ago. The old handy man hubby replaced it (after much
cussing and complaining about not enough room to work, blah blah blah)....well the
belt is back to squealing and he has tried to tighten it, and thinks its as tight
as it will get. Any suggestions...aside from trading in my hubby and car?
Answer: It is normally a good practice to replace the spring
loaded belt tensioner when replacing the serpentine belt. Also, check to see that
no oil or grease has gotten on the pulleys.
Question: 2001 Buick LeSabre mileage: 42,000. I purchased a serpentine
belt with the idea I would replace the one on my Buick. I thought it would be a
10-minute job. Wrong....I found a motor mount in the way. This mount is fastened
to the engine at three points, and the belt goes between the two top connections
and around the bottom one. Does this mount have to be completely removed or just
the bottom connection in order to replace the belt? Does the engine need to be supported
during replacement?
Answer: Unfortunately on your type car, to replace the serpentine
belt, the engine must be supported and the engine mount disconnected to replace
the belt.
Question: 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 mileage: 100,000. Hi guys, I
have a quick question regarding the alternator belt in my Plymouth Acclaim.
Last year during the winter the alternator serpentine belt fell off while backing
out of some deep snow. I put the belt back on. This summer the belt started squealing
so I replaced it. Now the belt has fallen off three times already when driving through
rain puddles. What can I do to prevent the belt from falling off when driving through
puddles (the puddles are not that big...everyone else can go through them)?
Answer: Check the alignment of the pulleys and replace the
belt tensioner. Recheck belt operation.
Question: 1995 Pontiac Sunfire mileage: 102,000. My car won't stop
squealing, especially when it rains, but recently when it hasn't. I've gone
through two belts in the past four years. The last belt was quiet for half
a year because the mechanic told me to replace the water pump, which I did (under
warranty). Their explanation was that the belt was too dry, so I believed
them. The service advisor poured a little water on the belt to demonstrate,
and instantly the noise was even louder. After the demonstration, he applied
some silicone lubricant and the noise disappeared. I don't believe that this
solved the problem because the noise came back again. A neighbor told me that the
tensioner might need to be replaced because the spring could be worn out.
I brought that up with the service department, however, they said it was fine.
Is there anything else that I can check to solve this problem?
Answer: Try replacing the belt tensioner and install a new belt.
If the tensioner is weak, it will allow the belt to slip slightly causing the belt
to glaze. A glazed belt would be the cause of your squeaking problems.
We no of no belt conditioner that would quiet a glazed belt for any length of time.
Question: 2001 Saturn SC2 mileage: 48,000. Do you have a diagram
to install the serpentine drive belt? It broke and I don't have a diagram
to install the new one.
Answer: Please go to
Drive Belt Routing to find
the information you need.
Question: 2003 Ford F150 Truck mileage: 117,000. When I start my
engine, cold only, I hear a squealing noise, like the serpentine belt. The
noise goes away after the engine warms up a little. About a year ago, I replaced
the belt with a FORD factory belt. Help?
Answer: Try replacing the belt tensioner and install a new belt.
If the tensioner is weak, it will allow the belt to slip slightly causing the belt
to glaze. A glazed belt would be the cause of your squeaking problems.
We no of no belt conditioner that would quiet a glazed belt for any length of time.
Question: 1996 Cadillac DeVille, mileage: 76,000. Recently purchased
this car. A wobbly Power Steering pulley trashed serpentine belt. I
bent the pulley straight but cannot find where to release tension on idler.
Please help.
Answer: The belt tensioner is spring loaded. Use a wrench
to pull it back to install the belt.
Question: 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee mileage 76,000. I just had my water
pump and serpentine belt replaced on my Jeep Grand Cherokee. The mechanics did not
put the serpentine belt on right and my fan cut it up. After they replaced it, free
they told me there was no damage to the engine but my engine is squealing kind of
loud now. I was wondering how the serpentine belt breaking like that could damage
my engine.
Answer: We do not think there is damage to your engine. The squealing
sound is probably a result of the belt not being tensioned properly. There is a
remote chance the water pump is faulty. Try removing the belt and spinning the water
pump by hand. It should spin free with no noise.
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