blackfbird

iTrader: (2)

I have been having problems trying to find a loud sqeeking noise coming from the engine. I thought it was my tensioner pulley so i replaced it with a katech tensioner. But the noise still is there and has gotten louder, especially on cold starts. Does anyone have any ideals on what it could be?

toneloc60

iTrader: (7)

When trying to hunt down a squeeking pulley, shoot some WD-40 (or other penetrating oil) on the back of the pulley you suspect. If it quiets down, you've found the culprit.

LS1GMCTruck

iTrader: (2)

Water pump bearings going south will squeel just when cold and are hard to diagnose sometimes. Even though the water pump is still working o.k., its got to go...to get rid of the squeek.

suzookiegsxr

Do you have an oil cap breather? Put a rag around it to keep the oil from puking out on the belts. And spray wd40 as a last resort bc once you do, it will make the pulley squeak untill it refinishes its surface back to what it was before you sprayed it. Engine cleaner/degreaser, all that stuff makes your belts squeak bad for 2 weeks, then the belts squeak when there cold.

I'd change the belts, and make sure no fluid is getting on the belts or pullies. Then let the pulleys work themselves quiet over a period of two weeks. And try to diagnose the noise again from a 100% clean slate. Spraying fluids on your pulleys and belts is not good if you want them to be quiet.

Grimes

iTrader: (3)

well before you go hunting all around, take off your AC belt and see if you still get the sound. If it's still there, the problem is on the main belt somewhere. At least that way you can eliminate some of the possibilities.

FadedSS

iTrader: (15)

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!! It's driving me insane! ive used belt conditioner, tried identifying the specific pulley with spraying wd40 and silicone lubricant, and nothing works. when spraying some silicon lubricant it sometimes quiet things down but not for long.

please keep me updated if you find what exactly is making the noise. i am thinking its my water pump...

FadedSS

iTrader: (15)

good idea, i am going to try this.

blackfbird

iTrader: (2)

I have tried the wd-40 route but it seems to get worse. Also I noiced when the car is cold if a turn my front really hard to one side it gets really really loud, only when engine is cold then after the engines warms up it won't make the loud noise.

ROCNDAV

iTrader: (100)

+1

That eliminates the AC belt & pullies.

If the noise doesnt go away, try removing the main belt and rotating each pulley by hand. See if you can feel one that doesnt rotate smooth.

84ls1_transam

iTrader: (11)

If it does it louder when turning I would say it's P/S pump related.

rpmauto

iTrader: (14)

sounds like it is the belt to me. does it quiet up at all when you spray the belt with wd-40?

LS1GMCTruck

iTrader: (2)

They can be removed from the engine, pop off the plastic bearing cover, and the bearing can be repacked very easily.

84ls1_transam

iTrader: (11)

But that doesn't fix the noise if it is a bad bearing.

BadMonkey

iTrader: (1)

Exactly.

This is not that bad of a job for most people. The bearings are greased from the factory and that grease dries up. Sometimes it can be the belt, but its cheaper to grease your bearings first, then to replace belts first and find out its still there.

Chances are its the A/C idler pulley or even the tensioner pulley down there (they are the most common to make noise).

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

It's most likely the water pump. I've done several of these and they always seem to turn out to be the water pump. It's hard to spray lube when using a belt driven fan. The lube seems to quiet the noise for a few seconds no matter where you spray it because of the fan. It turns out to be the water pump in the end anyway. Change the water pump.

LS1GMCTruck

iTrader: (2)

Your right. IF the bearing is bad. Most of the time its simply a dry bearing though...not a bad bearing. If the ball bearing ***** do have flat spots, due to neglect of lubrication, they will soon again make noise. Depends on how long this noisy bearing was ignored, thats all. Its a quick & easy & inexpensive test, don't you think?

84ls1_transam

iTrader: (11)

"Test" being the correct word. I have never seen this fix it, and I work at a chevy dealer. Fact of the matter is, you can get that noise from just about every accessory on the front. I've heard alternators sound like bad water pumps, p/s pulley misaligned sounding like a bad belt. Stethiscope on each accessory is probably the best bet.

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

The way I see it if a ball bearing has flat spots it's no longer a "ball" bearing. I don't know what you call it, but the word "ball" can't be used in the description.

84ls1_transam

iTrader: (11)

It's still a ball bearing. Just a bad one. That's like saying you have a flat tire, and it's not a tire anymore because it flat. It's still the same thing just no good.

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, but with a flat tire you can just add some air to get rid of the flat spot. What can you do with a ball bearing with that problem? There's nothing you can add to ever get it back in shape.