General Maintenance & Repairs - Squeeky Pulley..

Ok, squeeky pulley question and opinions. Ok, I will try and sum this up real quick. I had a squeeky pulley issue. I thought it was the ac belt/pulleys and replaced them both. I still was getting noise from the pulleys, but figured it might actually be the pulley on the compressor, because it has been leaking and the ac started going out. The ac compressor is now fully inoperable (still blows air) but not cold ac. It is not holding a charge. So... anyways, I took the ac belt off and to my surprise I am still getting the squeeky noise. Yes, I did a test before I went and bought the new pulleys, and I was not getting noise from the main drive belt and pulleys, but now I am. So, my question is, is this most likely the tensioner pulley or the idler pulley? It does not make noise at idle, so i basically popped the hood and manually gave it throttle. It sounds louder on the tensioner side. Is it possible that it is one of the other pulleys? Thoughts? TIA.

I'd say its the ilder pulley. I had a sqeuaky pulley, replaced the idler pulley, took care of the problem. Sounded more like baby birds chirping under my hood at idle than a squeak. Here's a good link with the part #

http://www.installuniversity.com/install_university/index.htm

Well, I picked one up today at the local parts store. I am gonna give it a shot.

Ok, put the new pulley in and...... chirp chirp! Crap! I listed this problem in my local forums and someone said they have had it happen to them, but it was actually the alternator. So after installing and having the same problem, I proceeded to turn the alt. pulley and bam! Chirp...Chirp... every half a revolution. Anyone else had this problem? I dont want to replace the god forsaken alternator if there is technically nothing wrong with it other than noise. Replacable pulley? Anyone..?

if you already changed the idler pulley, i would go ahead and try to replace the tensioner pulley, seeing how its MUCH cheaper then buying a new alternator.

Well, after I put the belt back on and cycling the alternator pulley a few times, the noise has been gone.How strange huh? I cycled it both clockwise and counter clockwise. Since I have put the belt back on I havent heard any noise. I am sure it will come back though. Ill keep yall posted.

Is it back yet:)
I have the baby birds under my hood too!!
I am just to lazy to fix it right now...

I would replace the tensioner along with the idler anyway, just one of those things you should replace together. My car had the same problem with the squeaky pulley and they went away after I replaced the tensioner and the idler. But when i went to the track and made a couple runs the next morning there was a chirp from another pulley. It goes away if you dont put stress on the engine but comes back if u drive it really hard. As long as it's not squealing all the time it wont drive me insane

If the alternator pulley is making noise, it's only a matter of time before it actually causes you real problems. Fix it before it sticks you. Put a new belt on when you do.

Did you ever get it to quit?

I'm going to jack this thread a little....
I have pulley squeaks as well, i sprayed them and came to the conclusion it was the a/c idler pulley. ok i bought a new bearing pressed it in my old pulley and put it back on... no squeaks. two days later the sqeaks back.... Sprayed the pulley and it is the same one... same noise...new bearings... don't get it?

A couple of weeks ago a guy pulled up next to me in a z28 and he was making the same squeak so i hope its a known problem with a solution. Any help will be much appreciated. Squeaks raise my blood pressure.. lol :bang:

Well, actually it has come back since, but have just been to busy/lazy to mess with it. I just need to get a nw alternator and go from there.

To help find the source of a noice, use a piece of tubing about 2 or 3 feet long. Put one end to your ear and move the other around the engine bay while pointing at the likely suspects. A piece of clear plastic tubing at least 3/8" id or maybe a piece of old garden hose.

Works great and stops the "replace things until the noise goes away." I used it to find and replace my squeaky idler pulley for the main belt.

To help find the source of a noice, use a piece of tubing about 2 or 3 feet long. Put one end to your ear and move the other around the engine bay while pointing at the likely suspects. A piece of clear plastic tubing at least 3/8" id or maybe a piece of old garden hose.

Works great and stops the "replace things until the noise goes away." I used it to find and replace my squeaky idler pulley for the main belt.

i actually did do that... :confused:

Dunno...it's not usual that a new replacement bearing is already bad.

I just went ahead and got a new idler pulley rather than fooling with the bearing. After I replaced my pulley I took a good look at the old one. The bearing had a plastic cover that could be removed for regreasing. I could have rehabbed it rather than replace it. But, it was less that $20 and it was new so I figured I'd not have to worry about it for at least another eight years.

Ok, since this thread re-appeared and I actually had the day off today, I decided to investigate further. As I stated before, most of the belts/pulleys have already been replaced. So today, I went after the alternator as thats what seemed to be my problem before. This time, that biotch was coming off. Once removed, I turned the Alt. pulley as before and the noise was there again. I drove up to the local Austozone and just had it tested (Although I know mechanically it was good). Tested good as figured and I was contemplating on just purchasing a new one. New Alt $120 and only a $10 core return. $10 huh? Well, screw it, I am gonna take this sucker apart and just see if there is something that can just be lubed up, if not, I will put it back together and bring it back and get a new one. If I get it apart and it is a pain to put back together, than oh well, $10 lost, no biggie. So.. fast forward. I get home and start cycling the pulley with my fingers and it sounds like it is coming from the rear of the Alt. So, I take the black back plastic plating off (like 4 tabs) and pop off the back.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b246/JanezAddiction/DSCF0004.jpg

Here is the image after the black piece is removed. There is a shaft with some contacts on it as shown. Every time you rotate the pulley on the front, the contacts/shaft parts squeek. (sorry about the MS PAINT ghetto pics/labels).

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b246/JanezAddiction/ALT2.jpg


Upon seeing this, I was sure glad there was about 1/4 inch space between the shaft and shaft walls. So I grabbed a q-tip and just cleaned up a little on the shaft itself as I rotated the pulley. After that, the noise was of course still there, but cleaning it was my essential goal. Now then, I grabbed some high temp grease (very little) and put a little on a swab and just lightly rotated and coated the shaft. Viola! Noise was gone. I re-installed the alternator and have done some laps and errands around the neighberhood. I am gonna continue to monitor the battery charge, make sure I didnt lube or mess any part up that interferes with the charging of the battery. All seems well, and best of all, the noise is gone. Again, as far as I know, this is a rare thing, most of the time when you get any kind of squeeking noises its usually a Idler pulley or other pulley of sorts. If you continue to have squeeks after looking into the forementioned things, than this may be your problem. Hope this may help someone in the future. If I start having any other issues pertaining to this, I will certainly post up.

Outstanding perserverance! Leak & Squeak Patrol reports success!

glad to here you found the source of your squeak.... hopefully it will hold up and be sqeak free for a while

I Have Alot Of Customers Contact Me About Supercharger And Aftermarket Pulleys Squeaking And Alot Of Times It Is A Non Compatable Belt. And Easy Way To Determine If It Is A Belt Is To Run The Engine And Spritz The Belt Lightly With Wd 40 And If The Noise Goes Away And Then Comes Back It Is The Belt. If The Noise Stays Constant Even Through The Sprits Then Look Elsewhere. I Know It Doesnt Sound Like It Was A Belt Problem In This Thread But I Just Wanted To Pass The Tip Along.

i pulled mine off and done what ls1formula98 said to do and it worked thanks for the good advice. no more squeeking alternator

wow, i have to try this!

Guys/Girls, to be fair, the squeek has come back. Unfortunately the squeek has come back. The good news, is that I now know the source of the squeek and I can temporarily fix it by doing what I wrote down here. Hopefully for any one else, the fix will last alot longer. I went ahead and purchased another alternator. It just wouldnt be timeworthy to pull it off every other week to fix.

I don't mean to :hijack: but I hear ya. I have the same problem.

I still have squeeks. I replaced the
WaterPump
Tensioner ( sp :confused: ) and the Tensioner pully ( from GM )
2 AutoZone Reman alts, 1 Boss Alt ( currently on car )
Idler pulley.
Both Belts ( CarQuest, and the A/c belt is not on the car right now )

I don't understand wtf is wrong. :cry: Ima try that WD40 idea tomorrow morning. If the belt is the problem I'm ordering a Gator. I'm almost to the point of saying screw it and let a shop handle the problem.

Same issue

Lubed belts - no change
Replaced Idler - Metal one by the PS and both belts
While off spun all pulleys by hand, noticed the tensioner pulley was rough
Tried the belts and tensioner ....nope
Bought the tensioner idler...old one was going but not the squeek problem
Nope ....chirp chirp...damn
Tried wd40 - no luck
Tried Belt dressing spray.....down on the alt pulley area, whoa gone!!!!!!!!

Took her for a spin.......nope only gone at idle, but real loud now almost like scraping metal.

Pulled the belt again and ran w/o ac belt.....same

Pu tit back on and same noise...tried wd 40 this time and much better, drove around and it seamed to be almost cured. Stopped and did some shopping for about an hour. Come back and it's baaaack.

Conclusions........

Just can't spin stuff by hand to make the noise.

Tried the 2' scewdriver, stethoscope, but the noise tends to shift around. It really sounded like the metal idler at first. A scewdriver on the alt, makes mechanical sounds but not this noise.

Stumped :bang:

A friend said there was a TSB on this somewhere. Anyone got acess to those?.

Short of that, all I can think of is how the metal pulley is not exactly flat, it kinda ramps up on the engine side. Also noticed the bearing was not pressed quite flat and the pulley part would woble a bit when turned by hand. When running you cannot tell though.

The tensioner appeared good enough, and seams to actually sway a tad towards getting tighter when you rev the motor.

I guess I will try the alt lbe idea, but the post with numerous alt replacements,water pump etc, has me a bit :eyes:

Didn't mean to write book, but with enough clues, someone out there may just figure it out.

Yeah, I'm actully out to try that WD-40 right now. If someone can find a legit TSB ( I'm assuming that means Service Builten which = free service ) that would be awesome. $5 from paypal from me if you can find it. Anyways, I'm off to work. I'll update on the WD-40 later.


The only two things that I haven't touched are the Crank Pulley and the PowerSteering Pump. I wonder if the Crank Pulley needs t6 be taken off and tightened down again???


Update: WD-40 quelled the squeeking. So it just appears to be a shitty CarQuest belt. I'm going to order a Gator. Hopefully this solves the problem. $5 for TSB is still good though.

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15020

try this post, shows the TSB info. Found it after many google searches.

Lists a double row idler 12563326 about $40
generator brkt 125633327 about $17
belt 12562626 about $29

Maybe the aftermarket idlers are too generic for us and this is the first I have heard about a bracket.

I won't be able to try it till the weekend, plan to order the parts today myself.

This is a great thread. I just ordered the parts myself. Hopefully, that will fix my problem as well.

Just put the other alternator on finally. Noise is completely gone. I really hated to replace the exhisting alt., cause my current one worked just fine. I just got tired of the god forsaken squeek. Anywho, hope you guys have good luck.

LS1Formula98 - Just keep an eye on it. I replaced 3. It might come back.

z06machine - You sir are the bomb. Where do you want me to send the $5 to?

This thread needs to be a sticky.

Btw, the WD-40 idea made it quiet for about 5 seconds the it screamed like a 4yr old child who just got smacked. :bang: I also tried Brakecleaner. No go either. :(

I'm going to repost the TSB information. It's always nice to have it over here.

Accessory Drive Belt - Squeak/Chirp Noise

BULLETIN NUMBER: 00-06-01-008

SECTION: 06 - Engine/Propulsion System

DATE: March 2000

SUBJECT: Accessory Drive Belt Squeak/Chirp Noise (Install New Double Row Idler Pulley, Generator Bracket and Serpentine Belt)

MODELS:
1998-2000 Chevrolet Camaro
1998-2000 Pontiac Firebird
Built Prior to VIN Breakpoint Y2107225 with 5.7L V8 Engine (VIN G - RPO LS1)

CONDITION: Some customers may comment on a squeak/chirp noise coming from the accessory drive serpentine belt. The noise will be most noticeable at idle and low engine speeds.

CAUSE: The serpentine belt squeak/chirp noise may be caused by misalignment between the idler pulley and crankshaft pulley. A slight rocking motion of the idler pulley causes the misalignment, which results in noise.

CORRECTION: To correct this condition on vehicles built prior to the above VIN breakpoint, install the new generator bracket, double row idler pulley and serpentine belt following Service Manual procedures.

Important: The new generator bracket can be identified by the depth of the idler pulley mounting pilot. The pilot dimension (2) on the new generator bracket is 10 mm. Dimension (2) on the previous bracket was 8.3 mm.

Part#
12563326 - Double Row Idler Pulley Assy
12563327 - Generator Bracket
12562626 - Serpentine Belt

I'm not sure if it is free or not. That doesn't mean that I won't try. If it is not, here are some prices.
Here's some prices -

Desc / Part# / Dealer / ALL GM Parts (on-line)

Double Idler pulley / 12563326 / 41.26 / 30.81
Alternator Bracket / 12563327 / 16.18 / 12.08
Serpentine Belt / 12562626 / 31.25 / 20.48

S & H - ALL GM Parts - 9.95

TOTAL / Dealer - 88.69 + tax / ALL GM - 73.32

i pulled mine off and done what ls1formula98 said to do and it worked thanks for the good advice. no more squeeking alternator
NICE!!! i have the same annoying as bird with little soft ass chirps under my hood. and i couldnt for the life of me figure out where it was coming from on my 98 T/A. thanks guys... i'm gonna do this as soon as i get a chance.

EDIT: guess i shoulda read the whole thread lol. i dont wanna buy a new altenator :( oh well.

Mr SpOORkz, no payment necessary. Lets just hope this is the holy grail for all of us that have been fighting this one.

Sdavis.....read it one more time. You don't need a new alternator....It's just the Alternator bracket $15-$20. I'm thinking you will have to remove the alt or at least move it around to replace the bracket.

May be a good time to spin it and check the pulley while your are there. I was thinking of taking mine to Autozone and just let the guys spin it on the test machine. This should get it up to a decent speed. If it does not squeek on the machine it shouldn't squeek on the car.

Sdavis.....read it one more time. You don't need a new alternator....It's just the Alternator bracket $15-$20. I'm thinking you will have to remove the alt or at least move it around to replace the bracket.

May be a good time to spin it and check the pulley while your are there. I was thinking of taking mine to Autozone and just let the guys spin it on the test machine. This should get it up to a decent speed. If it does not squeek on the machine it shouldn't squeek on the car.
oh damn okay i misread. thanks man. that takes a load off my shoulders.

Mr SpOORkz, no payment necessary. Lets just hope this is the holy grail for all of us that have been fighting this one.


Well, I'll find out tomorrow if the parts come in. The stealership wanted no part in doing anything for free. So I just went and ordered the parts minus the serp belt ( I have a new one already ). It should be here tomorrow around noon. If it is, I will let you guys know if it works. :drive:

Hope it works. mine are on the way too. But may not make it for the weekend. I am in so cal and I guess they ship from the east coast.

I got my parts today. they delivered them to work and I threw the car up on the lift. So far, I have had no squeeks. :D But the real test comes tomorrow morning when I start it up cold. everyone cross your fingers.

Update. Works like a charm. This thread is the Holy grail for all squeeking problems.

just an FYI to help with the noise on that alternator: You just need to remove any oxidation from the contacts. Something simple like 1500 grit sandpaper, just spin the shaft with the paper against it (this way the marks run parallel with the movement), that will take care of the squeak for a long time. I have done this on one alternator and it was a permanent fix.

just an FYI to help with the noise on that alternator: You just need to remove any oxidation from the contacts. Something simple like 1500 grit sandpaper, just spin the shaft with the paper against it (this way the marks run parallel with the movement), that will take care of the squeak for a long time. I have done this on one alternator and it was a permanent fix.


Ahh, nice solution. I didnt think of doing that when I took my alternator off before. I just greased the shaft instead and of course the noise came back. Hrmm, too bad this wasnt posted before, but thanks for the future reference for all others who may encounter the same problem. By the way, my new/used alternator I put on a couple of weeks ago is working like a champ. Shoot, I may just try the old sandpaper trick on my old alternator and keep it around as a backup or whatever. It worked just fine other than the annoying noise.

Can you guys help a Vette guy out too? My alternator bracket is different and not affected by this TSB. I have Gatorback belts on, and replaced my tensioner pulley and the idler pulley by the PS pump. I removed my AC belt so I know its nothing there, but the damn things still squeals and its driving me INSANE! It only does it when the engine warms up though? Its perfectly quiet when its cold.

So where exactly do i get these parts from the TSB report listed above?

I'm getting tired of this damn thing squeaking its embarrassing!

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15020

try this post, shows the TSB info. Found it after many google searches.

Lists a double row idler 12563326 about $40
generator brkt 125633327 about $17
belt 12562626 about $29

Maybe the aftermarket idlers are too generic for us and this is the first I have heard about a bracket.

I won't be able to try it till the weekend, plan to order the parts today myself.

Where did you get the generator bracket?

I know this thread is almost 4 yrs old but this is a great thread. I went through rain and water a couple days ago. I figured it would stop when dried but didn't and its not a squeel but the chirp like mentioned. I still need to check closer but at least I read this before replacing as I went.

This needs to be a sticky