belt squeal
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 274
Likes: 1
From: Croydon, PA
belt squeal Hello,
Have a 2002 ls1 from a firebird. put it in a 65 impala.
have the factory accessories for a 2002 corvette on the car. water pump is still the one from a 2002 pontiac. basically have alternator, power steering pump, idler, crankshaft, tensioner then water pump as the routing. stock gm setup. got all the part numbers here.
I had a bad squeal that got worse with rpm's. sound seemed to be coming from water pump so I replaced my brand new water pump with another new one. I also shortened up the belt from the 800k6 to something like a 790k6. Tensioner is in the middle of the range and in line with the line placed in the middle of the housing. There are also two additional lines to the right (on the tighter side).
My squeal is still there. I have removed the tensioner and spun all of the pulleys. They all seem fine. I have put my head next to the alternator with the engine running and the squeal is not from the alternator.
If I put additional tension on the tensioner, then the squeal seems to go away with it only being slight at a higher 2500-3000 rpms.
Any suggestions are appreciated. All of the engine items are brand new. Engine was sitting for a couple year. It runs fine.
Thanks in advance.
Have a 2002 ls1 from a firebird. put it in a 65 impala.
have the factory accessories for a 2002 corvette on the car. water pump is still the one from a 2002 pontiac. basically have alternator, power steering pump, idler, crankshaft, tensioner then water pump as the routing. stock gm setup. got all the part numbers here.
I had a bad squeal that got worse with rpm's. sound seemed to be coming from water pump so I replaced my brand new water pump with another new one. I also shortened up the belt from the 800k6 to something like a 790k6. Tensioner is in the middle of the range and in line with the line placed in the middle of the housing. There are also two additional lines to the right (on the tighter side).
My squeal is still there. I have removed the tensioner and spun all of the pulleys. They all seem fine. I have put my head next to the alternator with the engine running and the squeal is not from the alternator.
If I put additional tension on the tensioner, then the squeal seems to go away with it only being slight at a higher 2500-3000 rpms.
Any suggestions are appreciated. All of the engine items are brand new. Engine was sitting for a couple year. It runs fine.
Thanks in advance.
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: McKinney, TX
I had a terrible squeal after installing a new alternator. I think it didn't quite line up exactly like the old one. Tried a couple different brands of belts but didn't help. Got a set of Good Year Gatorback belts and no more squeal. I had to order them online because I couldn't find any locally. I've seen this fixes other peoples squealing as well.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 274
Likes: 1
From: Croydon, PA
after looking around online, I am wondering if I need a spacer on the back side of the tensioner or the idler? I have nothing on the back side of either.
both spin one turn when I try to spin by hand, so they seem to have ok bearings.
both spin one turn when I try to spin by hand, so they seem to have ok bearings.
belt squeal could be the sign of a tensioner that is not functioning correctly or it could be belt slip from another piece...
way to figure it out is to stand in front of the engine and crack the throttle by hand to see if you can get it to squeal and see where its coming from...
most likely you will see your tensioner just bouncing around pretty hard at idle, which means you need a new tensioner...
if its a new tensioner, then obviously its not appropriate for your setup, which means maybe you need a manual tensioner..
I suggest the one I use made by aeicnc.com
way to figure it out is to stand in front of the engine and crack the throttle by hand to see if you can get it to squeal and see where its coming from...
most likely you will see your tensioner just bouncing around pretty hard at idle, which means you need a new tensioner...
if its a new tensioner, then obviously its not appropriate for your setup, which means maybe you need a manual tensioner..
I suggest the one I use made by aeicnc.com
Look into the idler pulley, it caused my squeaky issues for a while. I ended up replaceing everything else and then the idler and it finally went away. It is below the water pump and power steering.
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Verdad Gallardo LOL...I always buy the Gates Belts...
Measure using a fabric measuring tape with tensioner loose, then measure with tensioner all the way tight... pick the belt length that is in the middle...
Gates belts are numbered like this
K060780
which means
060xxx = 6 rib
040xxx would be 4 rib
080xxx would be 8 rib
then the 2nd half is the length plus a half inch
xxx800 is 81.5"
xxx755 is 76"
xxx640 is 64.5"
perfect fit every time, and I never have an issue with the belt quality.
Measure using a fabric measuring tape with tensioner loose, then measure with tensioner all the way tight... pick the belt length that is in the middle...
Gates belts are numbered like this
K060780
which means
060xxx = 6 rib
040xxx would be 4 rib
080xxx would be 8 rib
then the 2nd half is the length plus a half inch
xxx800 is 81.5"
xxx755 is 76"
xxx640 is 64.5"
perfect fit every time, and I never have an issue with the belt quality.
which is why I always measure...
there were 3 different tensioners, several different power steering pumps, several different routings of the belts...
Just like anything with an engine..
always best to measure...
