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Annoying squeaky pulley

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Old 09-10-2018, 06:06 PM
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Default Annoying squeaky pulley

I replaced the accessory belt tensioner with no luck. I couldn’t replicate the squeaking by turning the pulley by hand either. Anyone have a good technique to figure out which pulley it is?
Old 09-10-2018, 07:43 PM
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Sure it's not the belt??
Old 09-10-2018, 08:48 PM
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Belt is new

Did some closer listening to it and it’s actually coming from the driver side valve cover... maybe a loose rocker arm?



Old 09-10-2018, 09:03 PM
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Or a bad/dry trunnion bearing/shaft.
Old 09-10-2018, 10:08 PM
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Originally Posted by G Atsma
Or a bad/dry trunnion bearing/shaft.
Is that fairly easy to spot and what’s the solution to that?
Old 09-11-2018, 12:31 AM
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Pull the rocker covers and check each one as it runs. The solution to a bad rocker bearing is to do a trunnion bushing conversion kit where you change all the old bearings to bronze bushings which are far more durable.
Old 09-11-2018, 06:37 AM
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Any work done on the p/s pump, such as a replacement?
The squeak could be the belt, caused by pulley being off location.
GM has a notice about that. A slightly incorrect pulley/shaft location will cause it. Pulley could be too far out.
Ask me how I know this...
Old 09-11-2018, 08:44 AM
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I do get a loud sewing machine like ticking noise from the engine when I initially start it up. Lasts maybe 5-10 seconds. This just started recently.

I remember when this happened on my LT1 years ago, my rockers arms were pretty loose.

Unfortunely i cant check it out til this weekend.

No work has been done to the p/s pump.

Last edited by 35thanni; 09-11-2018 at 08:58 AM.
Old 09-14-2018, 11:45 PM
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Rockers are tight.

I took the accessory belt off and the squeak went away so now I know it’s a pulley or belt.

Took the idler pulley off and cleaned/greased it up and the noise went away for a minute. Came back eventually but it’s faint now. I’m guessing it’s that idler pulley.

Power steering pulley rattles a little when I wiggle it back and fourth. Not the pulley itself but the pump part that connects to the pulley. Not sure if that’s normal.

Old 09-17-2018, 04:17 PM
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I had this issue with one of my Camaros that would occur only at first start up and when the temperature was below 70 degrees usually. I too had a new belt on the car at the time and swore it was something else. I then found a thread that I should use a belt that is slightly larger due to the car having a 145 amp alternator. I switched the already new belt to another new (longer) belt this shut the car up finally for about two weeks, the noise/chirp came back just as it was described above. I then switched back to the stock sized belt, but this time I went with the Continental brand gator-back belt that I found on Amazon for about $20, for the past 2,000 or so miles its been quite as a mouse. Give it a shot man, this belt had solved an annoyance that persisted for over five years.
Old 09-17-2018, 09:03 PM
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I second the Continental belt. I swapped out the pulleys after a Gates belt was installed, and it kept squeaking, so I decided to swap the belt out again. The Continental Belt stopped it...
Old 09-17-2018, 10:01 PM
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I ordered the idler pulley from rockauto. Autozone wanted $50...

We’ll see how this works. Next up I’ll try out the belt. Thanks for the info.

Old 09-18-2018, 01:57 AM
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Originally Posted by BGMZ28
I had this issue with one of my Camaros that would occur only at first start up and when the temperature was below 70 degrees usually. I too had a new belt on the car at the time and swore it was something else. I then found a thread that I should use a belt that is slightly larger due to the car having a 145 amp alternator. I switched the already new belt to another new (longer) belt this shut the car up finally for about two weeks, the noise/chirp came back just as it was described above. I then switched back to the stock sized belt, but this time I went with the Continental brand gator-back belt that I found on Amazon for about $20, for the past 2,000 or so miles its been quite as a mouse. Give it a shot man, this belt had solved an annoyance that persisted for over five years.
do you have the part number for that belt??
Old 09-18-2018, 06:15 AM
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Lube the pivot that the tensioner turns on... not the pulley bearing, but the part that has the spring around it. Take it off, flip it over, put some oil all into that.

The pulley bearing is usually a 6203; one of the most common bearing part #s there is. 17 x 40 x 12mm. For example https://www.vxb.com/6203-2RS-Bearing...iABEgJzW_D_BwE Less than $3. Same bearing as lots of alternators. No sense buying a pulley when you can just knock a new bearing in.
Old 09-20-2018, 10:08 AM
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rbl3, I do not recall the part number (ordered it off a friends prime account), but I went on amazon and plugged in the search option I used when I ordered it and used their check the fit app by plugging in my vehicle information and this is what I came up with (below).

Continental Elite 4060790 Poly-V / Serpentine Belt

From what I recall the above was what I spent and that is the style of belt I used. It's a good belt and I plan on replacing the belts on my other two cars with that as they wear out.
Old 09-20-2018, 01:16 PM
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if you squirt some water on the belt or each pulley youll hear a change if its the belt. i had this problem on my silverado because i did too many things at one time. the culprit was an overdrive alternator pulley that was spaced just barely off and it would cause the belt to chirp.
Old 09-21-2018, 08:58 PM
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I tried squirting wd40 and it didn’t make any difference.

New idler pulley is on and no change. Still squeaking away. Maybe I should try that belt. This squeak is getting expensive.
Old 09-21-2018, 09:20 PM
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Originally Posted by 35thanni
I tried squirting wd40 and it didn’t make any difference.

New idler pulley is on and no change. Still squeaking away. Maybe I should try that belt. This squeak is getting expensive.
you squirt wd40 on the belt?

Old 09-22-2018, 10:27 PM
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On the pulleys. I’ll try your water squirt method.
Old 09-23-2018, 12:58 PM
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Default Can anyone confirm this is the right belt?

Originally Posted by BGMZ28
rbl3, I do not recall the part number (ordered it off a friends prime account), but I went on amazon and plugged in the search option I used when I ordered it and used their check the fit app by plugging in my vehicle information and this is what I came up with (below).

Continental Elite 4060790 Poly-V / Serpentine Belt

From what I recall the above was what I spent and that is the style of belt I used. It's a good belt and I plan on replacing the belts on my other two cars with that as they wear out.




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