i have a squeaking/chirping sound coming from the front of my engine. it sounds like it's coming from one of the pullies or the belts. Any ideas what this could be and what I can do to fix it? Thanks..

 

Spray WD40 on the tensioners and idler individually and see which one makes the sound go away. Spray it in the bearings, not the surface. If it's the tensioner, time to call Katech for a solid one.

 

usualy it's one of the belt tensoner pulley, I have replaced my AC tensoner twice due to chirping and squeeling.

 

how much does a tensioner cost?

 

18-30 bucks depending on which one it is... if the back of your belt is getting "polished" that is definately the problem. Stuck bearings in the pulley.

 

i had a guy at Checker look at it and listen to it today....he said it looks like the idler belt. what's involved in replacing a belt? i have never done it before but i am mechanically inclined and i have done most of the work on my car and some of my friend's fbodies and stangs.

 

No such thing as an "idler belt", there is an idler pulley however. My idler was squealing horribly when it came loose after a cam swap. Tightened it up and it went back to perfect.

First thing I would do is isolate the sound. You can crank the car up, verify it's making the sound, shut off car, then use a 3/8" drive ratchet and 15mm socket to remove the main belt by pushing on the tensioner with the socket attatched to the center bolt. After you remove the belt, crank it up and see if it stops. If it is still going on, it's probably your a/c belt system, which has it's own tensioner pulley and idler pully

 

sweet thanks, i am going to take a look at everything this saturday when i have some time off from work and school.....

 

If your A/C is going out it will make a screeching/chirping sound (metal on metal). But I'm sure you've turned your A/C off and back on at some point. Although, when mine finally died, it made the sound whether it was on or off (bearing issue I assume).

 

my AC hasnt been blowing as cold the last few months but it still works.....i probably just need to get it recharged.

 

if i remove the belt and the sound isnt there then i just need to replace the belt right?

 

so i put foot powder on the belt and it made the noise go away so its the belt that needs to be replaced.....

i cant find my haynes manual, anyone have pictures, intsructions or a diagram so i can do this replacement? thanks

 

I haven't heard of the foot powder trick.....

Have you ever purchased "belt dressing?" That seemed to quiet down my underhood noise on older vehicles I've owned immediately. You can get it at just about any auto parts store.

 

can anyone tell me or show me some pics, instructions or a diagram to replace the belt? i just want to make sure i do it right...thanks

 

well there's a diagram on a sticker on the engine bay. All you do is attach a wrench to the tensioner (upper right when looking at the engine from the front of the car). Then act like you're going to tighten the bolt and this'll move the tensioner slightly to the upper left, hopefully giving you enough slack to remove the belt from somewhere else (water pump). Just give it a shot. I just threw a belt on a big mountain today, luckily I had tools with me, and a cell phone, so i could call a buddy to look it up on the 'net. Now to figure out if i broke anything in the couple hundred yards i drove w/o the belt. And to see why the SES is on...

 

replaced the belt today with a gatorback

 

i have that same noise !