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A month or so ago I had the thermostat housing replaced due to warpage. I understand that the alternator has to be removed for this task. Since then, slowly but surely, the car has developed a squeek in the area of the drive belt. It happens right after start when cold and slowly goes away within 3-5 minutes. When I squirt a solution of soapy water into the belt area it immediately stops but then slowly resumes in 30 seconds or so then stops in a few minutes.
The drive belt was replaced a couple of months ago when the timing chain/water pump was replaced. I'm hoping that the belt is a bit loose which is causing this issue. Our Grand Cherokee had the same thing happen after the water pump was replaced and I tightened the serpentine belt and the squeek went away.
Does this model had the auto tensioner pulley or can I manually tighten the belt? If so, can anyone advise how to tighten the belt? I understand it should have about a 1/4 inch play with correct tension.
Many thanks.
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Thanks Dennis. Wow, that's a terrific thread! I'll give it a whirl. Hopefully Termite is still plugged into this forum. I'm curious as to how he attacked the upper locking bolt....ie, from below or above. I guess I'll find out soon enough. Thanks again, Jim
Well.....I just completed the serpentine belt tightening process. The thread showing the step by step method was perfect. After removing the passenger side fender splash guard I was able to access the two bolts on the belt tensioner easily. I first reviewed the belt and it was in new condition.....no cracks whatsoever and was free of any debris. I loosened the two bolts and using my 1/2" breaker bar tightened the belt to about 1/4" play, up and down. Frankly, it appeared pretty tight before I started. I did the best I could (tight in there!) to measure all of the pulley's to make sure they were properly aligned. Seemed ok, nothing clearly out of alignment.
I reassembled everything and started the car. Same squeak.....maybe even a bit louder and lasted longer. Dang!
I'm now leaning towards a belt dressing but I heard that is no no.....
Any other suggestions? Like I said, the access process you all provided was awesome!
Do we know that it's not the power steering belt? There's only two belts in there, and if it's a belt squeal, it's got to be one or the other.
Only other thing I could recommend is to put a new belt in there. Maybe you got stuck with a really old one off the shelf.
When I had the car up on the jack stand with the fender splash shield removed I had clear access to both belts. I started the car and with the squeal in full force I shot a quick burst of soapy water on the main serpentine belt. Squeal stopped instantly. After it resumed, I did the same to the power steering belt. It had no impact so it's isolated to the main belt.
I agree about replacing the belt......I can't think of another option. Thanks again Dennis!
Replaced the serpentine belt yesterday and the squeak has gone away! Started this morning when it was about 35 degrees and perfect..no squeaks. I inspected the old belt and found nothing unusual in terms of cracks, separation, glazing or dryness. Strange but clearly it has an issue.
Note: Before I replaced the belt I bought a can of Loctite belt dressing and conditioner for $4.99. I thought, "what the heck". I sprayed the inside of the belt while running with a 2 second burst of this fluid. Squeak instantly went away then (as usual) resumed about 30 seconds later. This time with a vengeance. First the belt squeak then it sounded like all of the pulley bearings were chattering. I thought "now what have I done!" Anyway, DON'T use this crap!
Thanks again for the help! Jim
2002 Sebring 2.7 sedan possible belt squeek
