I have a 2000 sebring jxi and have replaced the serpentine belt and idler pulley twice and the squeak returns after a few drives. Its louder than ever now. I used the correct belt and pulley both times but figured maybe the bearing for some reason had gone after the first replacement. Is there a spacer that goes behind the pulley or any other additional hardware besides the idler, bolt and one bushing? Any info would help

 

Noise made by fan belt, when idling, not a pleasant sound new belt did not help, need ideas to correct offensive sound!

 

New belts on new pulleys tend to make a squeal due to the V's not same angle ( toleranceissue ) but it will go away. try a few drops of WD40.

 

Belt squeal is most often caused by an improperly tensioned belt. If it's loose it will squeal. Do NOT put WD-40 on the belt. Oil on a belt will ruin it.

 

It was caused by a loose belt as stated. Tightened it up and squeak went away. Gotta love manual tensioners

 

if you have access to a stethoscope, use it to locate the squeak, if not, use a 3 ft piece of garden hose and listen for the squeak at the tensioner pulley

 

Good for you.
It's like getting a new car when the noise stops