84 ram 250 alternator belt wont stop squelling

[comet240]

hi
i have a 84 ram 250 the alternator belt i guess is whats squeeling it doesnt do it when its idling it does it when i step on the gas, i try to tighten it up more but doesnt help wish it had a better way to tighten the belt made a way to jack it up from the bottom, but either way it wont stop squeling when i give gas but when the pedal is off then it stops making noise any suggestions

[alloro]

Is the belt worn?
How old is the belt?

When properly tightened, the part of the belt that is the longest span between the pulleys should deflect a 1/2" with moderate pressure. Does it?

[comet240]

the belt is i dunno how old cuz it was my dads van but it still looks good i had to tighten it a couple times cuz it was flapping like crazy but right now when i watch the engin idle the belt flaps maybe a 1/2 that i can tell it was hard enough to get it tight lol

[alloro]

What you have to watch for with v-belts is bottoming out of the belt. The sides of the belt are supposed to ride on the pulley, not the bottom of the belt. If the bottom of the belt is touching the pulley, the belt is worn and needs to be replaced. See the photo below.

[comet240]

oh ok and how can u tell from the bottom of the pully if its covered?

[comet240]

by the pully that is

[alloro]

If you can't tell by using a strong light and looking from the side, then a thin piece of wire can be use by attempting to slide it between the bottom of the belt and the pulley. If the wire fits you're all set, if the wire won't go in then likely the belt is bottoming out. The best place to test the belt is at the alternator pulley. Since it is a smaller diameter, the belt is more likely to slip there versus at a larger diameter pulley.

[comet240]

ok ill try that tommorow, so when its bottoming out whats it doing why is it squeeling when i give gas?

[alloro]

Yes, the surface (contact) area of the belt to pulley is much less at the bottom of the belt than it is at the two sides of the belt. This reduced surface area means there's less material for the two surfaces (belt & pulley) to grab each other. So even if the belt is tight, it will still slip. Of course, all of this slipping theory is based on the belt being properly tightened in the first place.

[comet240]

ah ok ill try cuz today i had to tow my moms car with it and she squels crazy

doesnt squeal when its in gear and u not driving but as soon as u put it in park squeals like a banchy lol and squeals when u step on the gas

so gotta take my mom to work then try to replace the belt and hopefully that fixes it

[comet240]

well i got it fixed it was teh belt before i took it off today it was twisted by the fly wheel pully and then i fixed it temporary to go to canadian tire yet it blew on the waythere lol figures well i got the new belt and noticed what a difference my old belt was half the size in with and thickness so now its all good