My first post -

Have a squeal that won't go away. I'm certain it is one of the components of the serpentine belt cycle. I have:

replaced the belt - still sqeaks
replaced the tensioner pulley (not the tensioner itself) - still squeaks
replaced the alternator - still squeaks

Only the squeak is getting worse. Originally it started as a "cricket chirping" and has gotten much worse. It increases and decreases with the rpm's.

I have had the power steering pump and water pump replaced in the last two years (less than 20K)

A/C on or off does not affect the sqeak/squeal.

My next thought is:

Should I replace the idler pulley? (the sound does not seem to be coming from there)

Should I replace the tensioner (I had only replaced the pulley of the tensioner)

Frankly, I'm stumped and its getting old

Any suggestions?

Welcome aboard. You could try using a mechanics stethoscope and VERY CAREFULLY listen for what is causing the squeal. A short piece of garden hose cuped to your ear might work. Again, be very careful around all those moving parts. Plan your moves before you make them.

Thanks for the welcome.

I did in fact use my daughter's stethoscope (she's a nurse) when I started. It seemed that the noise was either coming from the tensioner pulley or the alternator. After reading some internet posts, I thought I would try the $20 tensioner pulley first and hope for the best. When it didn't work, I bit the bullet and replaced the alternator. This is why I'm hesitant to bother with the idler pulley. The sound does not appear to be coming from there.

Thanks for the suggestion though. It won't hurt to listen again.

on my '96 3.3 liter the serpentine belt was squealing and I discovered that I had misrouted the belt, it goes over the water pump pulley and not under

My money's on the idler pulley, I replaced (among a dozen other things) that on my long gone 94 T+C, you could try some wd-40 with the straw attached, a little bit goes a long way! If you find it, it'll be squeaking again soon enough if you're still not sure what area it's from.

Question:

I sprayed belt "dressing" on to see what it would do. The squeak(s) stopped. It seemed that I discovered there is stereo squeaks. Anyway, is there anyway that this stuff could be:

1. Acting as wd40 silencing a metal to metal squeak. I tried to get it on the underside of the belt, but there might have been spray over.

2. Is it revealing that my problem is a lower grade belt that is squeaking as it enters the pulleys because of a minor misalignment.

The old belt squeaked. The new one (middle of the road auto zone brand) squeaked the same. I'll be interested in knowing how long I am squeakless

Any thoughts?

Pretty hard to misalign as the belt has to fit in the pulley grooves (except for the water pump where the pulley is smooth and the belt goes over the top). Of course the idler and tensioner pulleys are smooth as well.

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to follow up. I finally changed the tensioner (not just the pulley) and voila! -- no more squeak. The tensioner was changed about 20K miles back so I did not think that this was the problem. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks for all the suggestions!