SQUEEK SQUEEK SQUEEK argh!

Ok I can't figure this out. My engine squeeked when I first bought it, I changed the belt and it went away. Not 5 months later the belt began sqeeking again, and got progressively louder. I applied some belt dressing and it went away. 2 days later it came back. I applied more dressing until the dressing was basically only working for 10 mins at a time. FINE I changed the belt out in the driveway, I always thought you'd get more than 5 months out of a belt but ok sure whatever. So here I am 5 days after putting a new belt in again and the squeeking is BACK! I can belt dressing the squeek away but it comes back after about a day of driving.

I pulled the tensioner pulley and the idler (the useless one at the top of the engine between the AC and the alternator) and they both looked ok, I squirted some silicone lube into the bearings on them (as best I can since they are a sealed unit). I re-attched them and bang the squeek remains. Belt dressing makes it go away again so I don't think its the pulleys.

Wtf is going on? Anyone know what would eat belts in such short order?

Things I noted:

-The tensioner seems to jump up and down frequently while the engine idles, almost like the belt is changing load on it or something, so it's popping up and down alot. Are they supposed to? Bad tensioner? Or is maybe the AC pump (even thought it's NOT turned on, it clicks on and off) loading and unloading the belt?

-The weird attached-to-nothing pulley (I've always called them idler pulleys) looks fine and rolls fine but I noted when I spun the bearing\bolt assembly and held the pulley in my hand the bold appeared to be off center slightly, almost like it was maybe bent a degree or two? Could this be hurting anything? The pulley does have a very very faint wobble to it while running but it doesn't appear to be pulling on the belt.

Anyone?

Using belt dressing on a micro-v belt is not a good idea it will plug the cogs on the belt and the pulleys. The build up from the dressing will cause a squeek. To fix your problem you will need to get a new belt and clean all of the pulleys with a wire brush to make sure that you get all of the shit off that you put on there.

P.S. Belt Dressing was designed for V-Belts as a temp fix.

Using belt dressing on a micro-v belt is not a good idea it will plug the cogs on the belt and the pulleys. The build up from the dressing will cause a squeek. To fix your problem you will need to get a new belt and clean all of the pulleys with a wire brush to make sure that you get all of the shit off that you put on there.

P.S. Belt Dressing was designed for V-Belts as a temp fix.

Well it did make the squeeks go away, and the squeek did return on it's own without the assistance of belt dressing. I changed the tensioner out just now and ran the engine. No squeeks yet however I do hear a strange sound like marbles rolling around in there, by listening along the front of the engine it is exactly as loud along the entire front of the engine, so who knows what that's coming from. Maybe it has to do with the squeek.

Well it did make the squeeks go away, and the squeek did return on it's own without the assistance of belt dressing. I changed the tensioner out just now and ran the engine. No squeeks yet however I do hear a strange sound like marbles rolling around in there, by listening along the front of the engine it is exactly as loud along the entire front of the engine, so who knows what that's coming from. Maybe it has to do with the squeek.
Take the belt off and turn all the pulleys by hand see if you feel a roughness in any of the pulley bearings.

Take the belt off and turn all the pulleys by hand see if you feel a roughness in any of the pulley bearings.

Did that and found none, at least none apparent by hand. I wonder if my AC is going, I noted it cycles on and off every 5 seconds or so, even when turned off.

I had that problem, I changed the idler pulley and it went away. BTW it did not seem as though the pulley was bad just turning it by hand but under a load it made the bearing squeal

I have the same problem on my 2000 Jimmy SLE. I have replaced the belt approx. 3 times and it needs it again. I replaced the Tensioner and Idler it didn't help. I would love to find out why so I could stop buying $30 belts.

A new belt usually buys me about year of peace and quiet.

I have the same problem on my 2000 Jimmy SLE. I have replaced the belt approx. 3 times and it needs it again. I replaced the Tensioner and Idler it didn't help. I would love to find out why so I could stop buying $30 belts.

A new belt usually buys me about year of peace and quiet.

I wish I got a year, it comes back in days now...

It's started a new kind of squeek too, which is the other thing I hate about this problem, it's constantly changing. Now it'll squeek nonstop while driving, up and down the RPM scale UNLESS I completely redline the engine, at exactly 5500rpm the squeeking\grinding stops and won't come back for another day or so. Wtf?

Well I've narrowed it done to 1 of a million things...

When the engine starts up cold the squeek is there, reving it up to redline does NOTHING to change it other than speed it up with the engine. If I put it in gear and drive I can run the engine up to red, whether by flooring it, or by limiting it to 1st gear, and the squeek disapears at EXACTLY the rev limiter (wtf?!). After doing this the squeek is TOTALLY gone until next time it starts cold.

Anyone?

I would be a lil more concerned with the "marbles" sound than a squeek .
My friends Toyota started sounding like marbles and it turned out to be the water pump.

You might check your crankshaft pulley. The ones with rubber in them tend to shift and become a little out of position thus putting a different angle on the belt making it sqeak

You might check your crankshaft pulley. The ones with rubber in them tend to shift and become a little out of position thus putting a different angle on the belt making it sqeak

I realize you are new here. Your answer may help someone but not this guy. Post is 8yrs old.