How To Diagnose A Squeaking Pulley! 

I had the same squeaky belt issue on my 01 Sequoia and it turned out to be the 10 year old Gates serpentine belt and idler pully needing replacing. Replaced it with a Continental belt and NAPA pulley and now super quiet. Great video!

I like your style. I work on something forever, just like you and it never fails to always be the wrong part. Then I curse bitterly, wash my hands, end up locking up the garage, head to the house and crack open a beer. Muttering to myself that I should have become a priest like my mother wanted.

If you put some water on the belt and the noise changes, then the problem is belt wear and/or belt tension, not the pulley bearings. Generally: If it gets quieter, the belt is worn. If it get louder, it's slipping from low tension.

Thanks 1road guy! I am rookie (single mom) learning 'how to'. Figuring out what's wrong is my nail biter. Very reassuring to see I'm not alone with changing parts that didn't fix problem. Haha! BTW water pump is my problem, too. Thanks again.

Thanks for the vid Jimmy. Going through the same thing myself. Got an 04 Ram 1500 that was making same type of noise. Changed belt, idler pulley and just today swapped out water pump. All the other pulleys aren't making any noise. Next step is swapping out belt for a gator belt. I hear those can stop the squeaking. Worth a try. UPDATE: adjusted idler pulley and belt as well as sprayed belt with belt lubricater. That did the trick. Truck is sounding nice. Thanks for the post and comments. They are very helpful!

It's all great practice makes perfect. You may not bee the sharpest tool in your garage but you learning to diagnose I give you. A plus

For future ref. Take a hollow metal broom handle,taoe it into a milk jug,cut the bottom out of the milk jug...place broom handle carefully against each pully...in a moment you will know what is bad

I had the same issues with my car. Tried everything like you did. It turned out to be the water pump as well.

I always enjoy your videos. Very easily understood. Thank you for the helpful advise

Got to say, you have a great sense of humor, lol good video!

I am having the same issue with my f150...changed the tensioner, belt, and top pulley..still sqeuaks/ squeals/ grinds a little when engine is cold...thx dude u helped me with nothing...good luck...before u go replacing that coolant pump make sure it's not the crank shaft pulley

Jimmy remove the dust cover to the idler pulley then change out that belt replace it with a gator back belt they are known to be quality made quiet belts. This should fix it

On the idler pulley, leave the "dust cover" off. I had the same noise and that solved it.

Jimmy, the impeller on your water pump may have one of the fins bent and rubbing the impeller land of the water pump. I used to build water pumps, and the sound you have there sounds exactly like impeller rubbing a little bit. Will not hurt a thing. I would just run it.

Sounds more like a belt that is in need of replacing than the pulleys from the sound it's making. lf you're ever unsure about the idler pulley or the tensioner pulley, if the noise has just started then you can simply remove those pulleys, carefully pop off the bearing seal and then repack the bearings using a synthetic high temperature red grease like Redline CV2. Then replace the seals and reinstall the pulleys. lf the sound was coming from one of the bearings (happens when bearings run dry) the new grease will eliminate the noise. lf the noise is still there then you know it wasn't the pulleys and plus you're only out the tiny bit of grease it took to repack the bearings plus you just greatly extended the life of those bearings which is not a bad thing. Next step would be to change out the belt (since that's the next easiest and cheapest thing to address) but if you want to test the belt first before buying and installing a new one, using either a spray bottle or even just a long piece tube (such as refrigerant line) start the car and carefully drip some water on the groove side of the belt either by finding an exposed part of the grooved and applying the water directly to the grooves or carefully drip some water on one of the pulleys that the grooves ride on. lf the squeeking stops then that confirms it's the belt that needs replacing. Using the aforementioned methods you can easily and cheaply eliminate 3 different possible sources of the noise and at the very worst your re-greased pulley bearings will be very happy for another 50k miles or so. My bet is on the belt though.

So much room in that compartment you could change the pulleys from your living room.

Loved it bud thank you for the advice! Great camera too Haha

Thank you for Showing us how to change idler pulley.

Oh my, i just went through the same process. 2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD 8.1L V8. I replaced the idler pulley and Belt but not the tensioner. Everything was silent for 1000 miles then it came back. Ordered a belt tensioner, put it on and it still squeaked....crap, ordered a second new belt & Idler pulley, so now everything is new at the same time. Problem solved. Follow up: It’s been now 5000+ miles and all is well. Lesson learned...replace everything at the same time!!!

That's the exact sound my van is making. Now at least I can show this to my mechanic. 😁

So what was the fix?

That alternator looks brand new

Hi Jimmy, nice video, great content, I have question for you and maybe you could help with this. I have a Mazda Tribute 2008 4 cyl. I lost the serpentine and noticed that the top pulley was loose, so I removed it and say that the washer behind it was damaged (it's for the power steering pulley) according to a diagram I found online. The pulley is still good, not damaged. Would you know where to get that washer part without having to change all the pulleys? Many thanks, John

Douse it with WD-40 and have peace of mind for 10 minutes

You’re making that tensioner way harder to move than it needs to be. Put the ratchet parallels to the ground and it’s a lot easier

One of the best ways to check idler pulleys is to get a car stethoscope which is pretty cheap and start running your engine and most of the time if you can get close enough with the stethoscope to the bearings you can hear them real easy that saves a lot of trouble

You need a "cheater" - a 2' piece of pipe slipped over your ratchet handle - to increase your leverage when working the tensioner. You need a breaker bar too, just because, but the tensioner doesn't require that much force, just more than you can easily impart with a short lever.

I made a hearing device from two ft of heater hose with a funnel stuck in one end. Works good .

Yea if you didnt see any vibration it should be the belt.

Don’t replace that pump! Belt first. Also especially during cold or humid mornings,some belts squeak at startup from condensation build up!

My 94 k1500 had the same sound. Spray some rubber protectant on the belt. I used ArmorAll and it cured the problem.

I have the same issue on a 2000 Tahoe with 74K on it. I changed the Idler Pulley and still have the noise that sounds like metal on metal. Its so frustrating. When I spray WD 40 on the pulley the noise goes away but then a day later its right back. I sprayed the belt with belt dressing and no change. The belt is good. The noise sounds like its on the Idler Pulley side so I'm now suspect of the tension pulley. That water pump on the 5.7 is no fun to change out. Usually they weep if they are going bad so I'm not going there yet. I did one on my 5.7 Yukon and its a big job just to get at it, not to forget the 11 or so bolts to deal with. I too saved my old serpentine belt for emergency use. I don't suspect that on this Tahoe. Its not that old. The nearest neighbor to the idler pulley is the alternator or the tension pulley. Its definitely on that side. SO FRUSTRATING. WHY does it just go away when sprayed and then come back? I am at a loss on this one,, this has been going on for a few years with no luck to fix but no final breakdown of a part. ????

I have a Pontiac Grand am, and when I was looking at mine, my crank shaft is behind and below my ac compressor and idler pulley and the water pump sits above it all. The crank shaft pulley looked wobbly, and I guessed it could possibly be making the water pump stress out by belt stress, so I got a water pump and harmonic balancer part, from O'Reilly's. I hope it works to get rid of my squeekiness

I went through the same thing. After a changed the alternator I developed a squeak. I ended up replacing my alternator again, my idler pulley,and both belts. Still kept squeaking. I then pulled the dust shield off of the idler pulley. Squeak gone.

My Blazer's pulley went out and it was making more of a moaning, groaning sound. I'm troubleshooting a similar noise on my Celica now, hoping it's just a belt issue. Did you figure it out eventually?

Very carefully touch your stethoscope to the area behind the water pump pulley as close to the bearing support as possible. Be very careful around the rotating parts

It was the belt tensioner on mine

Try squirting water on the belt while the engine is running. If the squeak goes away, it's your belt. On the groove side and the smooth side.

Use a piece of wood from the bolt or solid nonmoving part on one end and the other end to your ear.

Change the belt. Had the same issue with my car.

They do make gatorback belts still that dont squeak whatssoever! Just check how all the pulleys are aligned and maybe one is sticking out further, causing a misalignment issue. The gatorback belt can help with that problem though.

Always a great video. I have slightly similar noise but it is only happens in the morning when the car is cold and once it is warmed up and running, noise is gone. What do you think it could be the problem?? Appreciate your point of view 👍👍👍👍

Don't feel bad I've got the same squeal and I still haven't found the cause, trying for the past year. ( just crank your music and roll up the windows and guess what.... noise gone. !! amazing. !!! )

The alternator even with good bearings, will make a noise when rotated in the opposite direction of it's normal spin. This is because the brushes create a "lip" that is smooth only in the normal rotation. Also the bearings of the A/C clutch will also make a noise when worn out.

My belt moves on the tensioner twards the engine. what could be the problem?

Just came across this video and my first thought was - what a sharp recording! If you don't mind my nerdy question, what camera are you using?

also by watching your videos i have fooled google into thinking I have a 1995 GMC suburban with 5.7 motor LOL

Keep going. Regards breaker bar, as others have said, you can use a ‘cheat’ on that, and in fact in my experience, much of the time, the force required by the time you already have a 12” normal-sized ratchet fitted to the bolt/nut in question, is low. In other words, a PLASTIC 1.5” rigid drain tube for sinks etc, is sufficiently strong. I literally have half a dozen different colours and lengths of off-cuts laying around at any time, from different houses I been in fixing. Get one, push it over the whole normal ratchet you’ve got, and you will almost be able to double the length of leverage, before the plastic gives way where the metal ratchet ends. I replaced 3 different car tensioner pulleys, and you have done the things it normally is. I would look now, to the heaviest-duty part - what gets used a lot, and collects a lot of dust etc? There are two things that make and collect dust - the magnetic-clutch unit that the aircon kicks in and out as and when it’s called for, and the alternator makes its own dust from those brushes you mentioned. Brushless alternators must exist. Spray-lubing the bearings you have access to might help. That water-pump you replaced, there isn’t by any chance a part of that set-up that you re-use when you replace it is there? The auxiliary belt is a real legacy idea, isn’t it? Take care all.

Take the belt out. Turn it around. Some times it will go away just long enough for you to know for sure. That the belt is in need of replacement.

Put the jack handle on that 1/2 inch ratchet when your trying to remove the belt.

My pulley making lord noise when should I fix it been like that for a month will it fall off or something? How far can I drive it to till I get it fix

Just a small tip Jimmy you can use a spray bottle of water and spray each bearing the bad one will go quiet 👍

So what ultimately did it end up making the squeaking?

with my belt is brand new, my belt squeak when I put my vehicle on reverse or turn on the AC. it goes away when I raise up my rpm a little bit. Can someone tell me what might be the issue here. thanks!

Hello so what is the solution?

I'll save your time, he fixed the squeek with a new belt. High out Alt. requires more of the belt.

Well was it the belt?

"Take the belt toff" LOL

The best part is if you still have the receipt

Man ive been having the same issue on my 93 5.7 ive replaced all the pulleys belt except power steering and crank. Have done the water pump alternator compressor tensioner just because of the squeel and i still have to spray deodorant on the belt every morning to shut it up drives me nuts did you ever figure it out?

My Nissan Pathfinder barely has any room. Your engine bay is mechanics dream

Use a longer ratchet on the tensioner. The longer the lever = less force needed

A trip to Harbor Freight just to buy a breaker bar? I use a small pipe around 3 ft long on my ratchet and it works fine. Its not a high pressure thing so the ratchet is safe from damage.

Goodyear or Continental or Bando belt replacement before waterpump. IMO

Lesson learned. Better luck next time.

When you try to pull belt off change the angle of your wrench to get more leverage.or breaker bar/cheater pipe...

Doing the same sound on my 2000 camaro 3.8 so I squired a little bit of armor all to the idler pulley first and it stopped the noise so I replaced the pulley and everything went back to normal.

So it's now Nov 2018. At the end of the day, what did you finally determine what and where was the noise emanating from? Clearly the alternator had a squeak but if I was to take a wild guess, it would have been the upper idler bearing! Let us know.

on mine....It was the a A/C, belt tensioner

I have the same “Remove before flight” keychain lol

Don't guess ....ensure the failed part and then change

I just went thru that 11+ hours deep in Mexico. Paid to have my late 90s chevy water pump replaced - LOUD squealing seemed to originate from exactly there - replaced the serpentine belt as well. Wrong! LOUD squealing came right back. Sprayed the serpentine belt underside with 303 Aerospace and the noise went away. 🤷

Could be the ac pulley pump bearings too.

All brand new parts like a new alternater have 1 year manufacturing warranty, so what are you worried about...

It may of been none of these in his case. If no pulleys are obviously bad and you just replaced something, a used belt can squeak like that. They will stretch to the way they were originally put on, and will squeak if you put them on a different way. Mark the point on the belt where it goes to the tensioner before taking it off.

GOOD TO KNOW

Good work

Try a bar of soap on ribbed side of belt while running, be careful. If noise goes away with soap belt is bad, replace it.

Does anyone know where I can get that pulley spacer? I need one ASAP! Thank you!

Get a dayco grooved "w" belt. They seem to last longer.

37 pound feet? More like two ugga duggas

I got a 1995 grand jeep Cherokee and I changed all the pullies, water pump, alternator,.belt and I still get that sound

Where is part 2? The suspense is killing me. If there is not going to be a sequel, can you update the description to confirm it was the water pump pulley?

Brother presently going thru the same squealing scenario, 97 f150 4.2. Tried tension pulley no dice still squeals. Tried new serpentine belt, was cracking on grooves, no dice still squeals. Oh boy. Water pump was leaking let's try that. Discovered fan clutch scrubs and tight. So might as well do that to. No dice still squeals with new water pump and clutch,, new coolant,, new radiator hose.. Lol, geez 62 clutch + 69 pump + 60 3 gallons antifreeze + 62 hose not to mention 25 for pulley + 26 for belt. Error! Next try idler pulley ( it's got 2). Alternator is very new, ac replaced with new one by local ac shop about 3 years ago. Well hopefully it's the idler pulley. Not a continuous squeals. Ever Few seconds momentary squeals.

Tip , if the bully is spinning freely and fast with your hand 6:08 like a spinner then it will squeak on you and you need to grease up the bearing inside with a good heavy grease , and it will last for a long time , do this for all bully's and bearing you can take off from the engine and you will be fine ...

Did you put back the spacer? Mine broke I couldn’t find the right one so I got it at the junkyard

Ha. My idler pully went out yeaterday and totally destroyed the spacer in the back of it, flattened the bolt on one side, and chewed up the belt plus slung metal shavings into the alternator and caused it to fail. Can only find it with bolt and spacer from AC DelCo. $51.00 USD. Oh yeah! Only one click on the torque wrench, bru. Never two.

I saw another video guy shared the gator belt that is ribbed in a way that it doesn’t squeak also most of the time it’s a pulley miss alignment not that it’s detrimental entirely but most belts will squeak with a small pulley miss alignment

had the same issue Sprayed a little water onto the belt and noise stopped for a while , new belt .

My 1984 chevy k10 squeals whenever I acelarate but at idle nothing need help diagnosing

Bet you that dust shield was causing it to overheat!

Go with mr.roys comment with the link

I replaced both the tensioner pulley and idler pulley and belt on my 01 express, 4.3 and it still is noisy?

You still haven't checked the idler pulley , take it out and grease the bearings inside before buying new stuff .

How to misdiagnose a squeaky pulley?

tensioning pulley bearing toast best way to test is undo belt and wiggle them both laterally just like wheel bearings the more the movement if they are lose they are the squealer and steths work but hands on is best

I had a weak tension spring on belt tensioner and the "new" alternator was slipping and heating the alternator pulley and cooked the sealed bearing on the "new" alternator. Finally after replacing the tension device it loaded the "new" alternator / bearing with cooked grease and the shaft burned off in less than 5 miles of driving. Believe it or not no real noise except when serpentine belt made a very high amplitude bang slinging the alternator pulley and piece of shaft about the engine compartment. The tensioner being loose probably heated all of the pulleys but the Alternator responded first. I never trust a tensioner past 50K.

This is your water pump. Same truck as you, same issues. Also, welcome to the PNW, I just left there 2 years ago, keep an eye on the crevices around your windows, it will grow moss. Check my channel for diagnosis and repair of the water pump. Also, the squeak on the alternator is the brushes being ran backwards. To confirm, with the engine off give the waterpump a good tug up and down via the pulley (obviously with the belt off), I bet you feel some movement back and forth, use your stethoscope to confirm while a helper moved it up and down. I believe you said you used a smaller belt in another video, if you did then it added lateral stress to the pump and caused that bearing to prematurely fail. Also, I swear i think you moved into my old neighborhood, that or they are just all amazingly similar, Vancouver?

I can get the tensioner done with 3/8 rachet.

This will help me rule out what’s possibly wrong with my rav4