I had a nasty squealing noise coming from my serpentine belt on my 03 v6 3.0l no ac edge
so i replaced the tensioner pulley, idler pulley, and belt (DIY) and saw/heard significant improvement. However, I still get an intermittent chirping sound at idle/low speed. Other times it will be gone completely while idle. Any ideas what could still be causing this noise?

 

Welcome to the forum


Glazing

When a fan belt starts to slip it Glazes the pulleys when it slips, think of it as polishing the pulley surface.

You can put on a new belt but it can still "chirp" when it slips on the polished surfaces.

Remove belt and use emory cloth, scotch bright or similar item to rough up the pulleys, in the grooves as well.
Power steering pulley is the usually suspect, but do alternator, and crank pulley as well, also AC

If there are any bare spots paint them, paint is a rough surface, good for fiction, "chirping" and squealing is a lack of friction

 

Could the whole power steering pump need a replacement if that is the issue? Or just the pulley?

 

You don't need to replace anything it is just surface glazing.

If in doubt sand then paint the pulley surface, that will give it back factory "grip"

But Ford power steering pumps are noisy, lol, not chirping noise just generally LOUD whining noise, so some do use other brands.

No can't say which brand off the top of my head but google Ford power steering noise should be loads of posts on that subject.

 

You've been a ton of help! What type of paint should I use on the pulley surfaces after sanding?

 

Paint for metal...............other than that it is up to you, spray or brush on, most use black but you can be creative

 

So over the weekend I sanded and repainted all the pulleys. The chirping didn't go away (still intermittent) I noticed the pulley for the power steering pump can move about a quarter inch back and forth (perpendicular to the belt). I put the belt back on and couldn't move the pulley by hand but I'm thinking this could be the cause of the chirping if it's not normal.

 

Well you could get some lube in a spray can, the kind that comes with the tube/straw so you can direct the spray at a specific spot, and then apply it while engine is idling, and chipping, to see if it is a bearing noise.

Pulleys will have some in and out play, how much is too much?
Can't say, but if there wasn't some play then fan belt would wear out on its edge fairly fast alignment on those pulleys is not that precise