Hey folks,

I've seen a few other posts similar to mine but figured I'd throw mine out there for consideration as well.

My truck: 2000 Ranger XLT 3.0

I'm getting an exceptionally irritating belt chirp that comes and goes in no apparent pattern that I can discern. It does it when it's cold, warm, hot, dry, wet, you name it. But never continuously. It will go a week with no chirp whatsoever, then I get in it one morning to drive to work, or in the afternoon on the way home, start her up and there it is.

Sometimes it will chirp the whole way to my destination, other times it stops after a few miles. I've tried to figure out where the chirp is originating .. thinking it might be related to a particular pulley .. still not 100% sure. Seems like it's loudest near the top of the motor, around the idler pulley. But again, it's hard to be certain.

I've changed belts twice this year and both times the chirping went away for a longer period of time but started back eventually. I'll admit I'm mostly a cheapo and buy aftermarket parts but never buy the cheapest ones. If there are 4 different belts at Autozone, say, I'll usually buy the one in the middle of the price range.

Ideas? Should I look into the Gatorback belts (Goodyear) I'm reading about or is there a chance it's the idler pulley or tensioner? Something out of alignment or needing tightening?

As far as DIY skills I'm say slightly better than shade tree mechanic. But definitely not highly skilled.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and this is a kick-*** forum!!

Peace ..

Todd

 

I had the same issue with mine ,changed the idler first and a month later changed the tensioner noise gone .

 

I just got a 2002 Ranger with the same issue. I thought maybe it was the cold, but then I looked and it's still running the factory idler pulley. I'll swap it out, and put a new belt on it next month.

 

I had that same issue when I first bought my truck. I replaced it with a regular belt and still had the same issue... I was told that the 3.0 has a design flaw and that the idle pulley sometimes doesn't line up with the other pulleys 100% as it should (it can be just a hair off). I bought a gatorback belt and haven't had any problems since.

 

Seeking the same answer. My chirp started today. Last night I drove it around midnight. Nothing. Drove about 1pm today. Chirping. Oil is good level. Trans Fluid is just in the hatched area. Not by much. Chirp is on driver side of belt system. 3L 2001. Belt is a little over 2 months old. Same with tensioner pully and ac pully. Haven't tried water and such yet. Watched belt running. Everything appears to be turning. Doesn't mean its nor chirping. As far as tension. When engine off. How much should you be able to push down on belt? How low should it sink? Or should it be tight as a drum?

Thank you
Jim

 

Had a similar issue with my explorer after I upgraded to a high output alternator. I changed to a shorter belt (cheap one) and still had squeal/chirp every once in a while, got a better belt & no noise for quite a while.
Now tht the new belt has stretched, i get a slight noise every once in a while, think i'm gonna spray some belt dressing on it to see if that eliminates the noise.

 

So something called belt dressing might solve it.

Thank you
Jim

 

Belt dressing spray might help in the short term. It basically makes the belt stickier to better grab the pulleys

 

buggman

So this dressing makes it sticky. Ok. I did the water test twice. Both times the chirp stopped then came back. So I got the stuff. Have yet to put it on. I still need to read the bottle. Sticky makes me think of premature ageing. At the same time I just can't let a fine little over 2 months old belt go to waste. So the spray will be applied.

Thank you Buggman and all for your help. If I would have taken it somewhere. They would have wanted to replace something. Once again this site has saved me. I'm grateful for all of you. Thank You!
Jim

 

lol, it's not a sure thing, but i'd spend $5 on some dressing before dropping another $40 on a new belt ;-)

 

Buggman

Ok sounds fair. The belt looks great. So I hope all the spray works. It is pretty odd for a belt with few miles on it should chirp. I don't drive much. I might have put 100 miles on this belt. If that. So I believe in the spray because of that. Hard to believe a belt in such great condition being in the replacement zone. I've driven dry rot cracked belts without a sound from them.
Thank you
Jim

 

replace the tensioner /with pulley and it should go away

 

Be sure the noise is from the belt area. The oil pump drive mechanism can make a similar noise. It is at the rear of the engine, where the distributor used to go.

 

tugg is right, the cam position sensor and drive can sound like a belt chirp but from the back of the engine instead of the front

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5...I5dFYzN2l2TEtN

a pic of mine when i rebuilt the top end, it is the thing with the yellow cap