Hey folks,

So my squeaky belt has become insufferable lately and I set out to try and diagnose it. I have a 2002 Ford Ranger 3L V6 and to my knowledge all the pulleys are OEM that came with the vehicle . I have about 189k miles on it or the record.

I tried the water test last night (sprayed a little water on the ribbed side) and it would stop the squeak for a couple seconds and then it would either sound worse or return to it's usual squeaking . The squeaking/squealing occurs most often when I accelerate and am driving around but quiets down when I am idling or at a stop.

The belt is a Dayco (I know, they are terrible for squealing with any little issue) and is only a year old. I inspected the belt ribbed side and it looks fine but does have a little bit of a rust tinge to it(my ribbed pulleys are fairly old).

So here is what I've done and am thinking, and I would really appreciate any help y'all can provide and/or advice.

Pulleys:

• Idler:
  • I took off the belt and gave it a wiggle. There is very minor wobble in it, such that I can't tell if it's normal or possibly an issue. I gave it a spin and it goes on spinning and spinning with almost no resistance. I had read that if an idler pulley spins like crazy like that it usually means the bearings are worn and should probably be replaced. Is that true?
• Tensioner:
  • There is a little rust towards the rear of the pulley but otherwise it looks fine if somewhat old. I tried to wobble it but it seems to be about the same as the Idler pulley as in if there is a wobble it's probably pretty minor or I can't tell. I tried to spin it and it is pretty much the opposite of the Idler pulley: it is pretty stiff and doesn't really roll much (like, it does maybe a little more than a half turn and stops). I read that the pulley should spin like maybe once or twice and stop so if there is a lot of resistance you should go ahead and replace it. Is that true?
• Power Steering
  • It doesn't really spin freely but since it's not an idler pulley I don't think it's supposed to. When I tested it for wobble it doesn't wobble too terribly much but it does have play travelling back and forth (See the video in the Imgur Link below). Is this normal or does this mean it should be replaced as well?
• Alternator:
  • From what I can tell the Alternator pulley is fine. No wobble and it doesn't move back.and forth
• Fan Pulley
  • I couldn't reach it very well at the time but it didn't seem to wobble when I tugged on it with my fingers.
• AC Pulley
  • Seems fine, spins with enough resistance that it comes to a stop pretty quick but without a ton of resistance.

https://imgur.com/a/DjyNrsF

Any advice is much appreciated!

 

Squeaky belt can drive anyone crazy. Make sure all grooved pulleys are free of dirt and rubber. Rough up the smooth pulleys with sand paper. The smooth side of the belt is probably glazed as well. You can rough it up. When the belt is installed, watch it while it's running from the side so you can see how it tracks on the pulleys. If the belt is making contact with a grooved pulley lip edge, that can be the culprit usually. My P/S pump pulley has a little play. I don't worry about that unless there is a leak or is stops working. But I do however, make sure it is in-line with the A/C pump so the belt don't track to one side. The belt grooves hold it. If it's moving around while it's running, that could be problematic.

 

Thanks Grumpa,

I bought replacement pulleys for the idler and the tensioner, but I'll try your trick first and see how it goes. If that fixes it then you saved me about 30 bucks! lol

 

Well Grumpa, so far so good. I sanded the idler and tensioner pulleys, gave the other pulleys a good brushing and a quick run of the sand paper in their groves before brushing them out again and it seems to have done the trick so far.

I guess it really was only a belt misalignment. I'm gonna drive around a bit today and see if it's quiet throughout and if so I'll return my pulleys and the serpentine belt wrench I rented.

I'll keep yall posted!

 

hope its fixed. If not.. the stethoscope blocks out all noise except whats at the tip. I set the metal point on the tensioner housing and I could hear how bad the bearing was.

 

Grumpa's suggestion maybe temporary as I think you may need to replace those pullies you purchased. You didn't indicate how many miles you have and it maybe time to replace some worn out parts. Keep us posted.

 

Thanks, I just bought one and will probably test it out soon. So far the belt has been quiet and only chirps once or twice. I'll let you know what I hear!

 

I have around 134k miles on the truck. So far the temp fix that Grumpa suggested has worked. I'll probably double check with my mechanics stethoscope I bought recently.

I heard if the bearing is bad it should sound like a growl in the stethoscope. So I guess I'll look for that.

 

Indeed, my suggestion for your squeaky belt will only work for a squeaky belt. lol, not a squeaky bearing. I find cleaning the pulleys is necessary even when installing a new belt. That stethoscope will come in handy for a job such as this and many others.

 

The real trick is going to be learning how to use the thing! Lol

 

Use the metal attachment to touch things and the rubber attachment to narrow down noises through the air. Metal: you can hear the fuel injector opening and closing, alternator case for bearing noise ect. Rubber: follow vacume lines for leaks . Put it close to the pulleys if one is making noise to figure out which one is the problem