heat got my truck squeaking again

[jtm087]

so its been kinda hot in the morning and when I go to start up my car, it makes that annoying squeeking sound that it made when it was really cold. The idler pulley and belt was repalced about 3 months back when it was squeeking in the cold, so what else could be the cause of the squeek. I will try to get a sound clip of this noise, but it doesnt soound like a belt squeeking

 

[Papa]

Alternator bearing? sometimes you can use a long screwdriver and listen to differen components.

 

[mesa 33]

My belt use to sqeek but i took a bar of soap and turned on the truck pushed the bar against the belt and the first pulley closest one to the top where the belt and pulley make a edge and ive been sqeek free since.

 

[jtm087]

My belt use to sqeek but i took a bar of soap and turned on the truck pushed the bar against the belt and the first pulley closest one to the top where the belt and pulley make a edge and ive been sqeek free since.

really? i might have to try that, what brand of soap did u use?

 

[shamaal]

Does it sound like a power steering pump squeal? Turn wheels into stops and see if it gets worse. Check fluid.

Feel the alternator, sometimes a bad bearing will cause it to heat up real fast. You'll know it from touch.

Look at fan blade shaft while turning, does it move in and out? Be careful!

These are the only squeekers I've had to date, besides tensioner.

 

[Papa]

Take the belt off and turn each component by hand including the new idler pulley. Each component should turn freely, smoothly and without wobble.

 

[mesa 33]

A bar, It doesnt matter what soap u use.

 

[celly]

My belt use to sqeek but i took a bar of soap and turned on the truck pushed the bar against the belt and the first pulley closest one to the top where the belt and pulley make a edge and ive been sqeek free since.

I'm getting a bit of squeak myself that comes and goes lately. Someone told me to use a good old crayon, in much the same way you used soap. He said the wax does wonders to condition the belt and minimize squeaks. This thread is pretty timely because I was just searching around for answers yesterday. I'm going to try all sorts of things if it continues, maybe even the soap thing.

 

[jtm087]

I was looking under my hood when it was making this noise , getting a video clip so you can hear it, and this old guy in the parking lot said it its definatley my water pump, but I havnt had any coolant leaks, and my temp never goes over half way, could this still be the problem???

 

[Papa]

I was looking under my hood when it was making this noise , getting a video clip so you can hear it, and this old guy in the parking lot said it its definatley my water pump, but I havnt had any coolant leaks, and my temp never goes over half way, could this still be the problem???

Yes it can be the water pump it has bearings also and if they fail the seal will likely fail soon though it is usually the seal that fails first and the water then destroys the lubricant in the bearings. Turn the water pump by hand and see if it turns smoothly.

 

[adam45356]

my belt way sqeaking alfull i tied your soup trick and its great the only thing that worked so far so good thanks alot mesa 33

 

[jtm087]

anyone know where i can get a write-up on water pump replacement? did a search with no luck, and haynes is too vague, go the cd manual, but for some reason water pump replacement is not in there

 

[shamaal]

The third water pump failure I had, it squeeked - no water leak. The squeeking caused me to observe the pump in action. The water pump shaft was visibly moving in and out. I have the 4.0L OHV and Haynes worked fine for me. I think Autozone has the best loaner tools for removing the fan blade (large wrenches), O'Reilly has the levered gizmo that I founf difficult to use. The whole job takes 1 - 2 hours, including draining and filling. I seem to recall several recent threads on water pump replacement.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159185&highlight=water+pump
If there are specific areas in Haynes that are unclear, ask questions.
Try Papa's recommendation above of removing the belt and spinning stuff by hand. If you completely remove the belt, you can start the engine and see if it still squeeks, that will significantly narrow the problem down.

 

[celly]

I did the crayon thing today and so far it's done the trick. Now to see if it lasts.

 

[skoal_mint]

just wondering how the wax stops the squeek

does it grip the pullys more?

 

[Papa]

just wondering how the wax stops the squeek

does it grip the pullys more?

Yes if there is not too much glaze on the belt from age, poor tension and or misalignment so obviously a belt dressing has its limitations and the original cause still needs to be solved.

 

[celly]

Yes if there is not too much glaze on the belt from age, poor tension and or misalignment so obviously a belt dressing has its limitations and the original cause still needs to be solved.

Thing is, my belt has been fine since I got this Explorer in November. I had the belt looked at on Friday. It's almost brand new. No sign of cracks etc. He also checked the tensioner and said it's almost perfect too and no need for replacement. My noises actually started when I got the tiniest spot of copper based anti-seize compound on the belt. I wiped the excess off, but the squeak started soon after. The technician that told me about this trick told me it doesn't take much to get a belt to squeak. The crayon thing just evens the score a bit. I do plan to take the belt off and clean pullies etc., but if this lasts, I won't bother. Come to think of it, I had a higher output alternator installed soon after I got the Explorer and the belt squeaked for a few days afterwards before disappearing completely (until the anti-seize incident).

I'm just going to see how it plays out.

 

[Turdle]

The camshaft position sensor can also speak, to eliminate the accesories, pull the serpentine belt off, run engine and listen. If the noise is present it is the cmp, as no accesories are turning. V-8 is notorious.
If noise isn't present, sometimes just reversing the belt will stop a sqeak, so end for end it while it is out.

 

[jtm087]

is running your engine with ur belts off dangerous to ur car? everytime i do it, i have trouble starting it back up and the battery light always comes on

 

[Turdle]

is running your engine with ur belts off dangerous to ur car? everytime i do it, i have trouble starting it back up and the battery light always comes on

If you run it for just a moment, there should be no problem.