Just replaced Harmonic Balancer- still have faint squeal

[debo75]

just replaced my Harmonic Balancer on my '03 XLS last week after it shaved 2 of the 6 ribs off my belt. Had a local mechanic perform the work as it was 32* here in Texas and I'm not built to handle cold anymore. Anyhow, got it back and I'm now hearing a faint squeal after driving about 1/2 mile when the engine is cold and after another 1/2-1 mile the noise stops. I would like to think the new Harmonic Balancer isn't bad already, but nothing would really surprise me at this point. I also noticed when I was troubleshooting that the power steering pump had some in/out play in it. Anyone else experience noise after the balancer was replaced?

 

[debo75]

Update, the Harmonic Balancer is making the noise. The mechanic wants to blame the belt that I replaced the day before I took it in. I call BS, I cannot see a bad balancer tearing up a belt in 10 miles.

BTW- I have the 4.0

 

[ahodges]

so youre saying that the new balancer tore up a new belt?

 

[debo75]

No, the mechanic is claiming that the 10 or so miles I drove with the new belt riding on the old balancer damaged the belt, hence the noise. My wife brought it home the night before with a horrible squeal, I saw the original belt was 1/3 gone (balancer had shaved 2 ribs of the belt off) and replaced the belt and tensioner. I drove it a few miles that night and a couple more to the mechanic the next morning. I just don't believe that small amount of driving would damage the belt. I'm digging into it tonight and post my findings. I have a feeling he didn't replace the torque to yield bolt, reused the old one and it's getting loose.

 

[ahodges]

good luck, let us know. If the belt was riding in the appropriate ribs it could have been damaged though.

 

[Exproblems]

No, the mechanic is claiming that the 10 or so miles I drove with the new belt riding on the old balancer damaged the belt, hence the noise. My wife brought it home the night before with a horrible squeal, I saw the original belt was 1/3 gone (balancer had shaved 2 ribs of the belt off) and replaced the belt and tensioner. I drove it a few miles that night and a couple more to the mechanic the next morning. I just don't believe that small amount of driving would damage the belt. I'm digging into it tonight and post my findings. I have a feeling he didn't replace the torque to yield bolt, reused the old one and it's getting loose.

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To rule out that the new harmonic balancer as being the problem, pick up a new serpentine belt and install it and see if it still squeals. If the new belt squeals, then blame the new harmonic balancer as being the problem. The 10 miles or so you drove with your current newer belt installed over the old, bad harmonic balancer could be the cause of the current belt squeal if it damaged the belt ribs in any way. In 10 miles of driving, that newer belt would have spun around that bad harmonic balancer pulley thousands of time. You kind of have to assume that the current, newer belt is the source of your problem because you drove with it on a bad harmonic balancer pulley. The belt is the cheaper and easiest of the two fixes to start with.

 

[debo75]

Update- got home yesterday and installed the old belt tensioner. Started it up this morning and no squeal. The new tensioner was allowing the belt to slip. To play it safe, I'm going to get a new tensioner and belt but I'm ordering good ones this time. The ones I put on were AutoZone since I needed them right then.