prayforsurf0
Active Member
- Joined
- April 7, 2015
- Messages
- 95
- Reaction score
- 7
- City, State
- Montauk NY
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1998 Ford Explorer XLT
This one seemed so simple, but I'm now stumped. Here is the order of events.
It started as a tiny, "chirp" at startup. One quick chirp and immediately went away after starting.
Few days later.
Grinding Pulley noise comes from engine. Discover AC compressor pulley is shot so I replace it with a bypass pulley from advance auto.
Startup "chirp" remains, and begins to get worse over the next days (lasting a few seconds longer and louder, death loud) but the noise from the AC compressor is gone.
I take off the belt and spin the pulleys (power steering, idler, alternator). They seem fine and spin freely, but that chirp is becoming a squeal that takes longer to go away (I'm assuming some pulley bearing is getting worse, therefore the squeal getting worse).
Based on where the sound seems to come from I decide to change the idler pulley, but the squealing at startup remains.
I decide it must be the alternator pulley so I buy a new alternator (turns out to be the wrong alternator for my truck, but before I realized it sort of fit the car and the pulley lined up), and the squeal is gone with the wrong alternator !
I thought for sure that the alternator pulley was shot since the squeal had stopped, but returned to the auto store for the correct alternator for my truck (the parts were in the wrong boxes).
I put the correct alternator on the truck. Fits perfect, pulleys align. Start up the truck, Squealing is back on startup !!!
Now I want my original alternator back because that was never the problem in the first place. However, driving home from the auto store the belt gets sliced long ways. Lucky I cut the loose piece off and still was able to drive on that belt so its not as wide, but still works. But why did my belt get chewed like that after driving a few miles ?
When I put my original alternator back on the truck, as well as a new belt, the squealing gone again. Finally problem solved. I concluded, it was never the idler or the alternator, it was the bypass pulley that was out of alignment but now fixed since I removed the spacer bushing.
I thought I fixed it, but guess what.
Belt slices laterally again after 30 miles driving, worse than the first time and comes off the pulleys (the first time it sliced it was actually still on the pulleys and working, I just had to cut the loose piece off that was slapping around. This time it sliced long ways and came off the pulleys.
What the hell is going on ? Why would the belt rotate on the pulleys for so long before finally slicing long ways ??
BTW My tensioner is new too. Good tension on the belt.
So I put my old belt on the car (the one that ripped the first time that is still in tact, but not as wide as originally)
It started as a tiny, "chirp" at startup. One quick chirp and immediately went away after starting.
Few days later.
Grinding Pulley noise comes from engine. Discover AC compressor pulley is shot so I replace it with a bypass pulley from advance auto.
Startup "chirp" remains, and begins to get worse over the next days (lasting a few seconds longer and louder, death loud) but the noise from the AC compressor is gone.
I take off the belt and spin the pulleys (power steering, idler, alternator). They seem fine and spin freely, but that chirp is becoming a squeal that takes longer to go away (I'm assuming some pulley bearing is getting worse, therefore the squeal getting worse).
Based on where the sound seems to come from I decide to change the idler pulley, but the squealing at startup remains.
I decide it must be the alternator pulley so I buy a new alternator (turns out to be the wrong alternator for my truck, but before I realized it sort of fit the car and the pulley lined up), and the squeal is gone with the wrong alternator !
I thought for sure that the alternator pulley was shot since the squeal had stopped, but returned to the auto store for the correct alternator for my truck (the parts were in the wrong boxes).
I put the correct alternator on the truck. Fits perfect, pulleys align. Start up the truck, Squealing is back on startup !!!
Now I want my original alternator back because that was never the problem in the first place. However, driving home from the auto store the belt gets sliced long ways. Lucky I cut the loose piece off and still was able to drive on that belt so its not as wide, but still works. But why did my belt get chewed like that after driving a few miles ?
When I put my original alternator back on the truck, as well as a new belt, the squealing gone again. Finally problem solved. I concluded, it was never the idler or the alternator, it was the bypass pulley that was out of alignment but now fixed since I removed the spacer bushing.
I thought I fixed it, but guess what.
Belt slices laterally again after 30 miles driving, worse than the first time and comes off the pulleys (the first time it sliced it was actually still on the pulleys and working, I just had to cut the loose piece off that was slapping around. This time it sliced long ways and came off the pulleys.
What the hell is going on ? Why would the belt rotate on the pulleys for so long before finally slicing long ways ??
BTW My tensioner is new too. Good tension on the belt.
So I put my old belt on the car (the one that ripped the first time that is still in tact, but not as wide as originally)
