Why I won't be offroading anytime soon.

[uefear]

So my truck was running pretty well and it rained for three days straight so I decided I must go take her off road. After a mild 10-15 minute offroading session in pouring down rain I now have multiple squeaks under my hood. I replaced the tensioner and now my alternator squeaks. Alternator charges and works fine, but just bird chirps very loudly. Guess when I went through 2-3 feet of standing water that probably did it. LOL. Go 2 wheel drive explorer!!:exp:

Anyone have any solutions as to how to prevent sandy/muddy water from going into all my nice bearings in the front of my engine bay?

 

[IAmTodd]

With little background information about your truck, they might have been failing already and the extra grime just pushed it over the edge. Keep on wheelin'!

 

[trj360]

With little background information about your truck, they might have been failing already and the extra grime just pushed it over the edge. Keep on wheelin'!

Yep, that little bit shouldn't have damaged anything unless it was already wearing out.

 

[carlover]

if mine doesnt squeek, rattle, groan, or make noises id think something was terribly wrong LOL.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

I know that my belt tensioner is very sensitive to water. After I cleaned my engine bay with the garden hose, my belt tensioner let me know how clean it was for the next few days. It finally went away on its own though.

 

[Cobraguy]

Are you sure it's not belt noise? Those things can make some very loud and strange noises. You get dirt and/or debris on the belt and pulleys and you have a recipe for noise. I would remove the belt, take a nylon brush and thoroughly clean all pulleys with soap, water, and the brush. (you would be amazed at how often worn or bad pulleys cause belt noise and wear) Rinse well and allow to dry. Then do the same thing with BOTH sides of the belt. Reinstall when all dry and see if your noise is gone. You can also check your idlers, etc and see if they feel bad while the belt is off.

 

[CmdrPopNFresh]

when im trying to diagnose a belt noise i take some silicon caliper grease and put it one one side of the belt. just alittle. and if the noise goes away then i know if im looking for an idler/tensioner or an alternator or powersteering pulley......smooth side of the belt=smooth pulleys.....ridged side of belt =ridged pulleys. that can at least narrow down which pullies to check for dirt or damage. then make sure you clean it....the silicon grease is a nice fix for about a day...then you have to acctually do something.

 

[uefear]

I pulled my belt off and spun everything and my alternator was the only one "bird chirping." My belt is still the stock Motorcraft belt I believe and my truck has 65k on it. I see the belt has minor cracks just starting to form so a new belt is in order I think.