Hey,
About a week ago a squeak/squeal started on my engine. It started as Florida's weather got colder if that helps. I sprayed WD40 on the belt and all pulleys (probably a stupid idea). it ran squeak free for 2 days until it came back. i thought it was the idler/tension er pulley so i loosened it and put grease on it also smeared a bit on the belt lol. ran squeak free for 1 day and it came back even louder and worse than before. today i bought a new tensioner with bearing and it STILL squeaks. im broke but this squeak is embarrassing. please help

 

Can spray each pulley with a little wd 40 and when the noise stops then u know where its coming from. That's how I found out my tensioner pulley was goin out

 

well i did that and it stopped when i sprayed the tensioner pulley but even after replacing it, it still squeaks. what else should i spray?

 

lets see your spraying the belt and noise stops ...Replace belt yet?

 

nah, its $25 which i aint got atm. could it be it? and how do i replace it cuz it was tight as ^R&$%&^% putting the tensioner back on

 

remove belt

pull off idle pulley

spray white lithium grease in its bearings as best as possible .. & spin it in your hand & respray over and over so it gets in there .. should start to feel smoother

or use red attachable tube to spray can .. do the best you can to get grease into the bearings, even while on vehicle


wd40 & bearing grease do not mix .. wd40 is for closet door hinges



if you have belt off .. check all pulleys for noise / looseness

 

Does your serpentine belt have cracks/checkmarks on the grooves side?
You'll need a new belt, ok to keep the original in the back as a spare, will do in a pinch. you need to loosen the power steering pump mounts and the bolt under the pump pully which locks the adjustment bolt. Adjust by turning the bolt at the right lower side of the pump. Don't overtighten. Should be able to roll the belt just 90 deg (straight up) as it goes across top front of the engine. Engine off of course. Google and you'll find video of method. I use 13mm socket, short extension on swivel head ratchet, and a box end to help hold the socket on the adjust bolt head. ALSO check your vibration damper. I had one seperating and the outer ring walked back and was squeeling on the timing cover. Chased that noise for a month, new idler bearing etc. tried the lube method and squeel kept returning. Look under and up and check that your idler is not in contact with your cover! Couple pics, post what you find.

 

alright thanks so much! honestly the belt looks pretty good, but considering the jeep sat for 2+ years anyways it would be good to replace. i will save the instructions and when i get paid, ill do everything yall told me thanks! if it still doesnt work, i may come back with more questions OR ill let a mechanic fix it (ughh)

 

I had the same problem. It was sooooo annoying! Its the tension. If the belt is too loose, it squeaks, if it is too tight, it squeals. Also check your alternator, if the bearing is out, it will squeal too. And your alternator might be working, just the bearing is out.

 

Any lubricant on the belt is bad, especially grease. WD40 will eventually evaporate (it's not really a lubricant, despite their claims). The belt is tensioned at the power steering pump (See Peep's post) and I've read that it needs to be pretty tight with no more than 1/2" deflection. Replace the belt and tension it properly and I'm guessing that will fix your squeal but clean and check all pulleys for smooth operation while you have the belt off. If you can't afford a $25 belt then I'm afraid you'll have to live with the embarrassing squeal until funds allow for replacing the belt.

...and stop getting fluids and lubricants on the belt. Just take your time and be careful.

 

Florida gets colt? Lol its probably just a worn and loose belt.