squeaking serpentine belt - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

GTOger · 01-08-2011

The serpentine belt was replaced about 200 miles ago and now it has begun squeaking / squealing / chirping. There are certain times when it goes away, but otherwise I have to drown it out with the throttle or the stereo. Neither is a big help stopped at a light and the guy next to me is looking over for all the wrong reasons. Ideas on how I might quiet the sucker down?

gbmidyear66 · 01-09-2011

I've had the same issue.

I tried "belt ease" without much success. Had more success with silicon spray.

tomtom72 · 01-09-2011

Just a fwiw, I ran into this squeak thing and I tried the usual 'fixes'....eventually I coughed up the cash for a GM belt vs whatever the parts store had...the squeak went away.

I observed that the parts store belt felt like the rubber was hard vs the GM boxed belt in my case. This I thought very strange, old stock sitting around a long time?

I just don't know what to say, but you could feel the difference between the two belts!

Tom

ZR1Vette · 01-09-2011

Sure it is not the belt tensioner?? Bearings go out on those things and they start to squeak and squeal etc. Starts as intermittent then progresses to full time

bldavis11 · 01-09-2011

When I replaced mine two years ago I had the choice between the part store's brand or Goodyear. After holding the two, the Goodyear 'Gatorback' was clearly superior. I never had a sqweak!

pantera1683 · 01-09-2011

I was looking at one at one parts store that might have been sitting around the warehouse since Big Willy was Prez. It was dry rotted pretty badly so of course I let the parts guy know and didn't buy it.

Paul Workman · 01-10-2011

Mine is new and it squeaks; cheap crap from China. So, I'll look around for a Gates or Goodyear or ?

Far as a bearing squeaking goes, a trick we used often was to take a spray bottle with water in it and squirt the belt with the engine running. If it stops squeaking, it is the belt. Otherwise, it may be a bearing and for that a mechanic's stethoscope is handy.

Sometimes noise from a bearing travels thru the block to make it difficult to tell exactly where a squeak is coming from - in spite of using the probe on the stethoscope. A trick Marc Haibeck also uses is to remove the probe and just use the rubber hose as a makeshift directional pickup to poke around the front of the engine. That sometimes works when results with the metal probe is ambiguous.

Hope this helps.

P.

GTOger · 01-15-2011

Thanks for the suggestions guys. After a little further examination, I think it's not the belt but the tensioner. I have a replacement tensioner that the previous owner gave to me so it looks like that's going on the TO DO list. I'm thinking that there's probably a reason he picked up a replacement.

01-08-2011	#1
GTOger Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 197	squeaking serpentine belt The serpentine belt was replaced about 200 miles ago and now it has begun squeaking / squealing / chirping. There are certain times when it goes away, but otherwise I have to drown it out with the throttle or the stereo. Neither is a big help stopped at a light and the guy next to me is looking over for all the wrong reasons. Ideas on how I might quiet the sucker down?

01-09-2011	#2
gbmidyear66 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 251	Re: squeaking serpentine belt I've had the same issue. I tried "belt ease" without much success. Had more success with silicon spray.

01-09-2011	#3
tomtom72 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jacksonville, FL USA Posts: 4,609	Re: squeaking serpentine belt Just a fwiw, I ran into this squeak thing and I tried the usual 'fixes'....eventually I coughed up the cash for a GM belt vs whatever the parts store had...the squeak went away. I observed that the parts store belt felt like the rubber was hard vs the GM boxed belt in my case. This I thought very strange, old stock sitting around a long time? I just don't know what to say, but you could feel the difference between the two belts! Tom __________________ 1990 ZR-1, Black/grey, #2233, stock. ZR-1 Net Reg Founding Member #316 & NCM member

01-09-2011	#4
ZR1Vette Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Reston, Virginia Posts: 930	Re: squeaking serpentine belt Sure it is not the belt tensioner?? Bearings go out on those things and they start to squeak and squeal etc. Starts as intermittent then progresses to full time

01-09-2011	#5
bldavis11 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portsmouth, VA Posts: 245	Re: squeaking serpentine belt When I replaced mine two years ago I had the choice between the part store's brand or Goodyear. After holding the two, the Goodyear 'Gatorback' was clearly superior. I never had a sqweak!

01-09-2011	#6
pantera1683 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 391	Re: squeaking serpentine belt I was looking at one at one parts store that might have been sitting around the warehouse since Big Willy was Prez. It was dry rotted pretty badly so of course I let the parts guy know and didn't buy it.

01-10-2011	#7
Paul Workman Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Squires (near Ava MO in the Mark Twain N'tl Forest) - Missouri Posts: 6,466	Re: squeaking serpentine belt Mine is new and it squeaks; cheap crap from China. So, I'll look around for a Gates or Goodyear or ? Far as a bearing squeaking goes, a trick we used often was to take a spray bottle with water in it and squirt the belt with the engine running. If it stops squeaking, it is the belt. Otherwise, it may be a bearing and for that a mechanic's stethoscope is handy. Sometimes noise from a bearing travels thru the block to make it difficult to tell exactly where a squeak is coming from - in spite of using the probe on the stethoscope. A trick Marc Haibeck also uses is to remove the probe and just use the rubber hose as a makeshift directional pickup to poke around the front of the engine. That sometimes works when results with the metal probe is ambiguous. Hope this helps. P.

01-15-2011	#8
GTOger Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 197	Re: squeaking serpentine belt Thanks for the suggestions guys. After a little further examination, I think it's not the belt but the tensioner. I have a replacement tensioner that the previous owner gave to me so it looks like that's going on the TO DO list. I'm thinking that there's probably a reason he picked up a replacement.