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Squeaky serpentine after new parts ?

M

Mrbreeze824

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Jasper,GA
Hey guys newb here. Got a 99 Cherokee sport 4.0 On 2/14/14 it got a new idler pulley, belt, and tensioner. Just bought it on 3/8/14 , but po supplied me with receipts of work performed. Ok now for the question when the motor is running at idle and under throttle no squeak. When motor is running and a/c is on at idle no squeak, but motor running and a/c on under throttle TERRIBLE squeak. Any ideas why. Friend said something about 2 piece harmonic balancer not spinning at the same rate ?.. Please respond with any ideas. Thanks in advance.
 
First idea is to stop listening to your friend. :) The harmonic balancer is one piece, don't worry about it.

I would check your belt tension, preferably with a tension gauge. I would also make sure the belt is clean with no oil on it.
 
Gates or Goodyear Gatorback belts. The way it was explained to me is that many discount auto store brand belts have the wrong shape little 'v's', and the belts ride high on the grooved pulleys, never quite meshing. Makes sense, so after my XJs chirping at various times through their careers, we started using Gates belts-we get 'em at NAPA-and they've been quiet ever since.
 
The harmonic balancer is two metal pieces joined by a rubber section. I don't think that is your problem here but the two halves can begin to separate and cause all sorts of trouble including noise and broken belts. Always check the balancer carefully when having a problem.
 
also check the idler pulleys that there running surface is parallel to the shaft, i had a situation where one had worn more on one side and it drove me nuts.
one of the smooth idlers, not grooved
EM
 
lazyxj said:
It is the only way to accurately set the belt tension.
Click to expand...
Its not the only way, but the cheapest way. And it works well. There are other belt tension gauges, but typically $100+.
 
while belt tension is important, from my personal experience only, belt run out caused an annoying squeak that just about drove me nuts trying to fix, in the RH Drive version there is an idler pulley that has no ribs, and in my case this had worn uneven, so this pulley was trying to make the belt run off, the next pulley would pull in back into alignment and thats when i got the squeak.

my thoughts are if you have tried everything else, this is worth a look

EM
 
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