serp belt issues... HELP!?!??!

Ok, this one is getting weird. I had a bad A/c idler bearing on my jeep 2.5. I replaced it. but yet it still makes a slight squeek, with a almost constant wooshing, metal rubbing sound. It is engine speed depended, and still occurs at a dead stop. This is where it gets good.

I noticed the other day that the sound is slighltly more proounced at idle with the clutch pressed. when i release it, the sound deadens just a tad. But yet, it so sounds like its comming from the belt area. havent checked all the other pulleys in there yet, but i know that the tensioner, a/c idler and water pump are all good. the squeek isnt because of a loose belt, i've already verified that.

Does it vary with engine speed, rather than forward speed? Since you say it "dips" a bit when your clutch is in, that tells me it's probably in the drive belt system - since you're putting more of your engine power out the back once you're driving.

Try this - keep the clutch in (or put the transmission in neutral,) and see if the tone of the noise changes when engine speed.

Now, since you don't give with your model year (it helps...) I can only guess which alternator you have - but blown front bearings on ND alternators are common enough that I'd want to check it - just pull the belt and spin the shaft by hand. Also, you can lose the bearing in the front of the A/C compressor (similar sound) and in the front of the power steering pump (you guessed it...) and all of them can be checked by spinning each pully individually, by hand, and feeling/listening for any sound or abnormality.

5-90

Throw out bearing can be noisy too, I live with a noisy one on my S10 for about 400,000mi.

5-90 said:

Try this - keep the clutch in (or put the transmission in neutral,) and see if the tone of the noise changes when engine speed.
5-90

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Sorry that is what i meant. when the tranny is in neutral (5spd) and i release the clutch the sound isnt as pronounced, still there though. Almost as if someone put a peice of sound insulation around the location that the sound is comming from.

also when i put it in gear and go, the sound is unchanged vs in neutral.

5-90 said:

Now, since you don't give with your model year (it helps...) I can only guess which alternator you have - but blown front bearings on ND alternators are common enough that I'd want to check it - just pull the belt and spin the shaft by hand. Also, you can lose the bearing in the front of the A/C compressor (similar sound) and in the front of the power steering pump (you guessed it...) and all of them can be checked by spinning each pully individually, by hand, and feeling/listening for any sound or abnormality.
5-90

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its a '96. i guess i should do the pully check on each one.... I would rather it be an alternator over the ac compressor or P/steering. I just got done replacing my g/f's ac compressor when the bearing litterally desentigrated and seized. that was a pain.

RichP said:

Throw out bearing can be noisy too, I live with a noisy one on my S10 for about 400,000mi.

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hummm... hope that isnt mine. that is in the clutch basket right?


Thanks ya'll

If it's the throwout bearing, the transmission will have to come out.

So, the sound get worse when you step on the clutch pedal, but diminishes when you release it? Sounds like a throwout bearing to me... I'm having the same problem - and that damn internal slave cylinder doesn't give me any warm fuzzies either...

5-90