new serpentine belt

hey all,

just replaced the VERY old serpentine belt on my XJ which had been squealing for a few years now. its pretty funny i have built a pretty bad rock crawler but have neglected the damn belt all this time.

anyway i have some questions about the new belt.

after replacing the belt and tightening the PS bracket bolts, i started the jeep. there is a hiss/whoosh noise coming from the beltdrive system, it sounds kinda like a turbo (not the same noise as a belt slipping). so i turned off the jeep checked the tightness, and made sure the belt was lined up the same as the old belt, and on the "shiny" part of the pulleys where the old belt had been riding and it was. there were also small "hairs" on the edge of the belt. it looked like it had been rubbing, but is lined up perfectly like the old belt and riding straight on the pulleys.

i am wondering if this is normal with a new belt, its been years since i have changed a serpentine belt, and my FSJ had V belts.

TIA
-Tim

I would try loosening the belt a lil bit. You could be putting unwanted stress on some of the pulley bearings.. I ran into the same problem. Remember the belt will stretch a lil too after about 15 min of running.

so should i go ahead and loosen it, or let it stretch a little on its own?

-TIm

Try grabbing the belt betweent he PS pump and the waterpump, you should be able to push it down about 1/4-1/2". Or turn it about 90*. If you're worried try loosening it, just soo it doesn't squeel.

i also use the 90* test to tighten my belts. so, it should be the proper tighness

-Tim

You probably checked the idler pulley bearing but just incase you didn't..... They don't last forever and I usually just change the bearing when I change the belt. The first time I changed the belt The bearing started squealing soon after. The bearing is just a common roller bearing you can get at Motion Industries or anyplace that sells bearings. I don't remember the number but 9603 comes to mind. The bearing is just an easy press fit in the pulley and can be removed with a couple of whacks with a hammer or with a bench vice and a couple of sockets.

i didnt mention it, but yeah the idler pulley, water pump, and alternator are all fairly new, the water pump pulley was reused but all three have new bearings. these were all changed a while before i decided to get a new belt

-Tim

ok, what about the edges of the belt? is that just excess material? it was like little hairs peeling off

-Tim

Sounds like your belt is/was rubbing against something. The fibers are not normal. Have you tried loosening the belt yet?