dirtlord420 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 alight i got one of those cheap belts for advance. thats my first problem. it lasted a few months took it back got another one. this time the belt didnt last more then a 100 mi. i don't see anything wrong with my pullies. the belt that is on there now looks really wore out on the flat side. so am thinking of buying a better belt, but is there anything i should check for before buying? am really starting to think the problem is the cheap belt. i've had alot of people look at it, and couldnt see anything wrong. what do you think? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 All the pulleys spin freely, without wobbling or making noise, yes? Are they all perfectly aligned? Does the system make any noise when the engine is running? How tight are you making the belt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aemsee Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Time to go with a factory belt, or at least higher quality. Make sure it has some sort of reinforcing cord in it. I've seen some cheapie Napa and Pep Boys belts that you could just about stretch on w/out moving the adjuster. While the belt is off, be sure to spin everything by hand to make sure nothing is binding up. Also make sure nothing has excessive runout. That will wear out a belt fast as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLHTAZ Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Sounds like the bearing in the idler pulley is going bad. It usually makes noise, but I have seen many that didn't and they just all of the sudden fly off while going down the road causing all kinds of added repair expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpong Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Sounds like the bearing in the idler pulley is going bad. It usually makes noise, but I have seen many that didn't and they just all of the sudden fly off while going down the road causing all kinds of added repair expense. Â Â Â I am thinking that.. or he is over tightening the belt which is causing it to wear. I had an issue on my belt sytem where the Idler pulley locked up... glad I caught that on a routine maintenace check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlandjeeper Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I too am having a problem with my belt, but a different one. It started a while ago. Intermitently it would sqeal as if it were loose, but not all of the time. I put a new rad in and installed a replacement belt I had been carrying for a while as the sqealing was getting worse. The new belt was a Gates which is pretty good if I am not mistaken. Changing the belt didn't change a thing. If I shot some lubricant at the Idler pulley where it contacts the belt, the noise lessened, which lead me to believe the idler pulley was bad. I put a new one on, even thogh the old one felt alright and the noise was still there. There was a little play in the waterpump pulley and the noise seems to be in that area, so I once again disassembled the front end. The waterpump felt alright, but I changed it anyway because of the play. I also checked the alternator, fan bearing, and PS pump for rough or noisy bearings by spinning them by hand and they all felt good. When I first started it, everything was quiet. As it warmed up and I was refilling the coolant, the noise came back and hasn't stopped at all. I cleaned the belt and applied belt dressing. The noise would go away as I applied dressing, but returned immediately when I stopped spraying it. Belt tension is good. Aside from changing more parts until it is quiet could get pricy, but it is very annoying and embarrassing to drive. Any thoughts would be very appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
702_MJ Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Sounds like the bearing in the idler pulley is going bad. It usually makes noise, but I have seen many that didn't and they just all of the sudden fly off while going down the road causing all kinds of added repair expense. Â Man i had that happen if its making noise jump on it now. Luckily when mine happend the belt just twisted around the fan and the bolt flew on top of my AC unit. LOL the pulley went rolling down the street. A fragment of the dust shield got caught in a bearing and the rest is history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLHTAZ Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I too am having a problem with my belt, but a different one. It started a while ago. Intermitently it would sqeal as if it were loose, but not all of the time. I put a new rad in and installed a replacement belt I had been carrying for a while as the sqealing was getting worse. The new belt was a Gates which is pretty good if I am not mistaken. Changing the belt didn't change a thing. If I shot some lubricant at the Idler pulley where it contacts the belt, the noise lessened, which lead me to believe the idler pulley was bad. I put a new one on, even thogh the old one felt alright and the noise was still there. There was a little play in the waterpump pulley and the noise seems to be in that area, so I once again disassembled the front end. The waterpump felt alright, but I changed it anyway because of the play. I also checked the alternator, fan bearing, and PS pump for rough or noisy bearings by spinning them by hand and they all felt good. When I first started it, everything was quiet. As it warmed up and I was refilling the coolant, the noise came back and hasn't stopped at all. I cleaned the belt and applied belt dressing. The noise would go away as I applied dressing, but returned immediately when I stopped spraying it. Belt tension is good. Aside from changing more parts until it is quiet could get pricy, but it is very annoying and embarrassing to drive. Any thoughts would be very appreciated.I had the same problem...I mean exactly the same...and did all the things you are doing to no avail. I finally found that someone (previous to me) had changed the PS pump and when they installed the new one they pressed the pulley on the pump shaft about 1/8" too far. I got a puller and pulled the pulley out that little bit and it is now quiet as a mouse. :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtlord420 Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 the first thing i replaced was the idler pulley. i don't think it lasted long. the bearing is good, but the outside of the pulley looks wore out. i also removed the p.s. pump only to break the bottom mounting bolt. the one in the intake. so i j.b. welded it and bolted it back. am wondering if the threw it out of inline. couldnt have been too much tho. also when i put belt dressing on it. it goes quite for only a sec. this all started happing tho before i started replacing parts. all togather i replace the idler pulley and the water pump. so what i think am going to do nos is get a better belt and a new idler pully, or maybe use the old one. there is nothing wrong with the old one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlandjeeper Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I too am having a problem with my belt, but a different one. It started a while ago. Intermitently it would sqeal as if it were loose, but not all of the time. I put a new rad in and installed a replacement belt I had been carrying for a while as the sqealing was getting worse. The new belt was a Gates which is pretty good if I am not mistaken. Changing the belt didn't change a thing. If I shot some lubricant at the Idler pulley where it contacts the belt, the noise lessened, which lead me to believe the idler pulley was bad. I put a new one on, even thogh the old one felt alright and the noise was still there. There was a little play in the waterpump pulley and the noise seems to be in that area, so I once again disassembled the front end. The waterpump felt alright, but I changed it anyway because of the play. I also checked the alternator, fan bearing, and PS pump for rough or noisy bearings by spinning them by hand and they all felt good. When I first started it, everything was quiet. As it warmed up and I was refilling the coolant, the noise came back and hasn't stopped at all. I cleaned the belt and applied belt dressing. The noise would go away as I applied dressing, but returned immediately when I stopped spraying it. Belt tension is good. Aside from changing more parts until it is quiet could get pricy, but it is very annoying and embarrassing to drive. Any thoughts would be very appreciated.I had the same problem...I mean exactly the same...and did all the things you are doing to no avail. I finally found that someone (previous to me) had changed the PS pump and when they installed the new one they pressed the pulley on the pump shaft about 1/8" too far. I got a puller and pulled the pulley out that little bit and it is now quiet as a mouse. :yes: Â Â Thanks. I will look into that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtlord420 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 bought a better belt, and put on the old idler pulley. its quite now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlandjeeper Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Finally got my problem fixed. I had checked out what BLHTAZ said about pulley alignment and all looked good. My best friend who is a mechanic said that he had done some engine jobs in XJs and had to tighten the bejesus out of the belt in order to quiet the sqealing. I tried this and was successful, until I packed up the tools and closed the hood to exit the shop, three times :mad: . Sometimes it would be quiet until I put a little pressure on the clutch pedal and then would squak again. I was afraid the release bearing could be a culprit, which I was not looking forward to changing. Â Today I picked up a new belt and proceeded to the shop yet again. First off I removed the belt to rule out the release bearing. all was quiet. I then cleaned every pulley and reinstalled the belt, setting the tension very tight this time, and all is quiet :clapping:. Â Now I can continue with improvements. Â It will sure be nice wheeling this weekend in peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLHTAZ Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Just keep a close eye on things for a while because having the belt too tight will cause damage to the bearings in more sensitive things like the idler, water pump & power steering pump. I think you found a way to stop it for now, but I don't think you found the root cause yet unfotunately. It will likely come back in a couple weeks or so...BUT, let's hope I am wrong ;) :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flint54 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I think the MJ belt adjustment is a PITA, and wonder if anyone has ever successfully converted to the spring-loaded tensioner so common on other vehicles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlandjeeper Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Just keep a close eye on things for a while because having the belt too tight will cause damage to the bearings in more sensitive things like the idler, water pump & power steering pump. I think you found a way to stop it for now, but I don't think you found the root cause yet unfotunately. It will likely come back in a couple weeks or so...BUT, let's hope I am wrong ;) :thumbsup: Â Â It's back :mad: . I popped the hood tonight and got a wiff of antifreeze. Perhaps the belt is getting contaminated and that is causing it. I shall investigate further. As for too much tension, I don't know how much too much I have, if any really. What is the proper way to check if one doesn't have one of those fancy smancy tension guages? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOMJ87 Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I believe 1/2" of play total both directions in the longest open span is a good way to check. Thats what i follow most of the time so i hope its close to being right. One of those old timer things i picked up when i started working on vehicles. Â Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLHTAZ Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Yes, if it's getting antifreeze on it, that will make it squeel like crazy. Â I use the 1/4 twist method. Tighten it up and the grad the belt as close to center as possible where it runs across the top and twist it. If you can easily turn it past 1/4 twist, tighten it a little more until a 1/4 twist is firm. There are also folks that us the play in the belt to judge it too. If you push on the belt there should be no more than a 1/2" give in it in the longest section between two pulleys. Â Â edit: Didn't see Cole's response before I posted some of the same info again :oops: ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlandjeeper Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Good news is that I finally pin-pointed the cause of my sqealing belt. Bad news is the engine is FUBAR :fs1: . Thrust bearings are toast and the crank is walking 1/8"-1/4" back and forth, which causes misalignment of pulleys. Looks like I will be putting an engine in. My predicament now is whether to put the 4.6L Stroker from the YJ that lays in pieces in the Manche and go with the 360 AMC in the YJ which is really what I want to do, or just stick with a 4.0L in the Manche and run the Stroker in the YJ as it already plugs in. :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I wish I could trade my tough decisions for your tough decisions. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakal Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 owwwwwwwwwww Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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