jkasse2 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Hello all, I am new to the forum and new to Jeeps. I bought a 1988 Jeep Comanche about a month ago and absolutely love it, but I have a couple issues I am looking to get fixed. I am not positive as I am not a mechanic and really haven't worked on cars myself, but from talking to people it sounds like I may need to replace the serpentine belt as I have a really loud squealing sound when I start the vehicle. It does it when its particularly cold and in any gear or in neutral until it seems to have warmed up. I wanted to know how to find out if this is the case and what needs to be done. I would love to be able to do the work myself, I want to start teaching myself (thinking out loud). I also saw this in a recent thread but thought it'd be worth mentioning that it looks like I need a speedometer cable as well. Would someone know what to get for a 1988 and is that something I'd have to have a mechanic do? Thanks for your help and advice in advance and happy to be here as I now have a Comanche! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87MJTIM Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 The serp belt is a common noise maker. Also, check the harmonic balancer. That's the large pullie at the bottom the front the belt goes around. When this is going bad, it will squeal. Belts are inexpensive and (relatively) easy to replace. If the noise persists, check the HB. (PS - complete your profile with MJ details. Yr, eng, trans, any modification by your or the PO. Also, give your location: City, State/Province, County) Oh, welcome to the addiction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metrictonner Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Serpentine belts are noise makers? The last time I had noise up front it was my waterpump bearing. I suppose any bearing will do. I found the specific one with a automotive stethoscope. V-belts can be waxed to quiet them down, don't do that with serpentine belts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobolink Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Don't guess at what it might be, else it may turn out to be what you least expected, and cost you more than necessary in the long run. Use an automotive stethoscope, as suggested, or a long screwdrivier or metal or wooden rod with one end placed on non-moving parts (reason obvious) and the other end on or very near your ear, and listen for the noise. Start in the area around from where you think the sound is coming, and explore from there. As was mentioned, water pump, tensioner pulley, anything with a bearing. So this would also incude your distributor, which also makes a very loud squeal that sounds like the belt. It will start to squeal, especially when cold, when the distributor shaft bushings are shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81Chero Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 You don't state what engine you have. On my 88 with a 2.5 the tension is made by tightening the power steering pump assembly bolt underneath the pump res. . (the Idler pulley can make a more of a whining and or erratic noises, NOT rhythmic as much) Have you checked the tension of the belt? Or twist the belt to look for cracks in the ribs. (hint. the looser the belt, the more you can twist it while in place) One way i would check what's squealin is to use some carb cleaner with a jet tip and shoot short bursts onto the ribs when running, It momentarily get's it sticky, grips and squeak goes away. BUT, if its a pulley, its' most likely a bearing in said pulley. Another thing is some HD hair spray in/on the ribs. We would use it in a pinch as a belt dressing. Belts don't squeak on the smooth side, unless there's a ton of tension on it and the smooth pulley has stopped. Now depending on the mileage and accessories on the front of the engine, it can be more than one thing like stated above. Water pump has a weep-hole that usually weeps along with the whining-grinding-squealing. Alternator usually has more of a grinding-squealing along with too hot to touch temps (fried regulator) Idler as stated above. Power steering (if you have it) is more of a guttural grinding/gurgling that get's louder with cap off. (Ever heard a FORD's p/s pump whining from a block away??) OH, and turn the steering wheel for a change in sound too. Never heard of Balancer making noise but hey, if the vulcanized ring is squished out like a poor gasket repair than who knows? Maybe.. Well, I take that back. If the ribs on the crank are polished shiny smooth, and the belt is brittle it could. Just my .02 Errol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 My harmonic balancer started coming apart, which was only manifested as a slight wobble, but it was enough to get the belt smacking against the valve cover, enough that it was cutting itself a groove. Since your belt is making the noise at startup, I doubt that's the case, though; mine wasn't a constant squeal, it was a pulsing chirp that increased with RPM. You may be able to increase tension on the belt to quiet down the squeak. Your 88 will have either the 2.5L four-cylinder or the 4.0L six-cylinder, and both tension the serpentine belt with the power-steering pump. The power steering pump is opposite the battery, and should have a reservoir labelled "power steering fluid" attached. The pump has three mounting bolts, one kinda underneath it in a slot, one kinda above/behind it that acts as a pivot, and one directly underneath at 90° to the other (you turn it from the side). Back off the pivot and slot bolts about a turn or so, and adjust the sideways "bolt" so that the pulley and everything move away from the motor until the belt seems to have decent tension, and then tighten the other two bolts back up. You don't want to overtighten the belt as that will reduce its life, but a loose belt won't turn. (Note, this is assuming you have power steering... not all MJ's did. I don't know what a manual steering setup looks like.) Before attempting to tighten your belt, inspect it. If there are any cracks, or missing ribs, or fraying spots, or badly worn/burnt spots, replace it. If the belt fails while driving, you loose your power steering, charging, engine cooling, and a/c systems. Not, to mention, there's a small chance the belt you smack and break something else while in there, or twist up around something. To replace the belt, simply note how it wraps around the pulleys, loosen the power steering pump with the above procedure, put the new belt on exactly how the old belt was routed, and then tighten the power steering pump back up. If the squeal is caused by a bad pulley/bearing, it'll be making noise because the belt is rubbing against the pulley. This generates friction (pretty quickly) and you should be able to identify the pulley to blame after a short drive. It'll be much warmer than the others. As to your other concern, your '88 should have a mechanical speedometer, but what makes you say the speedometer cable needs replacing? On my daily driver, the speedometer needle kinda jumped around a bit, and with the cold it started jumping around more, reading way high, and making horrendous noises. I pulled out the dash and unscrewed the speedometer cable from it, shot both ends full of white lithium grease, and it lost pretty well all the wiggle and is whisper-quiet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkasse2 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Thank you all for your replies. I had my mechanic look at it and it was the serpentine belt. It sounds great now. He also said I should be on the lookout for a 1987-1990 XJ manual transmission cable. I am going to a post another thread to see if anyone has one for sale. Again, thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87MJTIM Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 What is a "manual transmisson cable"? Is the guy trying to sell you Shine-ola? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88mjblue Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 He also said I should be on the lookout for a 1987-1990 XJ manual transmission cable. I am going to a post another thread to see if anyone has one for sale. Our jeeps have a hydraulic clutch system (no cable) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywood2311 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 OK, my 89 4.0 was also making a squeaking noise from under the hood. Thought it might be the belt, and that I would replace it soon. Then just last weekend, I heard a small popping noise at idle, but only after the engine warmed up. Then today (first time driven since then), I went to the gas station to get some ethanol free gas, and it died while in neutral. I started it back up in park, and it started whining and squeaking like hell. I pulled over to a parking space, and shut it off. Now it doesn't restart at all. Ideas on where to start? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 What happens when you turn the key? Does it crank the engine over without starting, or does it not crank at all? Does it make any unusual noises? And forgive me for sounding like a fool, but when was the last time you checked the oil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywood2311 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 When the head gasket blew right before Thanksgiving. Probably has less than 200 miles since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 The follow up question would be "does it still have any?" Tell us more about what it does when you try to start it. See my last post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
64 Cheyenne Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Every used vehicle I get gets new belts and hoses. Piece of mind. Decent old belt gets thrown in truckbox for trail spare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywood2311 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Shop is replacing the alternator and new belt. I'm selling it after this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megadan Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Why sell it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywood2311 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Because I want a truck that I can start and drive without worrying about where I'll be stranded at, and how much it'll cost to get running again. I've been stranded 3 times by this truck in 1 year. Time for it to go. It might be different if I had time to work on it. With an 8:30-6PM job and a 5 day old baby, I don't have time to spend working on vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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