squealing belt

[Haus]

my belt is squeeling like a stuck pig. the belt in its self is fine. its just when ever its humid out the belt squeels and its freaking annoying. putting some wd 40 helps for a little while then it starts back up again

anything i can do to make this stop.

 

[HISSIN50]

Are the pulleys in alignment? Have you tried a different belt?

 

[Haus]

everythings fine. and yes it happens with all the belts ive tried. the humidity is making the belt sticky. when the humidity is gone or not high the squealing is gone or if i shoot a little wd40 on the belt or idle pulley where the belt runs across it goes away aswell.

 

[HISSIN50]

How did you check the pulleys for being true? One is probably a little off and this is what allows the noise.

 

[Haus]

the mechanic did. and he put on a new belt and no change.

it happens only when the belt gets sticky cause of the humidity. a little shot of wd40 on the belt when its running makes the squeal go away instantly but only for a short time


but with me taking off the belt only thing that doesnt seem right is the power steering pulley is more difficult to turn then the other ones and makes a metal on metal tapping sound when you push the pulley back and forth. not sure if thats normal

 

[Gearbanger 101]

The WD40 is probably part of the cause of your belt squeal. Its lubricating properties only last so long...when it starts to wear off, you're left with a sticky petroleum based crud that eats away at the rubber and causes it to squeal again. Assuming the belt is still salvageable, you should remove it and thoroughly scrub it down with some ultra hot water and some dish soap to remove all of the oil and build up that its accumulated. Then do the same to your pullies.

I just had a really noisy belt issue with my explorer and it turned out to be antifreeze leaking onto it from a bad water pump.

In the future, if you've got a little squeak that you want to go away, touch the edges and V-groove surfaces of the belt with a bar of soap. That'll keep it quiet and won't erode the rubber.

....just watch your fingers.

 

[Haus]

appreciate the awesome advice. thanks will try today

 

[HISSIN50]

The endplay and noise sound normal for a PS pump. How difficult it is to turn is too subjective to say, but they do have some resistance.

If you have a straight-edge, recheck those alignments.

 

[Haus]

well i did the cleaning of the belt and no change. sounds like the whine is coming from the A/C pulley.

anyway i can take off the pulley to be sure.

i shot some WD 40(yes i have an obsession haha) into the long hole openings in the front of the pulley and the sound disapeared. not as loud anymore after driving for a bit.

another mechanic checked the alignment and its fine he said.

 

[Gearbanger 101]

Maybe the sound is not the belt, but the compressor itself. Bad bearings maybe?

 

[Haus]

i should just get a delete kit anyway. i dont use it. it's just sitting there chilling and spinning.

can i just make my own kit with stuff from the hardware store and not have a pulley there when i yank the AC compressor off and just get a shorter belt

 

[Gearbanger 101]

It's been a while since I've owned a 5.0L, but if memory serves, you're going to need some kind of pulley in place of your A/C compressor, otherwise you're going to make contact with your waterpump pulley. As seen below....

 

[Haus]

oh ok gotcha. i can either yank it and get a pulley kit for its place or get a kit and move the PS pump in its place

 

[Mikey1968]

It's been a while since I've owned a 5.0L, but if memory serves, you're going to need some kind of pulley in place of your A/C compressor, otherwise you're going to make contact with your waterpump pulley. As seen below....

FYI>>>>>>

I don't think these dimensions will work for an 86. If I remember correctly, the water pump pulley on an 86 is a bit bigger and you need 2 inches added to these....

I was having trouble with smog pumps seizing (Vato-zone) on my 86 Capri so kept a spare belt with wrench to swap out the belt and bypass the smog pump when it would sieze. Belt was too short. I then tried the short belt on my 89 GT and it fit so kept that one as a spare for it. I just went and bought another spare for the 86 that was 2" or so longer.

Just a note that was missing on the charts.