It Squeals When I Rev It....

[cerberus]

Yesterday when coming home from a little drive, I was passing my neighbor's place (he's a Ford guy) about 5 mph getting ready to pull into my driveway when I saw him standing out there. Knowing how he usually talks some smack on the General, I revved er up a couple of times to about 4500 rpm. When I did, I noticed a whine/squeal. So, I pulled her into the garage and tried it a couple more times, and sure enough, same sound. Anybody else have this issue, and if so, what is it? It sounds to me like a slipping belt, but the car only has 22k miles on it, and the belt appears/feels tight. It does not make this noise when under actual acceleration, only when it's free revved in neutral or with the clutch in. Any ideas?

 

[Vettefan87]

My vette did the same thing about four months after I bought it. I could put some belt dressing on it and it would go away for about five mins, then come back. I slapped a new belt on her and the noise went away! Look and see if there are any cracks on the underneath side of the belt

 

[65-to-00]

For a quick check, I'd rough up the surface of the belt with a bit of coarse sand paper (emery cloth) .... just lightly and with the motor NOT running.

If it stops, I'd replace the belts. If not start checking pulleys etc.

 

[Paul T]

For a quick check, I'd rough up the surface of the belt with a bit of coarse sand paper (emery cloth) .... just lightly and with the motor NOT running.

If it stops, I'd replace the belts. If not start checking pulleys etc.

Also look at the belt tensioner.
Paul

 

[schmaltzr]

My mechanic suggested I run the engine and spray a little water on the belt when mine was squeeking. The squeek went away as soon as the water hit it. I knew it wasn't the tensioner or other things. The problem started when I sprayed the engine compartment with some silicone to make it look nice. I won't spray silicone near the belt area again that's for sure. - R

 

[DanHammer]

My mechanic informed me that a C5 serpentine belt's inner and outside sections of the belt can cause slippage. The inside may not show any cracks but the outside section is just as important and can slip as well. I used to hear some minor squeal before when engine is first started and cold. I had the belt replaced and resolved the squealing and whinning. Good luck with it.

Dan

 

[MeekRN]

i get the same squeal

did you also notice a cloud of white smoke coming from yoru rear tires, if so, next time you rev it up, make sure its not in gear or the clutch is depressed. that squealing you heard is burning rubber, something you will rarely hear from a ford car.

 

[cerberus]

After a little experimentation, I've found it only squeeks when the motor's gaining rpm very quickly (in neutral or in first with t/c off). It also doesn't happen until about the 4000 to 4500 rpm range. At 3500 rpm it sounds just fine. I'll try the water trick, and if that fails, perhaps a little belt dressing.

Speaking of getting lubricant on it, that is possible, as the first couple times I checked the oil I managed to "flick" little drips of it everywhere when the dipstick finally cleared. I had to clean the drips off, but never thought it might've gotten directly on the belt. I've since carefully inspected the belt, and it shows no signs of wear and is not loose. This car is an 02 only has 22,500 miles on it, could it really need the belt replaced already? If so, how much for the belt?

Thanks for the replies.

 

[sorbet02]

i cant see why a belt would have to be changed with only 22k on it,unless its cracked.when i was looking at used c5's a number of them had squealing when the motor was cold.althought my 02 does not squeal it has a slight ticking noise when i first start it up.i here from other vette owners that its normal but it still bugs me. the car only has 6k on it.
good luck

 

[Pegasus]

I have also seen where any dirt/sand particles that get into the various serpentine grooves can contribute to squealing issues. When I had some of this problem in the past, I not only changed the belts to Goodyear Gatorbacks, but also thoroughly cleaned the grooves of all the pulleys with a wire brush. No squeals for the last couple of years. HTH

 

[vet346]

GM makes a small tube of lube that you can get from parts.. The service writer that I deal with gave me a couple packs of it.. When the belt makes noise, just put some on your finger and rub some on the outside and inside of the belt .. Start the car and rev the engine a couple hundred R's and it wil go away.

I'm still on the first one, so it does last..

Ernie

 

[cerberus]

Thanks! Do you know what they call the stuff?

 

[Patrick]

Thanks! Do you know what they call the stuff?

Cerberus,If you’re referring to the type of lube Vet346 was referring to, I don’t think GM will have “named” it so much as giving it a numerical part number as a designation. I don’t know what the designation would be (perhaps Vet346 does), but I would think if you know your service writer fairly well, you could simply call and describe the stuff to him/her and ask if they can get you some. That might be the more direct route, rather than waiting for the GM Part Number and then making a trek to the parts folks.Just my $0.02-Patrick

 

[vet346]

For all those who want to know... The part Number is 18010908 Silicone lubricant 1/4 oz Like I said, take some and put it both sides of the belt.

Ernie

 

[LLC5]

Lubing the outside of the belt has always cured the noise on mine. I wouldn't lube the rib side of the belt if you don't have to.

 

[cerberus]

Thanks guys. One quick question though....

I'm no certified mechanic or anything, so I believe y'all when you say that this may help my squealing problem, but can someone explain why putting lubricant on a part that is possibly slipping (and thus squealing) will help instead of making it worse? I can't seem to wrap my mind around that theory to get it to make sense. Again, not questioning anyone's wisdom, just looking for the mechanical explanation behind the fix.

 

[LLC5]

It's not slipping, the tensioner keeps it tight, assuming your tensioner is good. Drive belts have some metallic compound in them. They can make a squealing metallic sound, or a ratchety grinding noise. Condensation can really make the noise loud. Cleaning or lubing the belt can help mimimize the contact noise. Some lubes can make it worse also. That's why I wouldn't apply the lube where it isn't needed.

 

[cerberus]

Makes sense to me. Thanks!!