ShimShim
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2005
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
This may be a long post so forgive me. I want to give as much info as possible to help diagnose this.
2007 JKU with the POS 3.8L engine. It has 190,000 miles on it as of this week.
Going on close to a year ago I noticed an intermittent squeak that sounded like either a belt or a pulley. Replaced tensioner and idler pulleys. Squeak went away.
A few months later, the squeak came back. Replaced tensioner pulley. Went away only to come back a few days later.
Started googling a little heavier to diagnose this. Spraying a little water on the belt while engine was running made the squeak go away. This pointed toward the belt. So I replaced the belt (this was already replaced about 18 months ago when I did the lower intake manifold gasket).
The squeak went away only to return a month or two later. More research led me to see that there was a misaligned pulley (idler pulley, indicated by belt looking like it was “skipping” side to side a tiny bit as the engine was running). I replaced the belt with a higher quality belt. Noise went away.
Fast forward to about a month ago. Notice a racket coming from under the hood that sounds like internal parts of something rattling around.
I ran the engine for a few seconds without the belt in place and there was no noise. This led me to believe that it’s not the engine but a peripheral component. Power steering pump had already been replaced so I was set to do alternator (50/50 shot between alternator and AC compressor, alternator is cheaper). I decided to do the water test again for shits and giggles. Noise stopped.
So I got some belt conditioner and sprayed liberally on the belt and the noise went away and stayed away. Until yesterday.
I’m attaching a video that shows the noise, and then spraying belt conditioner and the noise stopping.
When I place my hand on the alternator I can “feel” the noise. But it sounds like it’s coming from closer to the power steering pump.
Is this noise really the belt or am I just masking it somehow with the belt conditioner?
If not the belt, what’s your best guess?
2007 JKU with the POS 3.8L engine. It has 190,000 miles on it as of this week.
Going on close to a year ago I noticed an intermittent squeak that sounded like either a belt or a pulley. Replaced tensioner and idler pulleys. Squeak went away.
A few months later, the squeak came back. Replaced tensioner pulley. Went away only to come back a few days later.
Started googling a little heavier to diagnose this. Spraying a little water on the belt while engine was running made the squeak go away. This pointed toward the belt. So I replaced the belt (this was already replaced about 18 months ago when I did the lower intake manifold gasket).
The squeak went away only to return a month or two later. More research led me to see that there was a misaligned pulley (idler pulley, indicated by belt looking like it was “skipping” side to side a tiny bit as the engine was running). I replaced the belt with a higher quality belt. Noise went away.
Fast forward to about a month ago. Notice a racket coming from under the hood that sounds like internal parts of something rattling around.
I ran the engine for a few seconds without the belt in place and there was no noise. This led me to believe that it’s not the engine but a peripheral component. Power steering pump had already been replaced so I was set to do alternator (50/50 shot between alternator and AC compressor, alternator is cheaper). I decided to do the water test again for shits and giggles. Noise stopped.
So I got some belt conditioner and sprayed liberally on the belt and the noise went away and stayed away. Until yesterday.
I’m attaching a video that shows the noise, and then spraying belt conditioner and the noise stopping.
When I place my hand on the alternator I can “feel” the noise. But it sounds like it’s coming from closer to the power steering pump.
Is this noise really the belt or am I just masking it somehow with the belt conditioner?
If not the belt, what’s your best guess?
