I had pulleys and belts replaced last year (at the same time as I had a Mina CAI put in), ever since then the car develops a terrible chirping noise from the belts after I drive it in the rain and it wont go away until some of the magic spray is put on it. The chirp starts at about 3000 rpm and is usually not there at idle.

I have had the car back to the mechanic a few times, most recently for over 2 weeks while they dug around and replaced the serpentine belt and another part but I drove it home in the rain after collecting it and sure enough the chirp is back. I will probably take it to Jag next as it is super annoying, but any thoughts?

 

Another cause could be a squeaky tensioner bearing? Or, the brand of belt if they used the same.



What "magic spray" are you using? My left knee has an occasional 'pop'... Oh wait, wrong Forum.

 

I just read an interesting article on Belt tensioners. A lot of aftermarket tensioners seem to have this problem. I would look to make sure your mechanic put in an OEM tensioner. I have used stock Jaguar Belts and also Gates Belts and have never had a problem.

 

Is pulley replacement recommended as well while you`re doing the belt for the SC?

I plan to have my mechanic go in and tackle all this in the spring.

Thanks

 

Bruce, After almost 10 years, I got the chirping figured out. For the V6S with the pulley upgrades, the 8DPK1470 belt that Stuart offers is far too loose and the 8DPK1438 is too tight. Even though that can be made to fit, the tensioner arm is so tightly wound that the belt rubs on the pivot end of the tensioner which causes a strange harmonic. The only double-side belt in between those two I was able to find was a 1442 which I still don't think will be long enough. I instead have opted for a single sided 8PK1450. The only modification required to accommodate that belt is to replace the lower ribbed idler with a smooth idler. Problem solved. I'll have to get you a part number for that idler, but it's a standard Ford or GM idler.
Start by checking if the belt is precariously close to the tensioner pivot arm.

 

When I had the larger crank pulley installed some eight years ago (Eurotoys not VAP) it came with a 8PK1447 belt, Gates part number K080570, single sided.
Not a single squeak or chirp ever.
Yes I know I have the lower pulley only so in theory with the smaller upper pulley as well you would want a slightly shorter belt than 1447 mm, but Lance is running a 1450 mm belt with no problems so 1447 mm should work even better.
Just sayin' in case you have trouble finding a 1450 mm single sided belt and a 1447 is easier to find!

 

Cheers! The mechanic said it wasnt the supercharger belt but the main belt but to be honest there has been that much faffing about I think I ended up with two belt issues, one that was recently fixed and one that comes on in the wet. I'm going to take it to another mechanic with your info and see what comes of it. I cant even see where to spray the CRC to quieten it down, lol

 

Hi, mine only has the larger pulley replaced, not the upper, sorry. So 1450 or 1447, plus the smooth idler should sort me out?

 

Yep.
And I reckon the 1447 would be a better bet.
Plenty available including on Amazon, just search K080570.

 

Fantastic, being sound obsessive, this has been driving me to absolute distraction. So is it the kind of thing that leads to the chirping when the belt is wet?

 

Dunno, never had any chirping and the belt rarely if ever gets wet.
Maybe once or twice the belt has gotten wet when I have been caught in a tropical downpour, but even then no chirping.
My best guess is that you just have a slightly loose belt that chirps when wet and a smaller one (such as a 1447) will solve the problem.

 

Either the 1450 or th3 1447 should work fine for you (so little difference). Even the 1450 is available on Amazon. Bruce, what size is on there currently?

Bilstein offers a 2-sided 8DPK1445, but that may be too small.

 

Hi I'm not sure re the size, the sc belt was supplied by VAP and the main drive belt is OEM.

The weird thing about it all is that once it starts chirping it doesnt stop until the CRC is sprayed on, but maybe the grooves in the belt hold the moisture.

I have fed the info through to the mechanic, so thanks a heap. I am pretty much at the point where I'd consider an engine swap to get rid of it, though I'd probably go up to an 8 if I did

 

Where would you suggest that someone find an original Jaguar branded tensioner for a 25 year-old car?

 

I noticed that yours is a 16.5 my there was a change somewhere between 16 and 17 idler tension arms that gives that exact problem, or at least it did for me. I changed out to a 17my tensioner arm and problem solved.

 

Good to know! The car was with the mechanics for about 3 weeks and ended up fixed, then on my first hard acceleration after I got it back the coolant pipes exploded then after several weeks off the road getting that sorted I got it back and the chirping was back which they thought was coolant on the belt, it seemed to go away after a fair bit of enthusiastic driving but now I am hyper vigilant about it lol. If it comes back I will have the tensioner arm done!

 

No problems getting a Jaguar tensioner? Why would there be? It was used across the entire Jaguar product line and is a common part.
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