Accessory drive belt
#1
03-16-2019, 08:36 AM
Accessory drive belt
The belt squeaks. It’s not a constant squeal, but squeaks each revolution until I travel a few miles, then it stops. I have replaced the belt a few times with different brands, and it’s always ok for a while, then squeaks again. After it goes a few miles it stops, but the next day it squeaks again.
I’m pretty sure it’s the belt and not a bearing because I’ve tried numerous times to squirt some carb cleaner on the belt as it’s running, and it always stops squeaking for a few seconds. I even removed the accessory belt and started the car for a few seconds, and the squeak was gone. I wanted to be absolutely sure it wasn’t anything internal.
I’m at a loss. Do I have a pulley with a slightly bent lip or something? The belt runs true and straight. As part of my original refurbishing project, I replaced the idler pulley and tensioner. I replaced the A/C compressor, so by default I got a new pulley out of that. The water pump was replaced in order to update it from the old plastic impeller. Everything else spins freely and looks perfect. I got a mechanic’s stethoscope and listened to each pulley. They all seem fine.
But there’s this squeak....
Every time I shoot carb cleaner on the belt, it stops squeaking for a bit, but always resumes until it travels a few miles. I’m temped to believe that something is leaking onto the belt, but nothing is leaking. Everything is dry as a bone.
I’ve probably put 3 new belts on, total. Each time it’s fine for a while, but then starts squeaking. It’s not terrible, just a little chirp. Gates belts seem to be the best, but I can’t figure out why the belt squeaks. I don’t remember exactly when this issue came up, because it’s not a terrible noise. Just annoying. So I’ve always just fiddled and addressed it now and then. But now I’m more focused on solving it.
Would a genuine Jaguar belt make any difference? I see that they’re still available new. Normally I insist of OEM parts, but the drive belt is easy to replace, so I’ve never hesitated to use aftermarket. Plus, Gates probably makes Jag’s belt anyway.
The forum is open! Any ideas, no matter how ridiculous, are welcome! Thanks again as usual.
I’m pretty sure it’s the belt and not a bearing because I’ve tried numerous times to squirt some carb cleaner on the belt as it’s running, and it always stops squeaking for a few seconds. I even removed the accessory belt and started the car for a few seconds, and the squeak was gone. I wanted to be absolutely sure it wasn’t anything internal.
I’m at a loss. Do I have a pulley with a slightly bent lip or something? The belt runs true and straight. As part of my original refurbishing project, I replaced the idler pulley and tensioner. I replaced the A/C compressor, so by default I got a new pulley out of that. The water pump was replaced in order to update it from the old plastic impeller. Everything else spins freely and looks perfect. I got a mechanic’s stethoscope and listened to each pulley. They all seem fine.
But there’s this squeak....
Every time I shoot carb cleaner on the belt, it stops squeaking for a bit, but always resumes until it travels a few miles. I’m temped to believe that something is leaking onto the belt, but nothing is leaking. Everything is dry as a bone.
I’ve probably put 3 new belts on, total. Each time it’s fine for a while, but then starts squeaking. It’s not terrible, just a little chirp. Gates belts seem to be the best, but I can’t figure out why the belt squeaks. I don’t remember exactly when this issue came up, because it’s not a terrible noise. Just annoying. So I’ve always just fiddled and addressed it now and then. But now I’m more focused on solving it.
Would a genuine Jaguar belt make any difference? I see that they’re still available new. Normally I insist of OEM parts, but the drive belt is easy to replace, so I’ve never hesitated to use aftermarket. Plus, Gates probably makes Jag’s belt anyway.
The forum is open! Any ideas, no matter how ridiculous, are welcome! Thanks again as usual.
Last edited by aquifer; 03-16-2019 at 08:48 AM.
#2
03-16-2019, 10:20 AM
Veteran Member
Jaguar made some changes to the pulleys, probably to eliminate the squeak. Check what type of pulleys you have for the idler (near the alternator pulley) and for the tensioner (near the PS pump pulley). Your tensioner pulley should be a plain smooth one but your idler pulley may be smooth but with flanges on both sides, My 1999 Jag has plain smooth pulleys for both, the tensioner and the idler, and I have no squeaks at all. So, if your idler pulley (near the alternator) is flanged, you may try installing a plain smooth pulley instead.
#4
03-16-2019, 11:06 AM
Veteran Member
I went through something similar when I did all belts and pulleys on my XJR, having replaced all plastic idlers with the smooth metal style, and bearings in the tensioner idlers. Still had a pretty bad squeak, even with the nice brand-name belt off Rockauto (can't remember which). Tried cleaning out the grooves in all the pulleys with brake cleaner and wire brushing, as well as lightly scuffing the smooth idler surfaces with sandpaper. That helped a ton, but it was still making a bunch of noise, so I grabbed a cheapo replacement belt from a local parts store, and it's been quiet ever since.
#5
03-16-2019, 11:17 AM
Veteran Member
I went through something similar when I did all belts and pulleys on my XJR, having replaced all plastic idlers with the smooth metal style, and bearings in the tensioner idlers. Still had a pretty bad squeak, even with the nice brand-name belt off Rockauto (can't remember which). Tried cleaning out the grooves in all the pulleys with brake cleaner and wire brushing, as well as lightly scuffing the smooth idler surfaces with sandpaper. That helped a ton, but it was still making a bunch of noise, so I grabbed a cheapo replacement belt from a local parts store, and it's been quiet ever since.
#6
03-16-2019, 01:30 PM
You guys are always extremely helpful, thank you. I just double checked, and I have smooth tensioner and idler pulleys, but ribbed pulleys on each accessory. The belt is a ribbed Gates belt. You’re saying they make a non-ribbed belt, and you run it on your ribbed accessory pulleys? Or do you mean your accessories have smooth pulleys too?
#7
03-16-2019, 01:45 PM
Veteran Member
You guys are always extremely helpful, thank you. I just double checked, and I have smooth tensioner and idler pulleys, but ribbed pulleys on each accessory. The belt is a ribbed Gates belt. You’re saying they make a non-ribbed belt, and you run it on your ribbed accessory pulleys? Or do you mean your accessories have smooth pulleys too?
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#8
03-16-2019, 05:10 PM
I just ordered a Continental belt. I’ve tried Gates, Dayco, and a no-name brand or two. The Dayco I had was prone to “shape memory”. When I would start the car after it had been sitting for a few days, the tensioner pulley would BANG loudly as the memorized shape passed by. At first I was sure the engine was coming apart, or a timing tensioner had broken. Took maybe 10 seconds of banging before the belt relaxed and it was fine.
I didn’t come across any smooth belts. We’ll see how the Continental works, and then regroup if I have to.
Does anyone know who makes the OEM belt for Jaguar?
I didn’t come across any smooth belts. We’ll see how the Continental works, and then regroup if I have to.
Does anyone know who makes the OEM belt for Jaguar?
Last edited by aquifer; 03-16-2019 at 05:16 PM.
#9
03-16-2019, 08:12 PM
Veteran Member
The Dayco I had was prone to “shape memory”. When I would start the car after it had been sitting for a few days, the tensioner pulley would BANG loudly as the memorized shape passed by. At first I was sure the engine was coming apart, or a timing tensioner had broken. Took maybe 10 seconds of banging before the belt relaxed and it was fine.
I didn’t come across any smooth belts.
All accessory belts are the same - ribbed inside, smooth outside. It is only on SC engines that yo can have a ribbed/smooth or ribbed/ribbed (inside/outside) belt for the supercharger.
Perhaps your problem is not in the belt or the pulleys but your belt might be overloaded by one of the accessories. Usually, the alternator or the AC compressor sometimes cause belt squeaks due to rather heavy load they impose. Since you have already replaced the AC compressor (and it can be eliminated by keeping it off), check the alternator. If it has some internal fault, it may be putting too much load on the belt. One way to check is to let the engine idle (with the squeak) then switch the headlights on and off and listen for any change in the intensity of the squeak. Another check you can do is measure the voltage on the battery while the engine is idling. If it is less than about 13.5 volt, it may mean that there is some fault in the alternator.
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