vetintheblood

Every morning for the last month when I start up the vette the belt belt squeaks for a few miles, then quiets down after a few miles.

Is this anything 2b concerned about? Any recommended fixes?

Thanks!!

shadowman1

Replace the belt with a Gatorback. Make sure your tensioner is good and firm. Replacing the belt should cure your issue.

Dave

FormerlyFiero

Check your tensioner, maybe put on new belts. Whatever you do never use belt dressing, it barely works on V-belts and will only make it squeal more with multi-rib belts. Don't ask how I know this

DeeGee

You can probably reduce or even fix belt squeals with lubrication or belt dressing but it will probably return quickly. A belt change is the easy fix but you need to make sure that’s the issue.

ET who was one of the C5 design engineers posted a great summary of the system and I’ve copied it below. Run through that procedure to identify where the problem lies. If it’s a belt that’s good news and is fairly straight forward once you work out the technique.

Let the engine cool down first or it gets painful. Identify the main belt tensioner from the picture. It’s the top pulley on passenger side. Place a socket wrench on the tensioner nut and push it toward the middle of the engine until there is enough slack to remove the belt. Repeat this procedure for the A/C belt, although the tensioner is a little harder to reach because it is under the power steering fluid reservoir.

Once you have them off its worth cleaning the pulley with a wire brush.

Putting them back is the reverse process but make sure you install the A/C belt before the main belt.

Here’s a pic to identify the components.



Belt Squeal Courtesy E-T

You have two belt systems on your car. One is the drive belt system, the other is the air conditioner belt system. The drive belt system consists of the serpentine belt, the power steering pump, alternator/gen, water pump, harmonic balancer, idler pulley, belt auto-tensioner pulley. The AC belt system consists of the compressor, harmonic balancer, idler pulley, belt auto-tensioner pulley.

First thing you need to do is isolate which system is squeaking. This can be done by releasing tension on the drive belt tensioner and removing the serpentine belt. This is the outboard belt of the two belt systems. If the squeak goes away, then it’s the belt or a component of the drive system.

If the squeak is still there, then it’s a component of the ac belt system.
To verify this, release the belt tension from the tensioner and remove the belt. If the squeak goes away, then it’s a component of the ac belt system.

A common problem is the belt tensioner on either system but verifying which system is at fault is the proper procedure.

You could replace both belts, but you may still have the squeak. If you want to find the culprit, isolate the system, then spray the belt of the offending system and see if the squeak goes away. Try to stay away from the idler and tensioner while spraying. I find that belt dressing may be good to identify a belt problem, but it is a temporary fix at best.

The real problem has been the tensioner and the idler. Both of these components have a sealed bearing which has been know to dry up or redirect the grease away from the bearing, thus causing the squeak.

If you find that a belt change does not correct the problem, then a change of both the idler and tensioner pulley is in order. If you just change the idler or the tensioner alone, it will cause the other component to go bad in a month or so. This has been the case with many members. There was a change made to the dusts seals to help correct this problem in newer C5's. Lots of tensioner and idler pulleys have been identified as a problem and it can affect either system. One is not more prevalent than the other. So find out which system is squeaking first, in the drive belt system. It could also be the bearing of the alternator, power steering pump, or water pump too, but these are less probable.

Got uid0

#9 #10 and #2 are the common failure pulleys that will cause the squeek.

Take off your Accessory belt see if the squeek goes away if so replace #10 and #2 at the same time.

Next remove the AC belt and replace tensioners on the AC system if needed.

IF #9 has a wobble in the grooves you are going to need to replace it at nearly 700+ dollars.

Best idea is aftermarket under drive pulley if you want an under drive.

Evil-Twin

I'll add something to this specific scenario... Sometimes you can get a little weep from the water pump, which will fall directly on the drive belt...if the weep is small it will sit there on the belt then in the morning you start it up and the water will cause a squeak which goes a way quickly and wont come back again until the car sits for a long time.
tell tail on this is the distinct smell of antifreeze... its also a warning that your water pump is going south.
Bill aka ET