dave89gta

At first I thought I was running over some debris and it was hitting the quarter panels, then I thought maybe the tire threw a tread or something. By the time I got home (couldn't stop on the highway, ~6 miles) it was making some unholy noises.

Car has 46,xxx miles and I've put less than 300 on it since I bought it last month.

Any chance this isn't the balancer? I've seen threads about the tensioners or pulleys wearing, so I guess that's where I'll start the investigation. The HB didn't look separated or wobbly, but the rubber was bulging a little bit between the pulley and hub.

lionelhutz

Pull the rest of the belt off and see if any of the idlers are messed up. Also, check the PS, water pump and alternator to see if they rotate OK. You can fire it up with the belt off for a few minutes and watch the grooves in the balancer. It's likely OK if they run smoothly with no wobble. Also, check that the front of the balancer inner and outer parts are lined up. It almost looks like the balancer outer ring has walked forward pulling the belt off the other pulleys as it moved.

Blitzkrieg

But also want to add that it would be a good idea to replace the balancer as they are junk and may fail sooner or later. Summit sell some better than stock for about $200

Pay close attention to the idler pulleys, bearings may be shot!

dave89gta

Yeah, I understand the benefit of preventive maintenance. I'm just interested in getting the car back to drivable though, since I don't have space to work on it. The balancer is kind of an involved job for my situation. I'll check out the pulleys and HB this weekend.

Thanks for the replies!

dave89gta

Well I took the belt off and checked the idler, tensioner, PS, alternator, and water pump pulleys. They all move freely with next to no play front-to-back.

I also started the car for a few minutes and took a look at the balancer. I saw no wobble in it, but I did notice the rubber was bulging out a decent amount. I rested my finger on the front lip of the balancer as it was spinning and it felt fine. However, when I moved my finger to the rubber bonding, it was bouncing around, meaning the rubber wasn't consistent to the face of the balancer. I think this is probably my culprit, which really sucks at this point.

Video of spinning HB:

lionelhutz

It looks ok. I couldn't see any run-out or wobble in the pulley grooves, the inner and outer parts are lining up at the front and the AC belt is still OK.

dave89gta

Well that was my first feeling, but I couldn't find another culprit. I really don't want to put another belt on just to have it tear apart again. But I also don't like throwing parts at a problem (especially one like the HB).

bumble-z

While the belt is off, take a couple of measurements & write them down in regards to where the HB sets at this point.

Mean while, I'd change out the tensioners & put on a new belt.

bumble-z

While the belt is off, take a couple of measurements & write them down in regards to where the HB sets at this point.

Mean while, I'd change out the idler/tensioners & put on a new belt.

Old Horsepower

Can you see what brand of belt that was? May have just been a cheap replacement. I would change out both A/C and serpentine with Goodyear Gatorback or other high quality belt and see how that works.

Blitzkrieg

Why would he need a new belt? That one looks fine!

dave89gta

Good call. I'll do that and monitor it.

Why the tensioners? They swing and spin freely.


It's a Dayco, labeled: GM 12572188 6PK2030 Dayco 20-9472


I guess I can get a cheap belt to put on and monitor it every time I drive while I wait for a set of Gatorbacks to arrive. If it shreds right away I know something else is wrong. If it doesn't, I'll switch it out and keep it as a spare.

LoneStarFRC

That GM part number tells me it's almost certainly the original belt and a good starting point for the culprit.

Go with Gators. In the meantime, if you're not willing to go with PMs now, I'd be keeping a close eye on the tensioner and idler pulleys from now on.

bumble-z

"Why the tensioners?"

Because your car is 12 years old & you have no idea if they have been changed out.

sean.b

have to agree.. could have just been a shot belt to start with. cheaper to get a belt than have a mechanic even glance at it, so start there. its not throwing parts at a problem if you're pretty sure its the problem.

egrand333

The tensioners loose tension over time. When my car starting throwing belts replacing the tensioner fixed it.

sean.b

i love these forums. makes sense, simple enough, but i didnt know/think of that.

dave89gta

I wasn't being a smartass, and I'm for preventive maintenance when it's warranted. I just like to know I'm not replacing a perfectly good part with a new (maybe not even as good) replacement.



Anyway, thanks for the help, all. I'll make sure to update this thread with the results.

leadfoot4

Is it just me, or does that belt look a little narrow?? I replace my belts a couple of years ago, and installed Daycos. They are wide enough to completely fill up the width of the pulleys.

LoneStarFRC

I noticed the same thing. It appears to me that the belt is shredding/disintegrating along both edges, hence the "narrowing".