98XJSPORTSATINJADED

Replaced my fan shroud for the second time last night. Replaced the serpentine belt a week ago with a gates belt and now ever since i put the clutch fan back on and the new shroud on it squeals. The more throttle you give it the worse it gets. I tried loosening the belt but i lost my power steering and my alternator was not charging. Something appears to be unbalanced because its a little wobbly but i wiggled everything and its solid I'm really lost here and its so loud its unbearable to drive!!

Larry's XJ

Check that all driven pieces spin freely. Check that harmonic balancer isn't coming apart/misaligned.

SatiricalHen

tighten it don't loosen it, it's squeals because it's too loose....

Firestorm500

I quit using Gates belts some time ago because they are hard to keep from squealing, even when everything else is OK.

Goodyear Gatorback is the best.

tjwalker

The belt on the 4.0 needs to be darn tight to stay quiet.

Any new belt will stretch a tiny bit after it's been run for a few hours. Not unusual to have to tighten it a smidge.

XJlimitedx99

I agree, tighten that sucker up.

You should only be able to turn the belt 90 degrees by hand at the longest part between two pulleys.

98XJSPORTSATINJADED

I noticed it does when i turn ac on and even if i turn my lights on it does it! I dont wanna over tighten it and cause the water pump to fail thats my biggest worry

98XJSPORTSATINJADED

This is what it does notice its barely any at the beging well then i turned the ac on and ya haha

http://s248.photobucket.com/user/dre...tml?sort=3&o=0

extrashaky

Funny how these threads come in pairs or threes or fives. I'm going to repeat what I wrote in another thread just now:

1. Get a Krikit (or similar) belt tension gauge to make sure your belt tension is actually set to the correct tension setting. You would be surprised at how tight these belts are supposed to be. For a new belt, it needs to be 180-200 lbs. ft. For a used belt, it's 140-180 lbs. ft. You tighten a new belt a little more to allow for stretching. Some NAPA auto parts stores carry the gauges locally, or you can order one from Amazon. They're usually $15-20.

The deflection test (where you twist the belt) DOES NOT WORK to properly set the tension. Use the gauge.

2. Replace your belt with a Goodyear Gatorback. The way it's made grips better than regular belts, even when it's looser than it should be. After running one on mine, I doubt I'll ever use anything else.

Fred/N0AZZ

Tighten belt, then buy some "Belt Dressing" to spray on it that will quiet it down.

tjwalker

The problem with belt dressing is that the agents -- and the solvents that are used as spray-can propellants -- can cause modern serpentine belts to swell and delaminate. And the chemicals also attract dirt and can gum up the pulleys.

In most cases, when a belt is making noise, it's because it needs to be tightened or needs to be replaced. Belt noise also can be caused by a bad belt tensioner or a misaligned pulley or really any component along the route of the serpentine belt.