ifixit8

Hey all. I've been on here for quite some time. and now i need some help. I have been fighting with this thing to the point that I almost want to sell my rig or pull the motor out of it!!!!

Ok so here is the issue. about 10 months ago I had the water pump blow up so bad that it locked and threw the serpbelt. I blew the radiator and the ac clutch. so I got an ac bypass from a GC, new water pump, radiator, belt, idler, ect. It ran great for awhile. then the squeak came back. I figured it was the cheap "Driverite" belt so I swapped it out. still did the squeak a week later. swapped it out for a dayco and another idler. still did it. by then I had it... so i got all new parts from napa. water pump, belt and idler. went away once it got cold. then we just had some warm weather and now it's back!!!! I really hope that it's not the water pump or any of these same items again. I pulled the belt and flipped it yesterday. that didn't last. still a squeak. pulled the belt and looks like the ilder bearing is shot. and the belt is wearing like something is off closer to the motor is glazing on the inside grooves of the belt.

Any help i'd love!!

Chad149

Look closly at the fan pulley. I have seen the "pressed in" bearings start to come unpressed and the fan and pulley starts migrating toward the radiator, causing belt misalginment (or a train wreck) . A strait edge on another pulley may help you compare.

ifixit8

I had that feeling today. i thought that maybe the fan clutch took a crap. so i pulled that off. put the nuts back on and ran the jeep to still have a squeak. the pully did spin freely though. it would make sense for that bearing to go though because its the most closest thing to the water pump. And I think the belt did wrap around the fan when it went in the summer.

OverlandZJ

With the belt off can you "rock" the idler pulleys and get any play? That would indicate a bad bearing.

Also, on the contact causing damage closet to the engine.. check that the belt isnt hitting the bolt at bottom of thermostat housing. If that Grand AC delete pulley is a bit different from the XJ one it could cause belt misalignment and your damage/noise.

Chad149

I think you need to check to make sure all your pulleys are on the same plane. The bearing for the fan pulley doesn't actualy fail, just gets loose (slightly) in the piece its pressed into.

ifixit8

1.The pully that the fan assembly mounts to is sticking out more then the rest. so I guess that could be a possibility.

2.I also noticed that the 2 month old idler from napa has a decent amount of play in it. so that is another possibility.

3.And a final suggestion from one of my teachers is that the crank thrust bearings are shot, allowing the crank to walk, and throw the belt off.

So i guess ill have to do some more digging, or replacing some items. I just hate throwing parts at it. I should be able to know/find the culprit. And of course now i also need new ball joints on the passenger side. I've had some really bad death wobble experiances..... and I know they are bad because the other day in class we put it on the lift and the spindle dropped!! lol

Chad149

The thrust bearing problem I have never seen that bad without other noises (not to say its never happened-grab or pry lightly on the crank pulley to check for play front to back; should be barely percievable). Take the fan bearing housing off you should see wittness marks where the bearing used to be on the back side. The official repair is to replace the whole thing. I did do a trail repair last summer by pressing the bearing the rest of the way out, took a center punch and make a bunch of dimples in the housing, applied locktight, and pressed it back together. That particular Jeep get used hard off road, no street miles, but has held up so far.

ifixit8

another update. I replaced the idler pulley. And checked for crank walk. No play what so ever. I put all the force I could into moving the crank. And no movement. I did see that the hoses near the thermostat where leaking a tad. So I tightened them up. Looked at the belt closer and its got glazing on the inside grooves. So I was told to use some comet to get rid if that. I'm getting a 93 Cherokee that is for parts and ill b taking the AC compressor off for mine. I'm hoping that will help. Ill keep on posting the progress.

ifixit8

Finally got it!!!!!!!!!!! It was a bad power steering pulley!! the stocker had a crack in it.