Things just keep getting better. Anyways, last night the belt started squeeling again, we just put a new one on last week when the old belt broke. But it only does it when the air condition is on, and it squeels loud. It almost seems like everything is being caused by one thing or two things that we just can't figure out. I'm thinking about getting a different mechanic to check it out as a second opinion.

 

how much tension is on the belt? Did you try tightening it?

 

maybe it could be the pulleys. I have a constant squel and I found out it was my harmonic balancer. Since your hearing it when the AC is on maybe its the pully wheel (for lack of a better word, have no idea what the real name would be) for the AC.

 

Agreed on the compressor for the ac, if she isn't working right she will definitley tear up belts. For instance, if the pulley doesn't move at all, the belt is just dragging across and creating a bunch of heat in the process. I would pull the belt and take a look at the compressor pulley. Had a friend just unplug his ac to avoid having to replace the compressor, while my brother replaced the whole unit with a dead pulley on his truck.

 

If the pulley is bad it will grind or squeal even when the AC is off. If the AC clutch slips it will make a very low pitched howl.

 

That makes sense, my only excuse is I haven't had enough coffee yet.

 

I Have a similar problem, Except mine only squeals when it is first turning on, Last for bout 5 to 10 seconds.I tightened the belt a few weeks ago and that took care of the nose ....but now it is doing it again.

 

How old if your belt? See if you can find a can of belt dressing. Give the belt a good spray following the directions on the can.


Careful tightening the belt too much. You will know when it is too tight if you hear a constant "thunk" sound coming from the engine.

 

the new belt is about 2 months old, and i have dressed the belt on numerous occasions. Are their any torque specifications for the belt

 

not really torque settings...

There is a certain amount of deflection to look for when adjusting the belt.

I think it's like .5" or something I forget.


EDIT: here is a link that may be helpful

http://www.ehow.com/how_2350791_chec...rive-belt.html

 

Yea its not a constant squeal. really just squeals when i first start it if i start driving. but if i turn the ac off it doesn't even do it. im just getting frustrated cause i just bought that new belt and there's all kinds of problems popping up with this jeep.

 

tighten it some more.

i tighten my belt with the engine running so i know at what point its tight enough to stop making noise

 

A new belt is going to stretch/loosen a little. If it squeals when you turn the A/C on, try turning the idler pulley adjustment bolt 1/2 turn increment tighter (ENGINE OFF) until it stops squealing when the A/C engages. Installed a new compressor on our XJ this past Monday and that's the way we adjusted the belt.

 

Remove the belt and make sure nothing is binding. You should be able to grab the AC clutch plate and move it with your hand but it should be tight since its a piston with compression. Everything else, except the crankshaft of course, should be free. Since it only makes noise when the AC is on, I see two posibilites: 1. Your AC is binding and causing extra stress on the belt, or 2. The belt needs to be tigthen even more. It was trial and error when I replaced my belt. I tightned where I thought it should be and it made noises in the morning. I then tightened some more until the noise went away. Six months went by and the squeel came back...so tighten a bit more. Make sure you use the right procedure to crank on the idler pulley.

 

+1 on the idler pulley....not sure about a '94 but on a '98 you loosen the pulley center bolt, then turn the adjusting bolt, then re-tighten the pulley center bolt.