rattlewagon

No there not just loose, well they are but they keep coming loose. when i got the truck it had new ac belt and a new fan belt and an oooooold alt belt. so i changed the alt belt and in the process took of the ac belt because the beaing in the idler pulley was going. all the other pulleys were fine. so i changd the alt belt and tightened it down. mint no more squeeking. then about 2 weeks later it started atain. small at first a chirp on start up, no big deal and it got to the point where when i came to a stop light it would start. no bggie, cleaned out the garage and pulled it in. had a friend hold it tight with a pry bar while i tightened it again. just like that no squeeks. then a couple weeks later it did it again. so i had another buddy really hold it tight and i made sure to tighten all the bolts tight. now, its starting to get bad again. i think the belt is almost streched to the most i can move the alt back so i dont know if it can get tightened again. has under 2k miles on it and is almost streched out! did i just get a bad belt? also, is there a better way at getting to the bottom alt bolts than taking the skid plate off?

any tips or advice is much appreciated. its loud and annoying and embarrassing in traffic.

:edit: its a 87 runner with a 22re. thanks

fireman1559

you could have over tightend them and streched the belts out they need to be just tight enough your lucky you havent snapped a belt yet
to stop the squeak you could use a crayon pell the paper off and while the truck is running and press it against the belt that should quiet it down a bit

MaK92-4RnR

take a bar of soap, and rub it against your belts... it'll stop the squeeking. it could be your bearings too... I believe its a pretty cheap fix?

limon32

I have had one "Goodyear" belt stretch on my relatively fast to the point I could no longer adjust it. I replaced it with another "Goodyear" belt and its worked fine ever since. I figured I just had a bad belt...

rattlewagon

limon, thats what im thinkin.

dont think its antifreese because the fan belt dosent squeek and i dont see or smell an antifreeze leak. im picking up a new belt tonight (napa) and well see how that goes.

limon32

Man, one day after reading this post and my belt started squealing!

rattlewagon

haha. Ok so changed the belt last night. the old one didnt look that bad. However, while i was under there i noticed some antifreeze drops on the bottom of my from diff!!! "AHHA! THE YOTATECH GUYS MIGHT BE ON TO SOMETHING!" i thought. but i cant find where its coming from. A buddy and my self looked up and down the motor and could not find where the drips were coming from. any ideas? whats prone to leaking? and how is antifreeze dripping off my diff getting on to my alt belt? there was still good amount in the radiator. it dosent drip enough to leave spots in the snow.... im lost. ill pull it back in the shop tonight and do some more looking...i think i might have to change the starter anyway

92 2wd

I have a similar problem. My belts have no visible damage but every few thousand miles I end up having to adjust the alt belt tension because they start to make noise. I suppose I'll have to check and see if there is any antifreeze on the alternator now. Good to know, thanks yota tech.

cucky16

mine got a chirp in it but think it comin from the alt how can i fix

1stgen4gunner

WHOA!! Hold on there big guy, don't go tightening that belt too much, you will have much bigger problems than your belt squeling if you do. To much tension on that belt and its going to ruin you front main crank bearing, then you will have a much more dreadful noise to listen too, in the form of a knock or patter, get a new belt, and a belt tensioning tool and bring it back to acceptable tension

cucky16

where can you get a belt tensioning tool thanks

cgeorge

For the AF issue - can you see if it is leaking from the weep hole on the water pump (hole is just after the pully shaft bearing).

92 2wd

You don't need the tool. It's expensive and not really neccessary. All you need to tighten the belts is a few wrenches and a breaker bar. To gauge if you have the correct amount of tension in the belt an easy test is to take a straight edge and put it across your belt between the top pulleys. Then press in the middle of the belts span with your finger and measure the deflection. I believe a properly tensioned has between 1/8" to 1/4" deflection. I'm not really sure off the top of my head though, so don't quote me on these values. A haynes manual will give you this info. If you still need it later I can look in my manual when I get out of work. ( yes, I'm slacking off at the moment)

cucky16

Thanks 2wd

rattlewagon

So the problem is because the alternator bracket is bent. Makes the belt sit on the pulley crooked. Eventually id like to upgrade to the GM alternator with a trail gear bracket.

PismoJoe

I'm really not a fan of carquest or autozone type belts. They seem to be weak, and stretch out at a much faster rate than OE belts. I always run Bando's in my yotas, they are OE and cheaper than the dealership.

Very little antifreeze on your belts can cause them to squeal like no other, you could have a small leak around your water pump or timing cover. Maybe clean up that area real well and take a look after driving and see if you notice anything

rattlewagon

Nothing is getting on the belts. the bracket is bent. see post 15. I dont know where the antifreeze from the earlier post came from, but it stopped along time ago. Going to be doing this soon. (funds depending, im trying to move into a new place) http://www.trail-gear.com/miscellaneous

PismoJoe

Nice, switchin up to the GM one wire eh? That should be sweet, I'm jealous!