Belt Chirp: Help! (Going on 2,000 mile road trip Friday!)

[cavalier]

Hello awesome people of ,

I'm going on a huge road trip on Friday, but I've got this rhythmic chirping going on with my XJ 4.0-liter (it's a '95 auto).

It's intermittent, but when it does do it, it chirps rhythmically, and more frequently as RPMs go up.

I was worried it might be the harmonic balancer/damper, but looking at it, it doesn't seem to wobble in any direction. It looks true.

All pulleys rotate nicely, and the sound goes away if I spray water on the belt.

Any ideas?

Thanks a bunch!

-DT

 

[Dragonlich1961]

how many miles are on your 95?
with it being rythmic id check your idler.

 

[Tim_MN]

Snug the belt a little. If that doesn't stop it, one at a time, spray some WD-40 on the idler pulleys and go for a drive. The alternator can also squeak and can also be sprayed with WD-40.

 

[cavalier]

155,000 miles on her.

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

EJS?

 

[cavalier]

Yes ejs. Balancer rubber does seem to be peeling....

 

[trippled]

If it goes away with water on the belt then it's the belt. I'd replace it. Belts are cheaper than tow bills.

 

[RNMedic]

mechanics stethescope, could be idler, PS pump, Alternator?

 

[Ivan]

Just a thought, but perhaps the chirp could be associated with your AC clutch?

Turn of the AC for a while, and see if the chirping stops. If chirps is still their, then follow suggestions above for other cause....

 

[thanasi85]

If tightening up the belt doesn't work replace the belt, use some fine sand paper to clean the surfaces of the idler, water pump and fan clutch pulleys, clean all the pulleys with some break cleaner, and make sure the power steering pump is on straight and wasn't accidently tighten on crooked.

 

[thanasi85]

Also make sure coolant isn't leaking on the belt from a leak at the thermostat or radiator. Had belt chirp once that I couldn't figure out and it ended up being a small pin hole leak on the radiator and as I revved up the motor the mechanical fan was misting it on my belt.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

There's a possibility that the distributor shaft bushings
are causing the chirp. You can take the distributor cap
off and turn the rotor back and forth. It should easily
turn about 1/8" or so, having some back and forth 'play'.

If it feels very tight or seized, then the bushings are dry
of oil and worn and the distributor needs to be replaced.

EDIT: Just noticed the chirp goes away with water sprayed
on the belt, so that eliminates the distributor. I'm leaving
the post since it might help someone else doing a search....

 

[cavalier]

Guys, my power steering pulley is too far forward on the shaft and there's some silver shaft exposed...

Can I press it back on while it's on the car?

How could this have happened?

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

Guys, my power steering pulley is too far forward on the shaft and there's some silver shaft exposed...

Can I press it back on while it's on the car?

How could this have happened?

Possibly never got pressed on all the way to begin with

 

[cavalier]

True.

Can I press it in while it's on the car?

 

[dan1977p]

True.

Can I press it in while it's on the car?

Yes, turn the bolt that's holding it in place. Assuming it's still there...

 

[Ivan]

Yes, turn the bolt that's holding it in place. Assuming it's still there...

You may first want to remove the bolt to check the length vs the depth of the threaded hole. Someone may have used a slightly longer bolt, which may have caused it to bottom out in the hole, thereby not seating the pulley flush with the PS shaft, where it should be....

 

[Overland]

You may first want to remove the bolt to check the length vs the depth of the threaded hole. Someone may have used a slightly longer bolt, which may have caused it to bottom out in the hole, thereby not seating the pulley flush with the PS shaft, where it should be....

I've never seen a bolt in one, but I've put an adapter in there to install the pulley with a tool. Not just on Jeeps, but anything. The pulley would come apart (composite types at least) before it walked off the shaft.

As someone who's had a balancer failure, I always clean and mark with a paint pen every one which passes through my hands. Mark across the rubber from metal to metal, so if it should shift, it will be immediately noticeable upon visual inspection. If it's coming loose, you may see the marks shift in a day.

Idler had a 3206RS bearing which costs maybe eight or ten bucks, but if it quiets when wet, I'd clean the pulleys and replace the belt.

Just did this on a 34 Ford, which oddly enough, was equipped with one of our power steering pumps and V belts.

 

[old_man]

If for some unlikely reason you crap out in Colorado, give me a call.

Tom Houston aka old_man
970-391-8927

 

[J33p98]

Just had a similar problem, I had an intermittent chirping when I first started the jeep then eventually it would stop, I couldn't isolate where the sound was coming from. I did a visual inspection of the belt an pulleys and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. I decided to take it to work the next day and the harmonic balancer separated when I was stopped at a light, even though it showed no signs of where. Just my experience.