'Hissy', noisy alternator belt

[dom_e]

The belts (alternator, aircon and what I presume is the power steering one?) have always been a bit noisy. It isn't a screech, just a noisy hiss that increases with engine revs. A squirt of rubber lube cures it for a while, but not for long. It makes up quite a lot of the general engine noise.

Can anybody tell me what the cause of this may be and what a solution could be?

Cheers.

Dom

[the laird]

You sometimes find its age related ,old trick is to start eng and carefully ! Ie watch hands and fingers is to hold a candle(not lit)!against the running side of the belt,spray oil etc onto belt just deteriates the belt
Good luck

[jaylee]

Jockey wheel bearings??

[Simon Jones]

The power steering pump is tooth-driven the same way as the injector pump. Only long term solution for noisy belts is to replace them. I've tried spray belt lubricant before but it tends to cause the rubber to soften and make a gooey mess all over the pulleys.

[haydn callow]

Yep !!!! Just change them....problem solved

[Northern Bongolow]

cleaning the pulleys with a stiff brush helps too.

[dom_e]

Thanks for the advice. I'll add changing the belts to the service list.

How easy is it as a DIY project? I've changed alternator belts on a car, but access was easier.

Cheers

Dom

[helen&tony]

Hi
Just slightly more fiddly, and not too annoying if you know up front it's fiddly...Any job on a car is only an annoyance if you're expecting an easy task
It may also help to change the mother-in-law while you're about it...they're also known to be a bit "hissy"
Cheers
Helen

[jaylee]

I managed to remove to front half of the under belly pan to gain access to mine. (But i was replacing the AC compressor pump at the time too.) I thought what the hey! 3 new belts while i'm at it...

http://lushprojects.com/bongopartsmk2/c ... mgno=.html

Assuming yours is diesel..? Even with the pulley idol/jockey wheel slacked right off i found the new AC pump belt a bit tight. (the old one had broke due to a seized pump.)

With all the belts removed i set about the two alternator belts first concentrating on the correct tension.. These two pass over the water pump as well..?

I guess that's why there are two in case one fails..??

With the alternator belts done & tensioned, the real fiddle for me was the Compressor pump belt. You have to slack off the centre nut on the wheel before adjusting the position bolt at the top of the bracket... Even with this done having the belt positioned over the crank pulley & jockey wheel, working underneath it was difficult to get over the compressor wheel.. I could only get it half on.... After working out which direction the belts run I basically resorted to giving the ignition a quick crank & the belt jumped into position on the pump wheel..!
I just had to tighten up the tension & centre nut on the fly wheel thing!!

[dom_e]

Cheers all. I'll have a nosy around and review the Lush Projects link and weigh up options against a garage cost.

It may also help to change the mother-in-law while you're about it...they're also known to be a bit "hissy"

I've done well with mine thankfully!