89-W-Body-Regal Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Are they any good belts you can recommend that can stop squealing? I want to replace my belt since I got a new tensioner. I’ve heard if you use an old belt it will start to squeal or squeak with a new tensioner. I mean my tensioner was loose to begin with because of the stripped threads. But when it’s fixed I want to use a new belt with the tensioner. If you have good recommendations I would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfewtrail Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 (edited) Any of the name brand ones would be fine. Gates, Dayco, Continental, Goodyear, or Bando. If the old belt is in good shape, I would run it by the way. You don't have much to lose if it makes noise since our belts are extremely and quick to replace. I would suggest shopping online to save some money. Figure out what part # you need, then search it at various vendors... Edited June 30, 2018 by mfewtrail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imp558 Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Goodyear Gatorback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Ive ran the store brand with no issues for years, if it squeaks after everything is replaced then you my need a laser alignment tool to see if your other pulleys are aligned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 Ive ran the store brand with no issues for years, if it squeaks after everything is replaced then you my need a laser alignment tool to see if your other pulleys are aligned. This is almost exclusively the reason for chirps and squeaks, barring a bearing issue. That said, I've cheated and had good results with the Gatorback (now produced by Continental) since the serration of the grooves seems to allow it to bend a little bit more to mitigate noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55trucker Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 It's not necessarily the ribbed side of the belt that is generating the squeal, but the backside of the belt. With age the belt becomes dry, a veneer forms on the surface that can cause a *slipping* situation that generates the squeal. Assuming the belt is not at the end of it's life one can use a belt dressing that softens the compound to *help* keep it from drying out. As well, if the belt tension is low that too will cause the squeal simply because there is not enough tension on the belt to prevent this (tensioner can be seizing up). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 I'm not disagreeing with you, but back in the day I put new a Dayco on our G8 when we had it, and it still chirped. I know the problem was the harmonic balancer had a bit of run-out, but I didn't want to replace it yet. However, when I then switched to the Gatorback it pretty much eliminated the chirping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfewtrail Posted July 2, 2018 Report Share Posted July 2, 2018 (edited) It's not necessarily the ribbed side of the belt that is generating the squeal, but the backside of the belt. With age the belt becomes dry, a veneer forms on the surface that can cause a *slipping* situation that generates the squeal. Assuming the belt is not at the end of it's life one can use a belt dressing that softens the compound to *help* keep it from drying out. As well, if the belt tension is low that too will cause the squeal simply because there is not enough tension on the belt to prevent this (tensioner can be seizing up). A bar of soap is another temporary belt-quietening option that everyone has around the house. Carefully run the dry bar of soap against the belt while running. I use it sometimes to determine whether the backside or ribbed side is making the noise. In some cases where clearance is at a premium, you'll want to use the soap on an engine that is OFF. As a bonus, it makes the engine bay smell nice, lol. Edited July 2, 2018 by mfewtrail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechanic58 Posted July 8, 2018 Report Share Posted July 8, 2018 I always buy Gates belts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vipmiller803 Posted July 8, 2018 Report Share Posted July 8, 2018 I agree on the contitnental belt. I've eliminated not just a squeal, but repeated belt damage due to pulley misalignment using the ribbed belt. carkhz316 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted July 8, 2018 Report Share Posted July 8, 2018 On my old '97 GTP, I had a belt squeak that would not go away. There was no alignment issue I could see, my assumption is that it was the back side of the belt on one of the pullies. Car originally had a Gates on it, but it was old and in need of replacement. Went through two Daycos before finally giving up and just trying a (at the time) Gatorback. Squeaking never came back for as long as I owned the car afterwards. At this point all I run on my cars are the Continental Elite belts. carkhz316 and rich_e777 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89-W-Body-Regal Posted August 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2018 I bought a gates belt again and it works fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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