96-Same problem after recommended maintenance. So far everything has been changed but the water pump. Driving my mechanic crazy. Good thing I am not paying for it... It is in the shop now for Lean fuel after an oil pan gasket leak cause engine pull. I know about the soap, told my mechanic to try it, don't know the results yet. I hope to get all these problems fixed soon. So does the shop that is trying to restore my Blazer to its "only an oil leak" condition.

 

on my fullsize i had this same issue it turns out the second belt tensior was my issue. hope you figure out whats causing the noise....

 

This same thing is happening on my 97 blazer. I think that it is the idler pully bearing because it is old and got sprayed with antifreeze when that leaked out if one of the lines. I got a new o e at the junkyard and will be installing it soon. Just havent got atound to it yet. Should be easy. Its not the tensioner it is new. Tried belt dressing on it and it stops it for like a second and then starts again. Hopefully this will work lol

 

I will have to get back to you about the shaft. But as you stated the soap wore off and the noise is still driving me nuts. Since the soap shut it up for a little bit, does it mean there's something wrong with one of the pulley surfaces or could it still be one of the bearing or something else? I bought the truck not too long ago, and the sound didn't start until the belt was changed, but I guess that could be a coincidence. Either it was getting ready to go or maybe the old belt was worn into whatever is causing the noise.

The idler on my truck is smooth because the belt goes over the A/C pulley as well. So if it is a problem with a pulley surface, it could still be the harmonic balancer or power steering pulley because these are the only pulleys I have not replaced. I have 2 friends that are mechanics. I've been bothering them both and feel kind of bad. I don't know the difficulty of replacing either of those pulleys, but judging by where they are, I'm sure it's probably a pain in the ***. I will try to go after these pulleys as soon as I can. Thanks again frog for helping me get closer to solving this.

 

Yes, the soap is a troubleshooting tool only. If it goes away, even for just a short time with the soap, it is not a bearing in a component. I understand that the soap only affected one side of your belt. If that is the case, that eliminates some components all together.

The guy who was working in my Blazer told me that you can adjust the placement of the PS pulley (in-out). I don't know for sure, but that is what he said...

 

Yes, your mechanic is correct about the P/S pulley. I have seen some installed too deep and some not enough...that is why I asked about the shaft on the P/S pump.

To verify that the pulley is aligned correctly they actually have a tool (laser) that sits on the pulley itself and shoots a laser beam out to another pulley and you make sure it is shining on the same groove as the other. Or you can take a long straight edge and place it on the face of another (ribbed) pulley and make sure they are inline...you could eye ball it and get close but, it might still squeak if it is out of alignment.

 

I was having the chirping on my 2000 Trailblazer, went through belt after belt. I have used a small amount of rtv on the belt, and its helped for about a week at a time, but not permanent. Finally I surge for the gatorback belt, and I'm happy to say, a month with chirping!!!!

 

Back again. I still haven't gotten rid of this problem. The only thing that helps is soap on the grooved side but it wears off quickly.
Here's a recap. a new tensioner assembly, new idler pulley, on my 4th new belt which is a gatorback now, and swapped the ac compressor and alternator. The only grooved pulleys I haven't replaced are the power steering and harmonic balancer. The power steering pulley seems to be in line with everything else. I've ran the car without the belt and had none of the chirping/squealing so I don't think it's the harmonic balancer. Yesterday I took the belt off, wire brushed the pulleys as good as I could and sprayed them with brakleen. And it's still making the noise.

The gatorback I'm using is 96.1 inches. It's the same size as the dayco and other brands I've tried. Should I try one that's shorter?

I will try to have video by tomorrow so that you's can see/hear the problem.

Thanks guys

 

Resurrecting this from the first page:

It is unclear to me that anyone understood to try soaping the EDGES of the belt.
I've seen this come up on several other forums and that chirp is nearly always due to pulley misalignment. Pulley may be too far forward or back or at slight angle {bracket misalign} Almost always a ribbed pulley

And yes, I have personal experience with this, on replacing a Ford power steering pump.. Reinstalled pulley a fraction off and it started chirping soon after.

 

Here's a video everyone.


100_1516.MOV - YouTube