I've had gator belts in the past and they always chirp on me and don't seem to last as long. I used dressing on it, cleaned the pulleys, still squeeked. I finally got fed up and went back to advanced and got a regular belt. Just go pick up a different brand at your auto parts store and be done with it. See if that fixes your problem and report back to us. If anything you can just keep the gator as a back up if you ever have problems later on or just trash it .

 

As kristoph30 stated, I would go over everything one more time and check for possible bearing damage in any of the driven accessories (water pump, alternator, a/c compressor, & power steering pump). Any of them can cause a chirp that will change under load.

I have had the exact opposite experience with the Goodyear Gatorback belts as you blazer7630. Every 4.3L & 5.7L SCFI engine that I have installed them on (upwards of 20+ vehicles) it has cured the squealing problem without doing anything else to the pulleys or belt. A lot of aftermarket, quality belts (Gates, Dayco, etc) seem to squeal on the serpentine system used on these engines. Some of the first vehicles I replaced them on are still going along quietly now 5+ years after the replacement.

 

Guys thanks everyone for your responses, helps!!

I had a new belt from a year or two ago, from my S10, tried that (same exact size) Napa belt, super loud, like when I bought it. Went right back to the gatorback on had on there.

I love the gatorback, was quite for almost 600-800 miles. After being super meticulous today, now I think with a homeade stethascope I made, its coming from the water pump/pully. My question is that noise (if it is that, is it from the spindle on the water pump itself, of on that pulley itself?). With the belt off, when i spin it, it has a weird noise, like to pieces of rubber touching (very hard to explain).

My good buddy is a solid tech, he just got back from vacation today (which he has been for 3 weeks , so he is gonna toss his 2 cents at it Friday. We will see, would much rater see it be the water pump than the ac compressor. Will report back

** Kristoph, yes it looks like I have a slight amount of room for a smaller belt. However I am aprehensive, as those gatorbacks, are 40.00 here in Kenosha, and not sure if that will cure it or not.

 

I dont blame you for gulping when you see a belt price. They are pretty steep.

referencing belt dressing....It builds up in the small v grooves in the pullies and prevents the belt from fully seating. Its shuts it up for a bit but in the long run it makes it much worse.

Hopefully you find the issue. Amazing that water pumps are cheaper than the belts if you buy a cheapo pump.

Keep us informed!

 

thanks kristoph... I will not get the cheapo water pump, the one I was looking at was around 52.99, not the valuecraft..LOL

I have never onced used belt dressing, just makes no sense to hide the sound temporarily. However I changed the belt when I bought the truck (because it had a loud chirp) and that belt practically could slide through your hands it was so slick and sprayed up. I had to scrub every pully to get it clean, and it quited it up signifigantly.

That bearing that Kyle said is going bad (potentially) by the water pump, is that the bearing on the water pump itself (the spindle on the water pump). What set of bearings is he referring to in this case? I know Martin my buddy/tech will know, just for my sanity

 

The GOOD thing about using belt dressing is to find out IF the belt is the problem or is it something else. All comes down to troubleshooting and the easiest way to go about it.

 

NO! Belt dressing is NOT! Not trying to start a war but once you put that stuff on your belts it owns your soul! It fills the grooves in the pulleys and the belt will not fully seat in the grooves! It will not wear away or dissappear. It will haunt you and your children's children until the day you clean the grooves.

As a troubleshooting tool, use soap. It will dissappear with water. Belt dressing is horrible horrible stuff on serpentine belts!

Wisoweb - how many miles are on this truck? Pulleys do wear out. If the crank pulley is worn after a bazzillion miles then no belt in the world is going to help. Just for giggles, you might call the dealership and price it out. its easier to replace than a water pump. 4 bolts and no coolant to clean up. Not sure if its your problem - just throwning it out there.

 

kristoph, my truck just turned 154K last night.

I see your thought on the crank, however with the belt off, it does not make a squeak, and the pulley looks to be in pretty good shape.

At this point, I have no idea what that noice haunting me in my dreams is, it has to be the water pump, or possibly the crank/harmonic pulley. (The ac comp/clutch a distant 3rd.

We are going to tear her open, on Sat am, will let you all know what we find.... I really have the suspicion its the water pump, but we will see.

I was thinking before I tackled the water pump, How much shorter of a belt would I be able to safely get away with? When I mount my belt as of now, looks like I could probably get a little shorter belt.

Reason being, when I put my new gatorback on last month, it was quiet as can be for around 500 miles. But since then, I put on a new pulley, tensioner assembly and alternator. So maybe somewhere in here, I got a little extra play = hence the noise.

Also if I put that shorter belt and and its quiet, then I could eliminate the bad water pump bearing, right?

kristoph, kyle, anyone?

Thanks everyone for all your help! Will make sure I report in detail, the steps I took along the way to quiet her.

 

If the tensioner is doing its job properly, you should not need a shorter belt.

 

Let me clarify what happened to me.

My 97 takes belt "A"
My 98 takes belt "B"

I made the mistake of assuming they took the same alternator and replaced the one on my 97 with one from a 98. Evidently, there is a small difference in pulley diameter. The belt still fit but the tensioner was at the very extreme of its travel and i noticed a little chirp as the tensioner hit the travel stop. I put the belt from my 98 on the 97 and it fit just fine and the tensioner was mid travel. So, I do agree if the tensioner is doing its job the belt shouldnt slip and you shouldnt need a shorter belt. But if some yahoo (Like me) inadvertantly put a different alternator or something on the truck the original sized belt may not fit like it should. Im not sure how fine of an incriment these belts come in, but if the tensioner is at its extreme this may be something to keep in mind.

Clear as mud