I have an 04 1GR-FE with 110k on it. Just recently I replaced the power steering pump, alternator, and all three idler pulleys. Since then I have put three dayco belts on it and I cannot seem to get rid of this dang belt chirp to save my life!!
I have been told that its due to misalignment of the pulleys but the pulley's all came installed on the component that I installed (PS pump and alternator)

What could I possibly be missing?

No Toyota tech here, but have some experience working on motor vehicles...

Just because the pulleys were already mounted on the components you replaced doesn't mean all of the pulleys are aligned. Maybe the mounting surfaces or accessory bracket(s) may be damaged causing the component's pulleys to be slightly off aligned.

I'm not sure how they would check this, but I'm envisioning something involving straight edges and lasers.

I would try the easiest things first...change the brand of belts. See if a Toyota OEM belt or another brand works for you.

I know it sounds strange, but cars/trucks can be particular to certain brands...just like people. For example, my truck only likes Toyota OEM or Bosch wipers...anything else, and they chatter.

Good luck.

There is a Service bulletine on this.
I will try to find it later.
It's the way the idle pulley is mounted from the factory and needs to have a new different idler bracket installed.

Fantastic. Thanks for the advice guys. I have only tried using dayco belts thus far but today I picked up a genuine OEM belt and it was $100 dollars!!! Is it really worth that much? Or should I go with another aftermarket brand?

Awesome! I can't wait to hear what you found man.

Are you sure about that? I know the 2GR had idler pulley issues, but nothing comes up for a 2004 with the 1GR motor for belt noises, or any 03-05 1GR motor.

Here it is your right it is for 03 only.
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/sk...nerbelt4.0.pdf

But it might help a bit.

Might there be a chance the idler pulley needs to be aligned according to the bulletin because of wear and manufacturing tolerances?

Yes thats what I would check for at least.

I cant imagine so, The chirp started immediately after I replaced the power steering pump. It came with the pulley installed so I didnt think about checking the alignment originally. However I talked to a toyota service tech at the dealership and they confirmed that they typically dont mess with that either because the pulleys come installed. Unfortunately I have no way of really measuring alignment so I have made an apt with the dealer to have them do it :/ I'm dropping it off tomorrow morning. I'll let you guys know what I find. Thanks for the input!

So, just got back from the dealership. They are suggesting replacing the auto tensioner. Would an auto tensioner really cause a chirp? Another thing I actually just noticed is the width difference between the dayco belt and the OEM Toyota belt. The OEM belt is definitely wider. Would the dayco belt being too skinny be a possible cause?

Wider belt...maybe...with the 'thinner' belt, perhaps the outer edge is rubbing against a pulley. You might take off your dayco belt to see if there are any strange marks along its edge.

'suggesting' that you replace the auto tensioner? If they are only 'suggesting', it might be that they really don't know either.

Without hearing your vehicle it is hard to say, but yes, a bad bearing in the tensioner could cause noise.

There are some techs here...where are they???

I would say it is time to replace parts. Assuming the parts you have are under warranty. You didn't have the problem before so the chances of it being something other than what you replaced is slim. Obviously it isn't the belt.

Belt tensioner could cause a chirp noise as it would allow too much slack in the belt at times and allow the belt to slip causing premature wear, glazing, and noise. If they are "suggesting" it they may be just going down a list of possible culprits. Toyota likes to use this sort of mini-shock absorber style tensioner that does go bad without really looking it.

The belt width might make a difference, but if we're only talking maybe 1 or 2mm, the difference should not be enough to cause concern. The reason being that the belt is ribbed and should self-center itself with the grooves in the pulley.

Pulley alignment could be an issue, though there is no procedure for this given by the factory as far as I remember. But usually it is done with a set of lasers and/or straight edges. an out of alignment pulley could cause premature failure and noise. Do you happen to have pictures of the old belts when then failed? If we could see how they failed and where the wear is it may help point you in a direction.

Yeah JWY "suggesting". And I understand that a bad bearing could cause a noise but If that were the case wouldnt you think the noise would stay constant when I sprayed water on the ribs? It goes away when I do that.

I was a little dissapointed because they pretty much told me what I already knew. I understand the squeal coming from a failing auto tensioner but I thought typically the squeal would happen when applying a load, starting, or revving the motor. In this case it happens constantly regardless of the condition of the engine power setting.

Sungod I also thought maybe I got a faulty power steering pump since it started right after I put that baby in but after having replaced that pump with another one I am still having the same problem.

BWI thats kind of what I thought as well about the V ribs but I have also owned a car in the past where if you put anything other than an OEM throw out bearing in it the transmission would throw a fit and start making noises when shifting. Nobody knew why but we all knew it and abided by it. Seeing that the belts are a little different in size I figured it would be worth a shot. Hopefully a good one because it was 100 dollars! I can post pics later of the old belt when I get home. I was looking at the old belt earlier today too when I put the new OEM belt on and I noticed that it had glazing on both sides of the belt as well as both sides of each rib. I figured if misalignment was the issue then I would only see glazing on one side? Am I wrong about that? It just doesnt seem to add up.