Belt Issues?

nwebb01

nwebb01

New member
So I just got my first 4Runner about a week and a half ago. It's a 2002 sport edition. Even when I first looked at it, I noticed that when starting it, the belt would squeal for about 2-4 seconds when the engine is cold. I do not hear it when driving. While I was stopped at the ATM this morning, I noticed that when it was in gear, and I held my foot on the break, it would start to make noise again. Doesn't appear to make noise in park. The previous owner said he did the timing belt and water pump himself.

I assume that spraying some belt dressing on the belt would help me diagnose if it's a belt/pulley issue?

Any other ideas?

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I would just replace the belts. If it's only happening when you're cold and in specific situations, it's most likely just old belts.

The power steering belt can be a little of a pain in the ass, and some will tell you to remove the fan in front of the radiator, but it's not really a necessary step. Once the belts are off the pulleys they fit pretty easily over the fan.

With the right tools, it's a half hour job. Pick up some cheap stubby ratcheting wrenches at the local auto parts store, with the flex head, (Gearwrench I think?) and get the belt set from ebay for like 40 bucks.

Easy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi1XfFUOjKc
 
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I am dealing with this currently as well. I changed the belts and it still does it. It's mostly when the truck is in between full cold and full operating temperature. Belt tension is about 1/2" when pressing down on them on the longest run of the belt.

Is 1/2" too loose for the these belts?

Mine sounds similar to that, but worse...
 
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dace voit said:
I am dealing with this currently as well. I changed the belts and it still does it. It's mostly when the truck is in between full cold and full operating temperature. Belt tension is about 1/2" when pressing down on them on the longest run of the belt.

Is 1/2" too loose for the these belts?

Mine sounds similar to that, but worse...
Click to expand...

The belts have to be pretty tight - there are tension tools that you can purchase that will tell you how tight they need to be.

I usually go by feel. My guess is your belts are just not tight enough. Some people will tell you to be careful to not make them too tight or you'll damage the bearing, which may be true, but those bearings are made to handle quite a bit of pressure. If I'm feeling like that flex comes fairly easily, then I tighten the belt.

I think the 1/2 inch rule is the amount of flex you should get with about 10-15 lbs of pressure, at the longest portion of the belt. It doesn't sound like a lot, but lift up a 10 lb weight. It ain't that light.

The power steering belt has shorter distances between the pulleys, so I usually want less than 1/2 inch there.

My guess is it's your alternator belt.
 
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Thanks for the input guys.

I'm going to check the belt tension first. They are probably too loose. I did err on the loose side due to paranoia of wearing on the bearings in the periferals. I'll report back when I get done...
 
Thanks for the replies, gents. Much appreciated. I'll do some checking, hopefully tonight, and let you know what I find.

Thanks again.
 
I recently changed all the belts in my 00 LTD because the alternator belt was squealing under load but was ok otherwise. Other two belts were fine but since I had to take them off to get to the alternator belt, I replaced those as well.

One way to tell if it's a belt or pulley making the noise is squirt some water on the belt (ribbed part) you think the noise is coming from as the car's running. If the noise goes away but comes back after a while, it's most likely the belt and needs to be changed or tension adjusted. If the noise gets worse, it can be the pulley. DO NOT USE BELT DRESSING!

Also visually check to see if you see any of the pulleys or belts shimmying when they're turning. While the truck is off, you can twist the belt and see the grooves, check for cracks, etc...

I purchased these two from Amazon to test belt tension:

Gates 91132 Belt Tension Tester ($15)
Gates 91107 Belt Tension Tester ($12)

They are pretty accurate, when you use it correctly. There is a video on youtube on how to use them. One measures 50-150lbs and other 150-300lbs I believe...

If you decide to replace the belts, you can get Bando brand on Rockauto for a good price. I paid $15 for all three.
 
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DK327 said:
I recently changed all the belts in my 00 LTD because the alternator belt was squealing under load but was ok otherwise. Other two belts were fine but since I had to take them off to get to the alternator belt, I replaced those as well.

One way to tell if it's a belt or pulley making the noise is squirt some water on the belt (ribbed part) you think the noise is coming from as the car's running. If the noise goes away but comes back after a while, it's most likely the belt and needs to be changed or tension adjusted. If the noise gets worse, it can be the pulley. DO NOT USE BELT DRESSING!

Also visually check to see if you see any of the pulleys or belts shimmying when they're turning. While the truck is off, you can twist the belt and see the grooves, check for cracks, etc...

I purchased these two from Amazon to test belt tension:

Gates 91132 Belt Tension Tester ($15)
Gates 91107 Belt Tension Tester ($12)

They are pretty accurate, when you use it correctly. There is a video on youtube on how to use them. One measures 50-150lbs and other 150-300lbs I believe...

If you decide to replace the belts, you can get Bando brand on Rockauto for a good price. I paid $15 for all three.
Click to expand...


Excellent bit of information. Thank you so much!
 
[MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I made a video of replacing the belts and properly tensioning them. Maybe our video could help you out:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zi1XfFUOjKc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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