Belt Squealing

XJeepguy

XJeepguy

Member
Just curious , how many of you have a fan belt that squeals every time you start your Runner ( for 5 or 6 seconds ) ? I tried that belt dressing , works for a while . I know it's kind of a lame question and I'm just trying to see how normal it is before wondering if my water pump may be stiff in the morning ? The belt appears to look in decent shape but it is a few years old . Do you have a squealer ?

Thanks All !


98 3.4L 4x4 Auto LTD
 
Register to hide this ad
Next time you start it and it squeals, quickly turn off your A/C and see if it stops. Thats how I figured out which one mine was.
 
No belt dressing on the belts please. You are asking for nothing but more problems.

If they squeal, change them, all three that is.
 
Ha ya , first time I ever bought a can of that stuff , right before a long trip and it was a band-aid approach . New belts a comin'
 
XJeepguy said:
Ha ya , first time I ever bought a can of that stuff , right before a long trip and it was a band-aid approach . New belts a comin'
Click to expand...

There you go. As Little Caesar said, that stuff is crap. I learned the hard way. Make sure you clean the pulleys off as well before you put the new belts on.
 
WD-40 works great on Belts and also preserves them. That's all I have used for years. It dries and doesn't hold/attract dirt like the sticky belt dressing.
I have never had a broken belt or any problems from the WD-40.

Also, check you Power steering fluid level.
 
Last edited:
ALBPM said:
WD-40 works great on Belts and also preserves them. That's all I have used for years. It dries and doesn't hold/attract dirt like the sticky belt dressing.
I have never had a broken belt or any problems from the WD-40.

Also, check you Power steering fluid level.
Click to expand...

WD-40? Are you joking?
 
Robb235 said:
WD-40? Are you joking?
Click to expand...

Nope, I've been using it since the 80's. My belts never wear out, crack, break or squeal.
The WD soaks into the belts and preserves them and does not attract dirt like the traditional sticky belt dressing.
I have 95,000 miles on my current belts and they still look brand new.
 
I figured the WD-40 contributed to my belts needing replaced. I think I wrecked them with a degreaser, tried to fix them with belt dressing, and then tried to get rid of the squeak with WD-40. They turned into messy ****. They were under a year old. The only fix was removing them, cleaning the pulleys, and putting new ones on.

The WD-40 is petroleum based, and I'm not sure if the belts have natural rubber.

Anyway, an evolution of squeaks is now nice dry beautiful belts that don't squeal if I try.
 
My belts squeak sometimes, but that's only after it rains. They can get a little wet since I have the sport scoop.
 
Adding a lubricant to the drive belts just seems like a bad idea. Do you also smear some lithium grease onto your rotors to keep the breaks from squealing?
 
Robb235 said:
Adding a lubricant to the drive belts just seems like a bad idea. Do you also smear some lithium grease onto your rotors to keep the breaks from squealing?
Click to expand...

I still have my original belts on my 2002 Runner and I'm the original owner. They still look brand new. It soaks right into the belt and there isn't any slipping and it doesn't attract and hold dirt.

I use it for anything with a drive belt. Even on my Swamp cooler at home. You could still read the part number on the 10 year old belt when I finally upgraded to a refridgerated air conditioner in May.
 
How much humidity is out there where you are in NM? If I tried that here in VA right near the coast, I'd cut the life of any belt by a third easily due the changes between the seasons.
 
LittleCaesar said:
How much humidity is out there where you are in NM? If I tried that here in VA right near the coast, I'd cut the life of any belt by a third easily due the changes between the seasons.
Click to expand...

Not much 5 - 18% unless it rains. We also have "The Seasons" out here.
We even had a week or more of minus teens day time and minus 20-30 deg nightime temps. The WD-40 keeps the belts from drying and cracking. Your engine environment is Hot and Dry when it's running anyways.

I also rarely have to tighten belts on any vehicle I've used the WD-40 on..

Just apply when your belts are clean and dry. Maritimer, probably did his belts in with the degreaser which dried them out and cracked them.

4-Ripcord has seen my engine and belts...nothing wrong with them after 95,000 miles

Ok, time for pics of my belts...

belts1.jpg


belts2.jpg


They are doing good for 95000 miles.

Engine is dirty from Winter and all the ash from the Arizona fires getting sucked in the engine compartment. Time to clean and use some more WD on the belts.
engine.jpg


I switched my original ISR setup over to the Airaid. It's a bit cleaner since my original setup...

Intake Silencer Removal Mod Update for 2002 4Runners - YotaTech Forums
 
Last edited:
That is impressive. The swings of differences in humidity here and I would say along the East Coast here wreck havoc on all rubber. Belts on washing machines probably take the brunt being in a closed environment (garage or the like) and are replaced quite often. Gaskets don't fair much better. I am not much of a fan of the Southwest in general, but with such a small impact on a car's condition, I am envious to say the least.
No wonder all the old cars found in garages are in the West.

Would ya go as far as to do such on the timing belt? Just curious.

Thanks for posting the pics.
 
Never thought about it on the timing belt. I probably won't mess with it.

But, I bet your belts would hold up better using the WD-40 back there.

BTW...I moved to New Mexico from Fort Lee, Virginia back in 67'
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 364 (members: 6, guests: 358)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,305
Messages
3,554,042
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top