Belt squeal. Why?

[Irish_Alley]

i know on my mud truck i just have a belt running from the crank to the ps pump then another from the crank to wp to alt. is there a problem with running it like this?

[FlatBlack77]

That's a great observation!  Hidden in plain sight.  lol  Well done!

i had looked at my truck for weeks and didnt notice lol

Awesome. Just ordered a new crankshaft pulley. I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks!


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should work just fine although you will most likely have to get a different sized belt.

i know on my mud truck i just have a belt running from the crank to the ps pump then another from the crank to wp to alt. is there a problem with running it like this?

if the belt just goes from the crank to the ps pump then that is just fine. when 2 belts share 2 pulleys and the pulley grooves are different diameters it causes problems.

some guys like to run 2 belts across the crank and water pump in case one breaks they can limp home without overheating. ive broke an alternator belt and had to change it roadside. now i run 2 on the wp

[op1133882]

So just to follow up, I put in a new crankshaft pulley with same size grooves, a new alternator pulley, and a new better quality belt.
Aaaand...the squeal is gone. Like it was never there. I took a test drive with a huge smile.
I ended up putting in the original alternator bracket because I didn't like the new one at all. It didn't line up properly because the new alternator pulley stuck out a little more than the old one. The original bracket is much easier to make adjustments.
Thanks for the help. Now I can drive my truck without feeling like an @$%^ every time I start it.


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[FlatBlack77]

right on dude

[jrbarrie83]

i know on my mud truck i just have a belt running from the crank to the ps pump then another from the crank to wp to alt. is there a problem with running it like this?

My PS belt squeals something fierce, and has only been getting worse - usually shows up anytime I slow to make a sharp turn. If I wanted to change my setup to what you describe here, how do I know which size belts to get?

[Irish_Alley]

tell you the truth idk. i had a lot of belts just lying around. but imaging you can figure it out with a string but your crank pulley grooves have to line up

[gwcrim]

I just saw this thread.  I have a squeal and I have the same turn buckle alternator bracket.  The first belt I got (turnbuckle needed a slightly shorter belt) was far more narrow than original, though is spec'd the same.  I returned it for a different brand belt that was a little bit wider and I tightened it a bit more and the squeal is 95% gone.  I don't want to replace any pullies and I'm not happy that the belt is so tight.

My thought was to take some sand paper and rough up the grooves for better bite.  Any input?

[op1133882]

I just saw this thread.  I have a squeal and I have the same turn buckle alternator bracket.  The first belt I got (turnbuckle needed a slightly shorter belt) was far more narrow than original, though is spec'd the same.  I returned it for a different brand belt that was a little bit wider and I tightened it a bit more and the squeal is 95% gone.  I don't want to replace any pullies and I'm not happy that the belt is so tight.

My thought was to take some sand paper and rough up the grooves for better bite.  Any input?

The main issue I had was the alternator pulley. It's was a remanufactured alternator and the pulley wasn't a smooth "v" so the pulley wasn't getting adequate friction. Changing the pulley was really easy. All you need is an impact gun. The new pulley was cheap too. If I did that in the beginning it would have solved everything. I'm not saying this is your problem but it's worth checking. If you read and follow the suggestions in this thread your problem should be fixed.

The turnbuckle bracket is he worst thing I ever put on my truck. With it you can't really adjust the alignment of the alternator. It does make it easy to get the belt tight, but you can do that with a pry bar through the hole on the top of the factory bracket against the body of the alternator. With the turnbuckle bracket, the alternator kind of just sits where it wants. With the factory bracket you can put washers to easily adjust alignment.

[Stewart G Griffin]

Another outside thing to consider would be to switch to a ribbed belt that was used from 86 on up.  This may be a hassle as you would need 3 different pulleys though.


i was against all this "new" stuff for a long time, not because i was trying to be traditional, but i wanted to keep things simple and stick with stuff that was proven.

i am sold on ribbed belts, centerbolt valve covers, 1 piece rear seals, roller lifters, plastic valve covers, plastic timing covers, aluminum finned oil pans etc.

It's still a small block, these are just improvements.