hey guys, i’ve been driving my 65 chevelle for about 4 months now with a squeaky belt. i built this 383 myself and used the same alternator and water pump/ crankshaft pulleys from my old 327. when i drove the 327 there was no squeak at all. i noticed there was slack with the belt from the 327 so i got a size lower and the belt is tight like it should be. still squeaks. belt was misaligned a bit so i adjusted alternator on header bracket to line the belt up properly. still squeaks. i can’t seem to find the problem for this and the sound is beginning to drive me crazy. any help is appreciated guys thank you Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I've always had good success sanding or holding a file on the belt while running to clean it up and get any glaze off it. Careful!
alternator bearings worn from misaligned belt. Possibly incorrectly adjusted belt, new Belt over tight now ?
Holding a bar of soap to the edge of the belt while the engine is running will eliminate the squeak if it is indeed the belt, be careful don't get near the fan is your running one. HRP
^^^^ Really ? Or in the interests of your own safety, while car is not running, remove belt and run soap on it if you think this may help.
I would think that would work, My granddad taught me that old trick with the engine running and I still have all my fingers! HRP
Try taking 1 belt off at a time and start the car. That way you'll know exactly where the problem is coming from. I just did a head and cam swap on my pop's ot c10, had the same problem after assembly. Turns out the water pump shaft would push back and forth in the housing and the impeller was rubbing the housing. Sounded just like a squeaky belt.. Sent from my moto z3 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
forgot to mention this big detail, it only happens on acceleration.. my mistake of leaving that out of the original post Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Could be lack of pulley wrap. I’ve had them squeal at certain speeds, belt was tight enough jist not wrapping them pulley enough. Changed the position ever so slightly and it went away
Just changed from a generator to an alternator. The alternator goes immediately into loaded. The belt needed to be a lot tighter; now I’m worried about the water pump bearing.
this takes the guesswork out of it. I always have to pry to get them tight enough, it's surprising how tight they need to be.
Perhaps the pully grooves are worn. I had a similar problem on a early SBC. I tried all the usual fixes and still had the problem. I found the pulley grooves worn to the point that the belts would slip. As a quick fix, I removed the pulleys and sand blasted the grooves with course grit media to rough them up. That fixed it. Replacing the pulleys would have been the best way to correct it...but I'm cheap
Hi. To check belt/pulley fit the belt MUST ride on the sides of the pulley grooves, not the bottom of grooves the cause could be too narrow belt or worn pulley. On my 46 Chevy after installing alternator and AC I had to run a slightly wider belt to get enough seating on sides of grooves. Back before the wide flat serpintine belts came out this squealing belts was a BIG problem with engines with AC, power steering, alternators. Jimmie
Photos may (or may not) help. Sometimes the obvious, is obvious to others and not so obvious to the guy asking.
the belt is same width as previous belt, so that can’t be it. alternator bracket flexing could be possible but bolts are pretty tight going into header bracket as well as into the tension arm coming off intake manifold. would have to check pulleys for glazing. it’s unfortunate that it’s on acceleration only as i can’t tell if it goes away from letting it run in my driveway as i try different antidotes. i will check for glaze and possibly sanding/filing the belt.. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
use a yard stick from pulley to pulley to check for perfect alignment. a stethoscope is a great tool to diagnosis noises from the engine. squeaks, air leaks, bearings, and rattles.
Could be that you have to wide of a belt also. The old GM and Mopar used the narrow 13 series belts. No one makes them any more, so they sell you a 15 series belt that sticks way up out of the pulley. 95 percent of our older cars have the wrong belts on them. Give me the number that is on the belt that squeals and I can tell you if it's the right one.
Are you using any aluminum pulleys? Those tend to wear out and cause problems like that. Can you show us a picture? That might help us help you.
it’s an acdelco 15555, if this is the wrong belt, what do i have to get in order to fix it? Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
In my 1977 Goodyear application book it shows your car needs a 13541 fan belt without AC, and 13535 with AC. The first two numbers on the five digit number on a lot of belt in 32nds of an inch, the next two numbers is the length of the belt in inches and the last number is an additional 1/8 of an inch. For example the 13541 that my book calls for for your car is 13/32 of an inch wide, the 541 is 54 and 1/8 long. I tried to find a 13 series belt on a few places-it automatically goes to the 15 series belt which is wrong for your car and will sit up out of the pulley a bit. PM me your phone number and I can explain it further. I might be able to help you out also. Or post back on here. The belt you are using looks to be about 1 1/2 inches to long. I cut belts at a Goodyear plant for 20+ years, so I know quite a bit about belts.
Hang on ,hang on here for a minute....let’s be rational here.....The OP says he hears a squealing sound only when he accelerate’s? .......Rear tires??
Eventually, we'll need to see a picture of this thing...if he can't fix it by just getting the belt to the proper tension.
Proper tension and alignment first. Under acceleration squeak tends to be loose belt. I am with @HOTRODPRIMER but I have used a long wax candle. Done with extreme caution, this method works for about a month of daily driving. . . Then you get to do it again!
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