Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior Serpentine belt squeaking

Hi all Everytime that it rains around here or if there is some fog out in the air my belt squeaks. The one that runs damn near everything. Kinda makes me But any other time like when it's sunny or whatever it's ok. I took it to my toyota rep and he said that it was the hydraulic tensioners. Has anyone ever heard of this before? I was just wondering if I should get a new belt or what because the tension on the belt itself seems fairly snug. Not too tight though. Any thoughts??

I had the same problem on my old 300ZX TT. Thought it was the belts, replaced them, and it ended up being the belt tensioner. Can't remember how much it cost to get it replaced though.

Slight sqeuaking when it is wet outside is fine as long as it goes away after you've been running your car. Everything is just a little damp inside the engine bay.

You said the belt is fine when it's not raining and since the belt isn't squeaking all the time, I would only worry about it if it gets worse.

Or if it's really pissing you off then either try changing the belt...or get a new tensioner.

since your car's "certified" the belt tensioner is covered under warranty. this is one of the problems listed on the tsb (technical service bulletin). alldata.com lists most of them.

i had the same problem except it kept getting worse untill it would squeak when it was idleing.i just changed the belt and problem was fixed.

yup...had the same problem. took it to toyota and they fixed it

I just went to autozone and bought a new belt...when it happened to me. Took awhile to get it on, was a tight squeeze, but after that sound was gone.

i have the same problem, its annoying... anyone knows how much it costs to get tentionnerZ repaired? i dont think im under warranty anymore...

Its not a warranty issue toyota has a recall on the serpentine belt. They replaced my tensioner and belt free when I complained. Then they told me theres was a recall on those parts no charge

I had the same problem, got it fix under the warranty two weeks ago. The dealer replaced the tensioner and got a new belt from Japan. As long as you still under warranty you should not pay a dime. Its worth it to do, mine has not made a peep since.

For those of you that have no waranty..like myself.

Here is the solution, remove the tensioner. For this you have to remove the left side engine mount, just put a block of wood under the oil pan and lift with a floorjake.

You can safely lift the engine 2~2.5 inches. you will need this clearance to remove the long bolt holding the tensioner. Now once removed, put the tensioner on a vise. Remove the bolt holding the pulley. It is a special socket but a pipewrench (small) works wonder. It is not that tight!

now that you have the pulley in hand, you see that the bearing assembly is molded inside the plastic. So just remove both rubber seal (dust cover) off the left and right side of the bearing. Be carefull not to damage them, they just pop-off with a small flat screwdriver.

Now clean out the old grease, and repack the bearing with a quality grease. I used Mobil High pressure grease. Re-install the seals, tighten the pulley on (same pipewrench), re-install the tensioner and belt then lower the engine back down to install the motor mount. total work hours 2.

I've put on 15 000 miles and no noise. I also sugest installling a new belt while you'r at it.

AND STAY AWAY FROM THAT BELT SPRAY THEY SELL AT THE AUTO STORE.

Ask if you are in dought.

Enjoy.
Havoc

Belt dressing is fine, so long as the belt is a bit glazed, that's what it's for. just don't overdo it.

Still, the best solution is a goodyear gatorback belt. they are grooved similar to a tire tread on the pulley surface, they get better traction on the pulleys, which will free up a miniscule amount of HP, but best of all, they never squeak. I love them to death, and swear by them on any car I've driven.

My serpentine belt on my escort constantly squealed. I replaced the belt twice, used dressing, bought a new tensioner, you name it. I installed a gatorback and it never squealed again.

Not positive if there's an application for our celicas yet, but odds are, they should have one out now, they have them for about every car on the road.

They cost a little bit more than the average belt, but they last longer and work better. believe dat, playa!

search squeaky belts, it has been discussed before.