GM 4.3 front of engine chirping or squeaking

[47v6]

I have been very annoyed by my 4.3 in my CJ chirping. I have taken the belt off to discern what pulley is making this intermittent chirp/squeak which has gotten worse over time. None of them repeated this noise and I thought I would have to live with it until something just failed.

I read online it could be a belt issue, so for 35 bucks I changed it out.

No more chirping and less engine noise that I didn't even realize was happening. The belt was about 5 years old and less than 10K miles.

I hope this helps someone else out.

 

[Pink]

I have been very annoyed by my 4.3 in my CJ chirping. I have taken the belt off to discern what pulley is making this intermittent chirp/squeak which has gotten worse over time. None of them repeated this noise and I thought I would have to live with it until something just failed.

I read online it could be a belt issue, so for 35 bucks I changed it out.

No more chirping and less engine noise that I didn't even realize was happening. The belt was about 5 years old and less than 10K miles.

I hope this helps someone else out.

Lol! I went thru the exact same thing on my work car. Screwed around with all kind of things. Finally, I took it to a local mechanic. He’s a really good, honest guy. He listened to it and looked at me and said, “you just need a new belt “. I told him I had the belt off while I was checking everything and it looked good. No cracks or anything else. He said, “trust me”. So I left (he didn’t charge me anything) and picked up a new one on the way home. Yep..that was it. Gotta admit…I felt a little silly.

 

[47v6]

Lol! I went thru the exact same thing on my work car. Screwed around with all kind of things. Finally, I took it to a local mechanic. He’s a really good, honest guy. He listened to it and looked at me and said, “you just need a new belt “. I told him I had the belt off while I was checking everything and it looked good. No cracks or anything else. He said, “trust me”. So I left (he didn’t charge me anything) and picked up a new one on the way home. Yep..that was it. Gotta admit…I felt a little silly.

Right. It seemed way too easy.. I could no for the life of me pinpoint the source.. just got worse. Simple is often the answer.

 

[ScottInAZ]

one way to test it is spray a bit of brake cleaner or WD-40 on the belt.. if it shuts up, then thats your issue. nobody seems to make old school belt dressing anymore..... but they will happily sell you a new belt!!!!

 

[JonTDawe]

If it has an automatic spring loaded belt tensioner, then the spring is probably getting weak. An old school truck to keep the noise from coming back as soon as the belt stretches a little, is a new belt that is 1/2” shorter.

But the best fix, is a new tensioner.

 

[wheelie]

Curious what brand belt you put on. I’ve found that it’s worth buying a belt from the dealer or their approved supplier or a high quality replacement. Continental was the brand I used to buy but it’s been a couple of years. I guess they’re still in business. But I’ve tried to use cheaper replacements and they’d steal and chirp too and pretty quickly.

 

[47v6]

Curious what brand belt you put on. I’ve found that it’s worth buying a belt from the dealer or their approved supplier or a high quality replacement. Continental was the brand I used to buy but it’s been a couple of years. I guess they’re still in business. But I’ve tried to use cheaper replacements and they’d steal and chirp too and pretty quickly.

Old belt was no name and new one is a reputable brand..

New belt is 1” shorter.