Ok, heres the problem. My belt on my truck sounds like a cricket. It chirps and if you watch the belt at idle it kinda jumps on the alternator pulley, which is where i'm guessing the noise is. First i figured it needed an idler pulley, since it needed it anyhow i replaced it, but it still chirps. Anyone have this and solve it.

By the way, 95 F150 with 5.0, and ac.

Thanks guys

 

I was having a problem recently with a chirping related to the belt as well. I eventually saw that my air pump pulley was wobbling like crazy at idle. I finally got around to replacing the air pump, thinking maybe the shaft got a lil' warped. It had no effect on the wobbling, so I took the pump back off and took a hammer to the lil' brace that attaches from the back of the pump to the timing cover. It fixed my wobble right away. I don't know how it got bent, or even IF it got bent, but by reshaping that brace it fixed the wobble which stopped my chirp AND me shredding belts that kept jumping grooves.
Check yours, kinda doubt it's your problem, but ya never know!!

 

checked that out...but it seems normal. Anything else anyone?

 

Everything is nice and tight? All the pulley bolts are there and on tightly? Really don't know what else to suggest, unless it's not a belt issue at all..... ??

 

yeah i'm at a loss too.....today it didn't squeak at all when i went out and drove it. But when i start it tommrow it will....its done this before

 

This is an EXTREMELY common problem with Ford Truck Serpentine belts. I've never had a Ford truck that didn't chirp sometime. Also, it happens as much on my 460 as it does on my 302's. Armor All on the belt has helped most of the time. I used to use Triflow but found the AA works better.

When I'm in a campground we Ford Motorhome owners get together and all tell what fluids we use to quiet the 'crickets.'

 

Same problem. Chirps when cold. Pulleys run true. Belts don't shred or jump. New idler. I notce that the plastic idler gets small scallops on the surface, so something is going on. I'll try belt dressing next.

Jim

 

i just replaced the plastic idler....still does it. What about the tensioner? anyone solved the problem with that?

 

Belt dressing won't work. It's been tried over and over and ...

 

yeah...figured that out within seconds.

 

is it a bad bearing in one of the drive accesories that can hang it up a bit, i had a friend once that had a smog pump lock up, also any wobble at all when u wiggle the fan/waterpump. i doubt it but figured i would mention it, i sprayed white lithium grease in my idler and it stopped chirpin, suppose graphite would work too but a high quality that will stick , silicone tends to wear off

 

If it is a bearing squeaking, it will soon fail and it will be easy to find where the problem is, at least. The only reason bearings squeak is that they are dry, and since they are closed face, spraying on something will be temporary at best.

Armor All on the belt will allow it to just slip slightly, but as long as the belt tension is fine, it will not hurt anything.

I spray mine from the bottom of the engine while it's running where the belt contacts the lowest pulley. Having one of those little straws on the end of the spray bottle helps a lot in getting it on the belt.

 

I got rid of my crickets with a new tensioner. I had replaced the serpintine belt and it stoped for about one month. My tensioner cost 85$. The new one seems to jump but no chirps .

 

My '91 460 tensioner pulley was making a little noise, so I replaced it. Note that the bolt through the pulley is reverse threaded. I didn't have the chirp, I had a small bearing noise mostly noticeable with a cheap stethoscope.

 

Goofy 173 is right a very commen problem. On my six banger it was my tennsioner and on my 351 it was dirty belt pulley groves. I cleaned them up ( and yea I tried it first on the 6 cyl before i bought a tennsioner) and the cricket is gone at least for now.