For the longest time I have been experiencing one set back after another, some major, most just every day little things that just p*ss me off on a daily basis. If something is going to break, it's going to break. If a project needs to get done it seems I'll spend half a day chasing for special parts or some expensive tool. Never fails.

I've been chasing a front engine noise, serpentine belt related, on my daily driver for the last 6 months. I find a bad part, install a new part, the noise goes away for a day or two and it comes back. After changing half a dozen components I think I have the real bad part singled out. The problem is this is my only drivable vehicle right now and I needed to take out the bad part to have it matched up so I can't drive my daily driver. One of my old trucks to the rescue, the F-2 is laid up with a leaky master cylinder and brake light switch, which I have the parts for and the panel truck is missing the fan belt. I get a fan belt for the panel and drive back and forth to the parts house trying to get the correct part, so far, two times.

Here's my prescription, I don't mean to step on Doc's toes here but I'm sure he'll agree, get in a old truck and drive. For some reason when the day looks crappy driving a bumpy, noisy, smelly old truck seems to make it a little better. Driving the panel the last couple of days have really made me feel better.

 

As long as your driving and not walking all is good. You'll get it fixed soon enough!

Have a great weekend and dont forget to relax some too.

 

Amen brother, may be we could all petition the AMA to put in in there next magazine. LOL

 

Well, the part I thought was bad, well the fifth or sixth part I though was bad, must not have been, the noise is bad. The only parts I haven't replaced yet is the water pump and alternator. Today I replaced the bearing in the air condenser pulley, not the problem. I only had to go to the bearing place three times to get the correct bearing, in the panel truck. The bearing cost $30, I avoided forking out $300 for a new compressor plus paying for the system to be purged, flushed and recharged. I suppose it'll turn out to be the $165 alternator. I'm about to drive this beast off a cliff somewhere.

 

Well, even though I have my daily driver back together, noisy as it is, I think I'll go to the parts store in the panel. Nothing else I'll get a few thumbs ups and maybe have some ask about the panel, they never do that with my daily driver.

 

Bob I know the feeling in one week I had a water pipe leak behind the water heater, two central A/C units went out in house, clutch died on S2000, hydraulics went out on tractor, blowout on trailer tire. Chasing parts was the worse part and I still don't have the electrical short fixed on the F3. Are we having fun yet

 

I like your prescription, and I don't think you're stepping on Doc's toes.

 

Well, I think I have it fixed, again. I bought another new belt and it seems to have stopped squealing. I drove it up and down the expressway for about 30 miles and it's still quiet but the day isn't over yet. What I don't get on this project is every time I think I found the source of the noise I'd change the part, the noise would stop and then a hour or day later the noise would start up again. You'd think if I didn't replace the offending part the noise would just keep on going. It's next to impossible to figure out what part of the belt system is the offending part, everything blends together under the hood.

I've never seen any of those fix-it shows spend any time getting parts and supplies for their projects. Sure, they'll got to the local big box store to pick out their new cabinets or lawn equipment but once they buy it they never, ever have to take the numerous drives to pick up parts they forgot or parts that don't fit or break. Same thing with the car shows. The only time they don't have the correct parts is in the last ten minutes of the show when they have to have their obligatory last minute issue. They all show you how they build stuff with all the fancy tools and factory supplied parts and huge crew of workers, nothing close to how it really is. I spend more time going back and forth to the store than I do actual work.

 

So far today it's working like a charm. I might have had a frustrating day but the old panel sure has made the day a little better. Jamming gears and listening to the sound of the engine and cherry bomb mufflers coming into the cabin of the panel truck sure lets you know you have a real truck under your butt. We're way too spoiled by our automatic transmission, cruise controlled, plastic coated, insulated puff ***** we call trucks now a days.

 

Well, it is a common denominator for the problem. For every part you've changed, you had to loosen the belt, right? So after a while, it starts singing again. Maybe you got it.

 

Main, this thing is a PIA. Somewhere in the mid point of changing all of the different pulleys I changed the belts, it's not that old, maybe two weeks at most.

One thing I have to say about the new serpentine belts is they are a lot easier to work with than the belts on my panel with the flat 8. Man, trying to tighten the generator/ water pump belt is a HUGE PIA, then trying to get the fan belt tight only adds to it. After I got the belts on the panel the fan was hitting on the bottom of the opening of the fan shroud. I ended up making longer bolts for the motor mounts and using washers to raise the front of the engine about 1/2".

 

It sounds like you have the wrong belt for the fan on the panel (too short). Shimming up the engine will change your driveline angles, not good.

After you do the V8 belts 30 or 40 times, you get the system down pat.

 

I am jealous of the multiple options you have!

 

Ross, I double checked the size of the belt with the information I found on a post here and they are the same as the belt I bought. Maybe the belt was mislabeled, I didn't physically check it, I just by the part number and the description on the NAPA web site. I just didn't have time to chase after another belt. The motor mounts look a little smoshed also.


Not as impressive as you may think. More options just means more things to take care. None of my vehicles are show vehicles, just patched together fun drivers, that's when they're working properly.

 

Trucks are like woman , Blonds and pickups are great , But nothing beats red heads or panels . Lots of blonds out there but very few panels .