Squealing Squeaking Annoying Serpentine Belt

I have seen many threads regarding this issue. Some hint at the Serpentine Belt while others touch on different ideas leaving me without an actual conclusion. I do have video of this which I will upload later so please look out for the video. Those others were saying it could potentially be:

-Idler Pulley
-High Pressure Fuel Pump
-Wobble in Pulley (supposedly normal)

Through my research and identification of the issue I wanted to start with the serpentine belt first. I picked mine up from O'Reilly Auto Parts and went with the recommended brand (from forum, other taco owners I personally know, and the auto store) Gates.

Gates Micro-V Serpentine Belt $34.99
Part # K070835
Line: GAT






How did I recognize the issue?

The squeal will sometimes occur on start up and idle. It will increase in noise upon acceleration. However, once the noise appears it will not go away which then lead me to believe something is preventing it from doing it all the time. That something was water so if you take some water to the belt it should prevent the noise and then you have identified the issue. Some from the forum recommended Fat Wax...just go get the new belt for $35 and call it good.

Some things to consider:

-Truck has less than 30k miles
-Recently had to get a new battery and from forum discussions it sounded like the OEM batteries are garbage but it could be due to this issue of the serpentine belt not helping the alternator.

Conclusion:

Taking belt off was super easy as was putting on just with a little more hassle because you have to get into it a little.



My recommendation for taking it off is just take your 14mm socket to the tensioner and turn counter-clockwise and once off one pulley it is fairly loose the rest of the way. However, putting on I would end on the tensioner so you are "pulling" into the slack so it fits accordingly rather than on the Idler No. 2 for example which is farthest away from the tensioner. Make sure ALL slack is "cycled" or pulled through to the tensioner so when you are putting that last bit on its not to difficult. Before setting the tensioner make sure all of the grooves from the serpentine belt are correctly seated on the pulleys. Also, before you start the vehicle look at the diagram to make sure everything is running the correct direction. First time I attempted I ran the belt on top of the Idler No. 2 pulley and luckily I noticed this because a screw was grinding the belt down quick so I definitely learned from a mistake on this one. Truck is running better for whatever reason. Again, I will upload a video of what mine was sounding like later on today. Hope this helps!

 

I believe there is a TSB for belt squeaks that replaces the belt with a different part number.

 

Another option is the Continental Elite belts, used to be the old Goodyear Gatorback belt line. I put them on the vette and am very happy with how quiet they are.

 

Or, you can employ the lazy man's option: hit the contact side of the belt with some paraffin wax. We used to use a Tire Marking Crayon back in the day; the wife's old used up Yankee Candles work just as well. Doesn't negate the fact that a belt may be needed in the future, but this trick definitely works to silence things up and keep the belt in service a little longer.

Obviously, if the thing is cracking up and deteriorating badly, then replacement is the only option; if noise is my only complaint I'll likely hit it with some wax and keep it moving.

Thanks for the info though, OP.

 

Not if he's really working on a 1998 Tacoma.

 

Great point. This forum is for a 2018 Tacoma. My profile picture is my 1st gen!

 

When I have had this problem, as was stated above I use water to begin to isolate the problem. I use a squirt bottle and use a small amount of water on the rib side first, let it dry and then hit the smooth side. It is almost always on the smooth side. Then, I will use the bottle on the leading side of the pullies that contact the smooth side of the belt, one by one. Do one, let it dry, then go on to the other. You can usually isolate which pulley is the problem.

However, that does not mean the belt is still not the problem. Pull the belt, inspect for any obvious damage or contamination. Realistically, any contamination or glazing should result in a new belt just as damage would. Inspect the pullies. Glaze, rust, damage, wobble all equal a new pully.

I have had some squeaks that were very hard to remediate. Sometimes you get one that happens only when cold. That likely has something to do with the physical characteristics of the belt and how the rubber is affected by temperature. Sometimes a new belt will solve it.

One squeak I had turned out to be a warped contact plat in an AC compressor clutch. Super fun, because the clutch by itself can be hard to find.

My own 2 cents is to never use anything other than water on a belt. No belt dressing, soap, wax, whatever. Serpentine belts are meant to be run dry and putting anything on them contaminates them and your pully system. sometimes all the system needs to have the belt removed and for the pullies to be cleaned. The best diagnosis is to isolate exactly where the sound comes from and go from there. It might be some goo, might be a bearing or pulley. It might be a pump. Take it systematically and isolate each part.

 

just had mine replaced under the TSB, i was out of the mileage range for it being free though. Noise is gone now. I had a somewhat similar issue, except mine was only when accelerating over 2500-3k RPMS. Funny thing was the TSB was for the 6 cylinder and i drive a 4 banger

 

Man wish I saw this thread before putting the dressing on. Got into a lot of mud a couple weeks ago and came away with an annoying squeal/squeak. Bought a belt conditioner and now it sounds like there's rocks grinding in the pulley.

 

Same here man, hit a couple muddy puddles a day or two ago. Have this insane squeal now. Pulled belt and inspected the pulleys to find nothing out of the ordinary. Cleaned belt just to be safe with dish soap and wire brush, slapped it back on and nothing changed. Any luck on your end?

 

Just had to have my belt replaced at 45,900 on my 2018. Same noises u are all hearing

 

Grab a hand full of sand & toss it on the belt while engine idling if still noisy repeat as needed......Works like a charm

 

Hey dont say that. Im willing to try anything at this point lol

 

Thought I replied but yeah, I just cleaned it with a tiny bit of simple green in a spray bottle full of water. Let the engine run and just kept spraying. That didn't take away the squeal right away but I just started driving it and basically after about 5 miles it was all good.

 

Good afternoon,

Wanted to reach out as the video is unable to upload to TacomaWorld. The new serpentine belt has had no issues. I have 5,000 miles on it now. I had the battery go bad which could have raised some issues. Also, every time I shifted from park to reverse, to drive, etc. it would always be clunky. It is no longer clunky, I got a new battery and no more squealing! Live in Colorado so it has rained, snowed and been 105 degrees already since installing the new serpentine belt and everything is working like a dream. The video helps with visualization so I may still try to figure out how to upload it.

 

@CaliboyColoradolivin just wanted to say thanks for this little write up. I got mud or something in my belt and the squeaking was driving me insane. I thought maybe the dealership would swap the belt under the TSB, but they wanted $260 for it. $40 bucks and 30 minutes later the squeaking is gone! Cheers!