Dodge Ram van CDS 4.8 annoying fanbelt squeak

[gimmeagig]

I'm really frustrated. Shortly after I bought my used Ram Van with a Hydramaster CDS 4.8, it developed this annoying squeak. I took it into a repair shop and they changed the belt. It was better but eventually it came back. I've lived with this fan belt squeak for a long time now but 3 days ago I decided to take it to a different place to have it fixed.
The mechanic checked it out and suggested a new fan belt tensioner and a new fanbelt.
I had him install that and it was fine for a couple of days. This morning it started squeaking again.First only at higher RPMs.
I took the truck back in and the mechanic told me that the belt could maybe use a little more tension. According to him the belt that was installed was the shortest one available( It's number was the written in the inside of the engine compartment, probably by Hydramaster).Someone suggested a Gatorback belt when I originally posted a question about the squeak a few years back.But the Gatorback is no longer made so that is not an option anymore.
My mechanic told me he could fabricate a bracket for the alternator mounting, that would make it possible to increase the belt tension a bit more.
He also sprayed some belt dressing onto the fan belt. That made it worse.The mechanic suggested to drive it for a while to see if the squeak would go away. I have driven it all afternoon but it seems to be getting worse.
I don't know if putting more tension onto the belt wouldn't put more stress on the bearings but I don't have any other ideas.
Has anyone else here had this problem?I could really use some help.
Thanks

 

[dgardner]

Have you or your mechanic carefully checked pulley alignment with a straightedge? Just a thought.

 

[gimmeagig]

No, I have not thought of that. I'll bring that up next time i see him.

 

[Jim Martin]

check your pulley wraps.....you need at least half of the pulley covered with the belt anything less then that there is not enough grip from the belt to hold onto....when you got the belt replaced and they tightened it up it worked for a few days....then the belt seated itself and stretched a little and it probably is loosing its grip because there is not enough of it wrapped on the pulley to hold it tight....


when I first got my CDS unit...after about a year they did a recall on the tensioner because they kept burning out the bearings....the big fix was to bypass it and put on a shorter belt...by doing this the alternator pulley only got about quarter belt wrap on it.....once the belt seated...it would make a little noise and everything would stop charging because the belt was not gripping the pulley the way it should and was slipping.....so I just put the larger belt back on and hooked the tensioner back up and that brought the belt back down to wrap the alternator and the problem went away....

with the older style "V" belts sometimes you can get away with less wrap on a pulley...but you will notice that with those type belts...you normally have 2 or 3 and each one runs different things.... the new styles run one serpentine belt...and there is a lot that these single belts have to move and are less forgiving on the pulley wrap.....

 

[Art Kelley]

I have the fix for you. It's quick and dirty and you may not like it. My pro1200 belt started to chirp and/or squeek right after I had the new drive belt put on two years ago. The first night I took it back to the shop but the mechanics weren't there, just the write-up guy. He went back in the shop and found some armor all protectant and sprayed the belt. The squeek was gone. It came back a few days later, and the mechanic put on a new belt which squeeked a few days later. I just put a flip cap on an armor all bottle and trickle it on the belt when the engine is on. Eventually the squeek goes away for months or a year and if it comes back it gets a quick trickle. My guess is the belts are made different now and are all going to have this problem. (Don't use belt conditioner, it doesn't work like armor all.)

 

[gimmeagig]

Hey Art,
Thanks a lot, the armor all worked! I sprayed just a little onto the belt and it was gone immediately. Even if it comes back, no big deal, as long as I can get through even one day without the chirping... it's so easy to just spray the stuff on. I just hope that it doesn't deteriorate the belt in the long run.

 

[Art Kelley]

Yes, the armor all works great and won't cause any damage to the belt, as long as everything else has been checked. I've had to use it just a few times on the same belt but not for the last year. Glad it worked for you Roxy!

 

[Hoody]

Don't they make a "belt prep" solution that does the same thing ?

 

[Art Kelley]

(Don't use belt conditioner, it doesn't work like armor all.)

 

[Bob Foster]

Famous Dodge problem. Your belt tensioner is hooped. And change the belt while your at it.

http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108542

 

[gimmeagig]

Famous Dodge problem. Your belt tensioner is hooped. And change the belt while your at it.

http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108542

That's what I did to try to fix it. Didn't work.150.- wasted.The armor all seems to do the trick for now.

 

[KevinD]

My new belts squeal also.

I'm sure it as more to do with the cheap raw materials that are used to produce
the cheap belts that are being imported to the US.

 

[gimmeagig]

Well, the Armor All is not the solution after all. I keep putting it on the belt and it keeps coming back.
I'm going to talk to my mechanic about using a slightly larger pulley to increase tension a little and make more contact with the belt. I don't know if that is a solution.