Belt squealing

[sdkar]

This isn't for 67-69 but it is an F-body question and I am hoping all of the knowledgeable people out there can help me with this extremely annoying problem as you guys have come through in the past on other problem for me.  I have a 97 Trans Am and the serpentine belt is squealing loudly, ALL the time.  I bought a new belt and that didn't help.  I bought a new alternator and tension pulley and still nothing.  I then took a power drill and wire wheel brush and took the belt off and cleaned all of the pulleys out so that there were no pieces of rubber, rust or debris in the grooves, still nothing.  I then sanded all of the flat pulleys and cleaned them with laquer thinner...nothing.  I know it is a belt noise because if I spray the belt with soapy water, the squeal goes away immediately, but comes back moments later when the water dries out.  I tried putting wax on the pulleys, but same thing...it dries out quickly and the squeal is back.  The squeal is all the time...at idle or driving.  I don't even want to drive the car anymore as it is THAT annoying and embarrassing.  I have heard that belt dressing stuff does not work.  Will this solve the problem?  I have absolutey no idea what to do next.  Please help as my sanity is at stake.  I used to like driving the car, but no longer.  Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. 

[1968RSZ28]

sdkar -

My guess is one (or more) of the pulleys is out of alignment with the others.  I worked for Buick back in the eighties and this was the case for alot of the Buick 3.0 and 3.8 liter V6s with serpentine belts.  Buick came up with a fix months later where you would remove the harmonic balancer/pulley and install a shim (or shims) behind it (on the crankshaft) in order to bring the harmonic balancer/pulley in alignment with the other pulleys.  It actually work!  I must have done a thousand of them!   

Paul 

[hotrod68]

Sounds to me like you may have a driven accessory about to lock up! Something is putting a heck of a load on that belt. Belt dressing does help, but wax was one of the worst things you could have done--you just slicked it up even more. Unless you have a pulley badly misaligned or the tensioner is somehow installed wrong, I'd bet something is fixing to fail. If it were me, I'd take the belt off and try turning every driven pulley by hand to see if any of them turn hard. That's my 2 cents and good luck!

[Bjv69ss]

I had this problem with my Chevy pick-up...check the belt tensioner puley.  I'ts a quick fix if that's what it is.

[sdkar]

Finally solved the problem.  DAYCO BELTS SUCK!!!  I installed two different Dayco belts and still that lousy squealing.  I mean squealing all the time...at idle or accelerating.  I installed a new tension pulley and nothing, a new alternator, nothing...I cleaned all of the pulleys with a wire wheel on a die grinder thinking there was either tiny rubber pieces in the grooves or glazing...still no results and that lousy squeal.  I was ready to replace the AC clutch bearing when I read that Dayco belts suck and was the cause of this squealing and to fix the problem to buy a Goodyear Gatorback belt.  The Goodyear belt was about $30...which is $10 more than the Dayco that I got at the local parts store.  I had to go to Bennett Auto to get the Goodyear belt but it worked.  No more squealing at any speed.  So, the moral of the story...don't use Dayco.