squealing belt issue

[nevik]

I purchased a 03 cobra back in September 2012 and I'm currently having a squeal coming from one of the belts. I'm not entirely sure which one it is so I did the water bottle test to try and pinpoint where the squeal is coming from. I'm convinced it's coming from either the tensioner pulley on the front belt or the idler pulley (bolted to the driver side head) on the back belt.



I have done a couple searches on this site to find some helpful info but wasn't coming up with a solution. I understand I could just buy a couple new belts and see if this eliminates the squeal, or I could take off the front belt and start the car to determine which one it is. Can you take off the front belt and start the car without any issues?



Is there any how to's written on how to get to the second belt. After looking at the setup it looks like the second belt is buried behind a lot of brackets and was hoping that someone might have written a write up to properly get to it?

Any help or suggestions would be great! :beer:

 

[mrose75]

Yes, take off the blower belt and start the car.

 

[Real2000CobraR]

^ like he said, take front belt off and see how it sounds. My tensioner bent, bearings blew and the pulley started eating away into the metal in the arm and bolt the other day.

 

[BO TY KLR]

Due note that alternator won't be charging with front belt off. So work quickly. If you do suspect an idler, use a long screwdriver and put handle to your ear while touching bearing. Should be able to tell which one is squealing compared to others.

 

[nevik]

Due note that alternator won't be charging with front belt off. So work quickly. If you do suspect an idler, use a long screwdriver and put handle to your ear while touching bearing. Should be able to tell which one is squealing compared to others.

Well hey there man! That sounds like the safest bet possible! :lol:

I tell you what, I'm really hoping it's the tensioner pulley cuz I don't feel like tearing into the whole front assembly just to get to that back belt.

Damn I also changed the oil for the first time on this thing...geez I only bought 5 qts and the damn car sucked it down and wanted more. Now I have to go get a couple more qts to fill this thing up! :burnout:

All in all this car has been a blast so far, compared to the fox body convertilbe. I'm so torn, can't decide if I wanna keep it and leave it stock (like it is now) or start doing some mods. I have also considered selling it! :??:

 

[nevik]

I couldn't tell if it was coming from the front belt or the inner belt so I took the front belt off and tucked it out of the way:

I was thinking it was either the tensioner pulley on the front belt or the idler pulley on the rear belt. After taking off the front belt I fired it up and it still had a lil squeal. After squirting a lil water in a few places I have a couple pulley's in suspect...either the one bolted to the passenger head (as seen in pic hidden back behind big ol bracket) or the idler in the middle of the assembly (hidden behind the bracket in pic)

I'm suppose to go from a cruise with a guy that has an 03 mach 1 this friday, then after that I will have to start tearing her down to get this issue delt with. This inner belt looks like a pain in the ass to get too, as there is a bracket bolted on over/around it that has two idler pulley and the tensioner pulley attached. I'm sure once I get going it will be a breeze, but looks very intimidating at this point! Is there anyone that can provide any helpful hints to get to the inner belt, or is there a write up on how to do so?

I will say this, I like the way the engine bay looks without the supercharger pulley cover installed!

 

[nevik]

Now after doing some parts reviews it also looks like there is two different sizes when it comes to smooth idler pullies. one is (90mm x 17mm x 30.5mm) and the other is (90mm x 17mm x 37.5mm).

Guess I will have to tear into it to find the part number, before I can place my order.

 

[Shadow Grey 03]

Enjoy. If you still have the stock lower pulley, you have to remove it and the pulley bridge. Luckily when I replaced my inner belt I had already done the Metco lower and didn't have to do that again.

 

[TRBO VNM]

Well hey there man! That sounds like the safest bet possible! :lol:

Uh, nothing funny about it. That is a tried and true way to help diagnose idler bearings. You can use a pry bar and put it on the bolt holding the idler on.

 

[nevik]

Uh, nothing funny about it. That is a tried and true way to help diagnose idler bearings. You can use a pry bar and put it on the bolt holding the idler on.

One thing I hate is rotating assemblies, and the thought of sticking a screwdriver close to a pulley/belt while rotating scares the crap out of me. I believe this is a valid way of checking, but I'm thinking using a scope would be safer. :shrug:

So far so good, got the idler pulley off and got the replacement. Now I just need to clean things up a bit and re-install everything! :rockon: