Randy_Baton Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Yeah I know there is a very similar topic just below this one but... I have a squeak on start up only when its cold and it lasts for a few minutes. I had my belts changed in the autumn, so thought the squeak wouldn't reappear this winter. Well it has . Just wondering how I would diagnose if its a belt or pulley issue? I tried a squirt of WD40 onto the grooved side of the belts yesterday morning, and the squeak went away after 3-4 seconds of spray on each belt. It however came back when I next started it up. I thought the WD40 would last a few days/weeks at least. Was I wrong in thinking that? I might pop to Halfords and gets some proper silicone belt spray tomorrow. I was also going to try the belt tensioners tomorrow, but only if I can get my hand down past the radiator. Do I tighten (clockwise) or loosen (anti-clockwise) the nut to increase tension? How much of a turn should I be looking at to tighten them? I know that depends on how loose they are but am I looking at a small fraction of a rotation or couple of rotations. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Imo don't put WD40 on your belts please Randy. It will only temporarily stop any squeaking noise you are hearing & may in fact cause the belt to slip even more in the long term. It will also increase the chance of the belt deteriorating quicker as it is petroleum based product. Just adjust the belt tightness if you can which should solve the problem as you say the belts aren't that old & shouldn't need replacing. Never done belt adjustment on the Zed myself so sure someone else will pop along soon to tell you what to undo/tighten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy_Baton Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 That's what google gets me. I was goggling how to do the talc trick, and the online consensus seemed to be just put WD40 on for a quick fix. I do less than 4k a year so general wear and tear isn't as great a concern for me as some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floydbax Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 You are better off giving the alternator a quick squirt of WD40, the squeaking is usually caused by the extra loads put on it in the winter with heavy use of lights,heater,wipers, leccy seats, ETC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Useual causes of squeaking, Badly worn belt Belt too tight Belt too loose Damp weather also compounds the effect of extra load from lighting, although I have never seen any squeak caused by an alternator unless the bearings are going, Try some talc or chalk powder that usually helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkylineV35 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Useual causes of squeaking, Badly worn belt Belt too tight Belt too loose Damp weather also compounds the effect of extra load from lighting, although I have never seen any squeak caused by an alternator unless the bearings are going, Try some talc or chalk powder that usually helps. Talc chalk powder where would i apply it? to the belts or pulleys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy_Baton Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 My understanding is that it goes on the grooved side of the belt, to remove moisture and increase grip, like a gymnast / climbers hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopedmark Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 If you had new belts in the autumn there's probably a little stretch gone on so a re tighten is the obvious way to go I had exactly the same problem with my own and re tightening solved the issue 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkylineV35 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 My understanding is that it goes on the grooved side of the belt, to remove moisture and increase grip, like a gymnast / climbers hands. Any talc do? Only stuff I can find is Johnsons baby stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aspire5315 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 hi, as said it was a little job nissan did for me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy_Baton Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 Finally got round to doing this today. I can confirm you can get to the belt tensioner fairly easily from above the engine so there maybe no need to jack the car up and remove the under tray. I don't have the biggest arms and I also have the Mishimoto fan shroud which makes it easier. I could only get maybe 1/2 to a full turn onto each tensioner before it was too tight to move. Doing it from the top doesn't allow much room to generate torque on the wrench. Could someone confirm that tightening the screw (i.e. clockwise), tightens the belt (i.e. moves the pulley up). I tried to eyeball it but couldn't actually see any movement. I also put some climbing chalk on the underside of the belt, I just coated my fingers in it and brushed them onto the underside of the belt, turned the engine over to spin the belts then repeated the process. As the issue was intermittent I'll give it a week and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2orry Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 You really don't want the belts to be over tightened that will shorten the life of the bearings .check how tight the belt is on your other half's car and compare it to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2orry Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 You really don't want the belts to be over tightened that will shorten the life of the bearings .check how tight the belt is on your other half's car and compare it to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2orry Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Yeah I know there is a very similar topic just below this one but... I have a squeak on start up only when its cold and it lasts for a few minutes. I had my belts changed in the autumn, so thought the squeak wouldn't reappear this winter. Well it has . Just wondering how I would diagnose if its a belt or pulley issue? I tried a squirt of WD40 onto the grooved side of the belts yesterday morning, and the squeak went away after 3-4 seconds of spray on each belt. It however came back when I next started it up. I thought the WD40 would last a few days/weeks at least. Was I wrong in thinking that? I might pop to Halfords and gets some proper silicone belt spray tomorrow. I was also going to try the belt tensioners tomorrow, but only if I can get my hand down past the radiator. Do I tighten (clockwise) or loosen (anti-clockwise) the nut to increase tension? How much of a turn should I be looking at to tighten them? I know that depends on how loose they are but am I looking at a small fraction of a rotation or couple of rotations. Are they belts new thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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