Serp belt chirping... help!

Drsuce · Aug 21, 2009

Ok, so i've got a nasty chirp coming from my serp belt... when i decel it sounds like an angry chipmunk is chasing me

i can hear the sound lightly on accel aswell!

I have replaced my belt, water pump, idler and tensioner pulleys and tested my alternator (no squeeking when testing) and the sound remains :/. The tensioner feels like it has plenty of tension left as far as i can tell. about 30 miles after replacing said parts the new serp belt broke a rib off the engine side of the belt :/ anyone have any ideas what could be going on?

the car is my 96 GT daily driver stock more or less! i need to fix this ASAP as i am very paranoid about leaving my cobra alone in the parking lot @ work :sad5:

if you goto http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Chipmunk_Sounds.aspx and click on the "chipmunk chittering" it sounds nearly exacly like that on decel... haha

AaRoN · Aug 22, 2009

Stock more or less? What mods do you have? The tensioner may have too much tension.

vermilion · Aug 22, 2009

tensioner or pulley bearings. or even a longer belt.

96redgt · Aug 22, 2009

mine chirps sometimes when the car shifts, so i'm curious to see what fixes your problem.

Drsuce · Aug 22, 2009

the car has a k&n intake and msd wires, and its lowered. I replaced the tensioner today and it did not change the sound... i did also notice that both of my rotors are warped slightly, however i do not hear the "tick tick tick" of a warped rotor... the sound goes away instantly if the vehicle is in neutral, so i cannot make the sound unless the car is moving :/

is it possible that a slipping clutch could make this sound?or somthing on the suspension that "loads up" on decel?

i noticed it after i cleaned my engine aswell...

anyone else have any ideas?

DropTopPony · Aug 22, 2009

My tensioner pulley will chirp occasionally. I bought a new steel tensioner arm to swap out with the old aluminum one that is known to bend. So yours might feel like it has tension but it could be bent slightly enough to throw off the proper alignment and causing the pulley to chirp.

Drsuce · Aug 22, 2009

ok, i went for a good run tonight and got everything nice n hot... seems like the belt system is not at fault. after the brakes got nice n warm it was obvious that the noise is coming from them! i was going down a rural road with the engine turned off (and in neutral) and the noise was still there! The only strange thing is that the noise does not go away when the brake pedal is pushed. I completly forgot that i have hawk pads in the front aswell.... new pads & rotors all the way around about 8k KM ago.

For some reason i have had to have the rotors turned twice (both i thought because of an apprentice fuckup... rust was not removed from the hub before the new rotors were installed) i am now thinking that somthing else could be wrong. i also find it strange that the sound i am hearing is ALOT louder on decel... although once the brakes were hot i could hear it on lowish speed accel.

guess i will price out some new rotors now...

by the way... i replaced the stock tensioner with a napa unit, it moves *alot* less than the stock unit so i'd say that my tensioner was on its way out aswell! Napa does not list a tensioner for mod motor mustangs so i ordered it for a crown vicky... it is a little bit diffrent but apears to work very well