Belts Chirping....not sure what to do??

[SuperEd73]

Hello BITOGers,

I've noticed recently that the engine belts on my '09 Pontiac G8GT have been making an annoying chirping sound. Basically when I drive it sounds like I have an active bird's nest under the hood. The car only has about 18,500 miles on it so I'd be a bit surprised if the idler/tensioner pulley on the serpentine belt or the belt itself is worn out.

I figured perhaps the belt/pulleys built up some dirt so I sprayed some Simple Green on the belts/pulleys and then hosed them off. When I ran the car after that, the chirping at idle stopped but was still present at any rpms basically above idle. So, I tried it again this morning. While everything was still wet I started up the engine and everything was perfectly quiet. Idle, revving, both yielded no chirping noise so I thought I had it licked. I came out 20 minutes later to go to work and when I started up the engine, the chirping noise came back.

So, I’m not sure what else to try? I’m a bit baffled as to why the chirping stopped when the belts were wet but came back when everything dried off?

Any ideas?

Ed B.

 

[cchase]

Usually happens to me if I accidentally get something like rubber dressing or a cleaner on the belt. It's very difficult to get it to go away in my experience.

 

[casper]

prestone makes a belt dressing that could help to quell any noises from your belts. try that ($4)for a possible cheap fix.

 

[scurvy]

Watch the tensioner to see if it is vibrating along with the chirp. It very well may be bad already. Otherwise a mechanic's stethoscope should help you be able to find which roller or pulley is causing the noise. I would diagnose it ASAP - you don't want a pulley seizing. Don't spray any goo on the pulleys or belt system, take the time to diagnose it properly.

This vehicle is still under warranty, yes? Perhaps let Pontiac Chevrolet take care of this for you, or at least get it documented under warranty.

 

[The Critic]

Since it is still under warranty, take it to the dealer.

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Since it is still under warranty, take it to the dealer.


Yeah, I'm with The Critic - the dealer should be able to resolve this under warranty. It sounds like a minor pulley misalignment that they can find with a stethoscope and repair with a pry bar. You can try with a length of rubber hose to listen to each pulley until you find the culprit.

 

[Boss302fan]

2009 G8 GT? Take it to the dealer.

Also, I have used belt dressing and it is a waste of money and does nothing. It is only a short term fix and onlyt makes a mess.

You have a new car and should take it back to the dealer and have them fix it. It could just be a bad belt and just needs to be replaced. Could be a bad pulley. A belt should last 100K miles and if they want to charge you for a new belt, tell them it is defective and to replace it...

 

[silverrat]

Easy to take it into the dealer and stuff but it's a pain to take in a 2009 model almost brand new car there, and have them look at it for two days to tell you there is nothing wrong with it.

What a sweet car that G8 is though.

 

[IndyIan]

My tracker had a flock of birds under the hood too, the dealer replaced the belt once under warranty and then after warranty it came back, so I got a different brand accessory belt and its been silent for several years now.

 

[SuperEd73]

Well upon further review.........

It looks like I'll have to bring it to the dealer. I took a look under the hood with the engine running again and I discovered that the pulley on the power steering pump is spinning like a DA polisher. Not sure if its bent somehow or if its possible for the pulley to be out of balance. Either way that's a job for the dealer and my warranty to handle!

Thanks for the replies!

Ed B.

 

[Boss302fan]

Good decision. I really like the G8GT's... It really was a bad decision by GM not to keep making those.

 

[demarpaint]

I hate the thought of bringing anything back to the dealer, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and do it. You could also try a little trick I picked here. It worked well for me, for several months now. Apply silicone dielectric grease, a spot 1/4" thick, and the size of a quarter on both the top and ribbed side of the belt/belts. It shut up the annoying chirp I was getting, it took one application, and as I mentioned it has been several months now.