Serpentine belt whistle?

[Klutch9]

A few months back I put a new Bando belt, a gates tensioner w/pulley and a smooth idler pulley on the Fusion. Cured the startup chirping

however, now I'm hearing a 'noise' that I don't know if it was there before or not. It almost sounds like air whooshing/whistling, but it directly correlates to RPM and not engine load, mostly noticable between 2 and 3k RPM. I really only notice it when I drive the car with the radio off, which I don't often do. I showed the noise to my wife who drives the car most often and she looked at me like I was crazy; she didn't hear a thing and said that all cars sound that way. She's pretty atune to these things also, so her input helps. Just curious because I'm taking the car in for a recall and wonder if it's worth paying to have looked at. I've also heard that new belts, and even different brands of belts can make different noises; I believe the GatorBack belt was even touted as being the 'quiet' belt.

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Just curious because I'm taking the car in for a recall and wonder if it's worth paying to have looked at.


You could pay me to look at a noise all day.

Zzzzz...Nope. Still don't see anything.

You could mention/demonstrate it and ask if its any cause for concern. It won't be, I'd bet.

An open chequebook to fund investigation sounds like a really bad idea.

Your title sounds like a really bad renaissance musical instrument.

 

[Lubener]

Gatorbacks were the best for me followed by Dayco then Gates. Gates always made noise for me. No experience with Bando. You could also have a slight alignment issue with your belt. Yours doesn't sound too bad where I would pay someone to look at it.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Maybe it needs to run-in.



Or if it bothers you, buy the dealer part or explain the problem to the service advisor. I explained my problems recently and most were fixed, but I gave em a long list of things to make my truck perfect for me.

Just dont go to the dealer looking to pinch pennies because they have a big operation and we all know Detroit aint making anything on a car these days. If you dont believe me, compare the cost of parts in addition to all the labor it would take to assemble them and it would appear cars cost more than houses. But that assembly line must help them crank em out in mass. Still though, your house has very few moving parts. Everybody needs to get paid- and not in peanuts, either!

 

[mjoekingz28]

Dielectric grease or belt dressing could be an option as well

 

[Inspecktor]

Maybe it needs to run-in.



Let it go for a while, often parts just need to wear in a bit.

 

[Trav]

I would be more suspect of the Chinese bearing in the Gates tensioner than the Bando belt. Let it go till it really makes noise (if it ever does) before guessing and spending money.
The Gatorback belts are not known to be quiet, some of them whine like a old lady. I'll take a Bando, AC Delco or Dayco W rib any day.
I took a GB off a GM 3800 after 2 weeks, it was driving me out of the car it was so loud. The Dayco W has been dead silent for 4 years.

Edit: Always mark the direction of the belt when removing if its going to be reinstalled, running a broken in belt backwards can make them noisy.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
If you dont believe me, compare the cost of parts in addition to all the labor it would take to assemble them and it would appear cars cost more than houses. But that assembly line must help them crank em out in mass en masse. Still though, your house has very few moving parts. Everybody needs to get paid- and not in peanuts, either!


The last Ford Taurus (-2006) took 24 man-hours to assemble at Ford's Atlanta line. This presumably doesn't count subassembly time, but, for whatever reason, this figure stuck in my head.

I wonder, as might many, if this includes engine/ transmission assy time or if they just had them sitting on pallets getting lifted in.

 

[mclasser]

I put Bando belts on my Accord last year and they hummed for the first 1000 miles. Just let the parts settle in for a bit.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Originally Posted By: Trav


Edit: Always mark the direction of the belt when removing if its going to be reinstalled, running a broken in belt backwards can make them noisy.



Man, Trav, you are so full of good advice here lately. That is a great idea. I never considered belt direction to be a factor in anything. Maybe the OP can flip it around in hopes of a cure. Its cheap and simple=worth a shot.