Belt dressing! HELP!

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The devil made me spray some Prestone belt dressing on the serpantine belt of my '97 Altima with 128k, and I instantly got this bad chatter (like metal rubbing against metal sound) that appears to be comeing from one of the pullies at around 1700rpm-2100rpm. I panicked and sprayed some WD-40 on the belt and that appeared to solve the problem untill this morning when I started the car again.
Any suggestions before I spray some more WD-40 on there??
 
too late now.

You shall seriously consider replacing the belts with new one and also remember to wipe down all the pulleys with degreaser of some sort (simple green + water, brake cleaner spray, etc.) and then start fresh again.

WD-40 is oil based lubricant that will eventually deteriorate your rubber belts to the point where one day it may snap on you in the middle of the highway runs.
 
I have never found a good belt dressing. Only for the very short term. VERY short.
I wish there was something out there that worked!
Sorry, but mechanical parts need to be repaired/replaced.
 
OK, I will use engine degreaser on the entire engine and the pulleys, will cover the elctrical parts as usual and rinse with water. I will than replace belts, and well see what happens. Hopefully the chatter will dissapear, and the pulleys will be ok. I know it is not a good idea to use engine degreaser on the pulleys, since it might strip any lube off of the bearings, but in my case I have do.
Anyone else?
 
In my experience, belt dressings just don't work well if at all. If you have a belt squeal, there is probably a cause that should be addressed instead of using a mystery liquid from a bottle.
 
WD-40 won't hurt the belts in the least. Modern belts and hoses are extremely oil resistant. They are designed for interaction with the normal automotive chemicals used in an engine compartment. There are a handful of exceptions, such as diesel fuel, which can eat up a standard composition hose. But WD-40 won't harm them.

But belt dressings won't help them much either. The one or two times I used them (on pre-1970 vehicles with v-belts), all it did was make a big mess.

If you're very cheap, flip the belt's travel direction and see if that buys some time. Otherwise, replace the offending belt. Clean the pulleys thoroughly in any event. If a new belt starts getting noisy sooner than you like, then you need to take a look at the pulleys for misalignment or wear issues. The newer drive pulleys and idlers are more prone to wear-related irregularities than the older ones were. I've seen serpentine pulleys get unbearably noisy after the coatings wore off the drive surface.

The bearings on modern idlers and pulleys are typically sealed units. If the seals are not damaged, you can usually use common engine cleaners with confidence.
 
Quote:


The devil made me spray some Prestone belt dressing on the serpantine belt of my '97 Altima with 128k,




the devil?
grin.gif
I've heard nothing but horror stories about belt dressings.
 
I used CRC belt dressing on my BMW sepentine belts with no problems. Even so, It does not last a long time. My issue is with a stretched belt that squeals only when the weather is below 30 degrees and only on the PS pully.
 
works great for my jeep as well, been using it for awhile now.


Quote:


I used CRC belt dressing on my BMW sepentine belts with no problems. Even so, It does not last a long time. My issue is with a stretched belt that squeals only when the weather is below 30 degrees and only on the PS pully.


 
all i can TELL U is DONT PUT belt dressing spray on a serpitine belt! as it will mess the belt up. You can put it on V-type belts but not the flat serp. belts!
 
ah ... i was just pointing it out that you arent suppose to too... And thats from first hand not reading what the small print on the can experience!
 
I had the exact same problem with my '98 altima, coincidentally with 128k miles also, I took it to a mechanic and he said it was the idler pulley.
 
I think you guys are right. The pulley that makes the noise is the one that doesn't drive anything. On my car it's between the alternator and the PS pump. It is held in place by one nut in the center, but it is pain to get to. Is that the idler pulley?
Now semeone please tell me how exactly did the belt dressing messd it up since its bearings are sealed and it couldn't get to it? Also, why is it that every time I spray little wd-40 like lube on it the chatter stops till the next morning I first start the car?
 
At work in ye olden times we investigated a variety of elastomer treatments and potential cleaners, including 'belt dressing'. The stuff just swelled the material, which made it worse once the swelling went down. I'd replace the belts and anything else that it came in contact with, especially radiator hoses.
 
all I can say there was and still is no problem/damage with crc dressing on my BMW (stated above). This stuff is clear, very thin and slightly sticky. The can states it was for V or serpentine belts. It worked when I sprayed it on the PS pully/belt area. However, I do not think it lasts but a few weeks.

However, M50 and most newer BMW engines use plastic idler or tensioner pullies made with sealed bearings. These are wear items and need to be replaced periodically
 
I know I am going to catch some flak for this but this is my experience with my 2000 Jimmy 4.3. I treid EVERYTHING to get rid a a belt squeal. New idler pulley new tensioner new gates serpentine belt cleaned the #%^#$ out of all the pullies with water+degreaser (simple green). Everytime the new belt started sqealing after 2 weeks. Tried new belt again (warranty) same thing. I finally asked a guy that works at a shop what do you do when someone complains about a sqeeky belt and he told me "dielectric grease" yes the stuff you put on your spark plug boots. He said "put about a 1 inch blob on the front and backside of the belt and it'll go away" I thought no way this is going to work but I was so tired of hearing the squealing I didn't care and tried it. That was 4 months ago I haven't heard the squeal since.

Take it for what its worth, it worked for me.
 
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