My 2002 Dodge ram 1500 with the 5.9 had a squealing noise from the pulleys then the belt went loose. Would this mean my tensioner is broken?

 

Welcome to the forum. Yes, it sounds like the spring in it has failed and is not keeping tension on the belt. Grab the pulley and see if you can move the tensioner by hand, if so, it has failed.

 

I couldnt move it by hand then I realized that the pulley right beside the alternator pulley was really small looking. It broke off. Does anyone know what that pulley is called so i can go buy one.

 

Idler pulley. There are probably two. You may as well replace all of them and the tensioner. How many miles?

 

Yeah, both my original idler pulleys went on me at about 175,000 miles. One broke apart on a cross country trip up to NY. As luck would have it we broke down in VA at an exit that had an autozone right there I was really surprised that with no power steering pump I could barely turn the steering wheel at all even rolling 30 mph. It took everything I had to man handle the wheel to safely stop at a truck stop. It started squealing pretty bad, then suddenly a few loud pings and pops and the gauges went nuts. Only time my baby has even went bad on me.

 

Thanks for all the help. I have 170 000 miles just replaced a wheel bearing, my rad, my water pump and plugs boots and distributor cap (not regular maintenance was misfiring so changed it all), in the last 10000 miles it seems like everything is starting to go. I guess thats what happens in a 10 yr old truck I've owned it for the last 60 000 miles. I do work it hard.

 

Yep, the idler pulley. Glad you figured it out and thanks for the update.