So my 2000 Dakota V6 started making a small chirping sound back in September, it would go away once warmed up, I figured it was just the cooler weather. Well it has gotten worst, the weather has gotten colder, but now it doesn't go away even when the truck is warmed up.

I sprayed some of that stop squeal stuff on it and it's even louder now.

Any ideas? Tensioner? Something else? Here is a video to help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUbir...ature=youtu.be

 

Sounds like the belt. But first, take it off the tensioner and rotate the
Pulley and see if it turns smoothly. If you feel the bearing, in your hand, kinda ruff. I would say that could be it. My guess.

 

I would say the Idler Pulley wheel is dry

 

What happens when the tensioner goes bad or the idler pulley? Suppose to go out of town Sunday for the day and work all day tomorrow, trying to see if it's worth the risk or not. :/

 

Do you have pooling of coolent under the truck,just under the crank pully? Most times squeal is waterpump going,check under the weephole under the waterpump(6'0 clock)for any liquid if there is,waterpump....

 

Word of experience:

Just go ahead and change both idler's now. If they haven't been done in the last 3 years, do them. They are cheap. A pair of $35 belts are not.

My tensioner pulley went from chirping to absolutely nothing, gone in about 4 days (the plastic pulley literally broke apart and came off going down the road, left the seized bearing on the bolt).

My center pulley started squaking this saturday, Monday morning I was on the side of the road.

 

You know a while back I had the A/C fan and cooling fan replaced at my dad's shop and he mentioned he saw a very small puddle and thought it was going bad, shortly after I started hearing the chirp, but never saw a puddle again.

So I thought the pump may be going bad and that noise was the pump, but never saw any puddles, every now and then I do add some coolant, but I never see a leak and have never seen any oil/coolant mix in the oil or anything like that.

I'll check again for any liquid.

 

So replace the tensioner and the idler pulley? Or are there two idler pulleys? lol

Sorry, haven't worked with a vehicle with so many pulleys.

 

Would it be worth trying to just put a new belt on or does the way it sound definitely point to a pulley issue?

The belt doesn't look old.

 

If never replaced I would do it

I just decided my pulley wheels were dry and replaced them and yes they were dry as a bone I pulled them apart I wanted to know.

Mine never made any noise but I just had a feeling it was time.

Usually $12 to $20 each just beware if attached to soft aluminum to not over tighten the bolt good and snug only about 22 pounds torque that’s not much.