When I first got the truck (97 Ram, 360 engine) back in June it squeaked. And I replaced the belt. It went away and all was great for about 4-5 months. Then last month it came back. It started off really quiet but now its getting very very loud. Before I knew any better i sprayed some of that belt conditioner on it, but that made it 10X worse. I know realize everyone says not to use that stuff and I see why. I've heard when you replace the belt, the bearings in the water pump tend to go out due to the higher tension on the new belt. Is this true? If so, how can you tell if that's my problem. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated. I can't stand the noise!! Its almost quieting out my magnaflows!!

 

Remove the belt and spin each pulley to make sure they spin freely without too much wobble. Also check that the tensioner moves all the way back and forth to its full extent. What brand belt did you buy? Also spray and clean the pulleys with brakleen and a wire brush to get rid of that gunk you put on there.

 

Take your belt off and check the tension pulley,alt. pulley and the idler pulley as well as the water pump for bearing play, are all pulleys lined up square so belt runs true?

 

I did take the belt off and look at each pulley. They all seemed to be normal and working just fine. The belt didn't seem to have hardly any gunk on it. I don't remember what brand it is, just one from AutoZone. I don't tend to buy cheap stuff so I don't imagine I did here. The tension pulley seemed to be working just fine as well. I didn't get to check the water pump very well though. I couldn't find much room to get my hands in there. I probably need to check it again. Did I just wobble it and try to find some play? Or how exactly do I figure if/what is wrong with it?

 

Spin all pulleys by hand and listen for any kind of noise coming from them.. Check to see if there is any wobble in them also.

 

The tensioner needs to be checked with a wrench or socket while the belt is off to check for travel. And forget "looking" at the belt. Check the tensioner, clean the pulleys and replace the belt with a DAYCO.

 

Mine made terrible noise when I first got it. I put a gatorback belt on it and wahlah....no more squeeky.