1997 Grand Caravan sqeaky belt fixes--alignment issue.
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1997 Grand Caravan sqeaky belt fixes--alignment issue.
Hi all,
This forum had helped me get through the seemingly common issue of Caravans' belts chirping, squeaking, or being thrown off the car.
I wanted to share what I ended up finding the problem to be in my case, in hopes that it can help someone else. (mine is a 1997 Grand Caravan 3.8).
The first time the squeaking came up it was easy--the tensioner bearing was bad. This is easily tested by spraying water on the belt *riding* surface (not into the bearing area), and if it still squeaks--it's the bearing. So replaced that.
Months later, the belt started throwing off. This was a a water pump leak--spraying coolant on the waterpump pulley's smooth surface, inviting the belt to slide right off. Since the steering pump also was leaking, I replaced that as well--which was a pain getting that off. Tip--the pump/pulley will come out up top since you've got to remove the wiper-cowl, alternator, and both the alt brackets and PS/Tensioner brackets. Rotating the pump correctly will allow it to come out the top. I've seen suggestions about getting it out the bottom, but a few correct twists and that assembly will come out the top--pulley and all.
Anyway, after buttoning up the PS & WP--the squeaking was back--and it wasn't any bearing.
I immediately guessed an alignment issue, and was right. I used a laser-level from Home Depot set on "line" mode (not pinpoint mode) and carefully lined it up with the crank pulley. Do this with belt off--also taking care to line it up on 2 axes--not just lining up to a groove but also tilting until you see the line ride evenly up both sides of the same groove.
This exposed the fact that the steering pulley--which had come as a separate part from the pump--was off by one groove. I thought I had pressed it on all the way, the press bottoms out when the pulley flange meets the top of the shaft--but apparently it needed a scosh more.
So...since pulling the steering pump had been such a massive job, and I'm inherently lazy (or as I tell my wife--motivated to assess more efficient solutions), removing the PS pump again was not an option.
And since the pulley needed to move inwards, i.e. toward the engine, the only option was shimming each pump mounting bolt with a washer on the backside--i.e. between the pump and the bracket. This was ultra tedious considering that pulley is in the way and the openings in the pulley don't line up with the bolts, and I'm doing this with the van on jackstands.
The solution was to loosen the 3 front mounting bolts and remove that rear angle bracket. Then, one bolt at a time, remove the bolt, and dangle a standard washer in there using a very thin wire--like a bread twist-tie with the plastic removed, and hook the washer with it. Then push the bolt through when you're on-target with the washer. (I first tried a magnet stick but found the twist-tie fishing method to be much easier). Then when you've started the bolt a few threads in--pull hard on the twist-tie and it will pull free.
When done, I checked it with the laser level, and the pulleys were lined up--a standard washer is a bit thinner than a pulley-groove, but two would have been too much. Put the belt on, and squeaking gone.
So--lessons learned--if you change your power steering pump--when you put the pulley back on, measure carefully the distance between the inside rim of the old pulley and the pump mounting surface--and make sure the new pulley is pressed on the proper depth. Looking back I think I probably could have cranked the pulley tool one more time and popped it a scosh closer to the original alignment and I might have saved myself a Saturday morning.
--Jim
This forum had helped me get through the seemingly common issue of Caravans' belts chirping, squeaking, or being thrown off the car.
I wanted to share what I ended up finding the problem to be in my case, in hopes that it can help someone else. (mine is a 1997 Grand Caravan 3.8).
The first time the squeaking came up it was easy--the tensioner bearing was bad. This is easily tested by spraying water on the belt *riding* surface (not into the bearing area), and if it still squeaks--it's the bearing. So replaced that.
Months later, the belt started throwing off. This was a a water pump leak--spraying coolant on the waterpump pulley's smooth surface, inviting the belt to slide right off. Since the steering pump also was leaking, I replaced that as well--which was a pain getting that off. Tip--the pump/pulley will come out up top since you've got to remove the wiper-cowl, alternator, and both the alt brackets and PS/Tensioner brackets. Rotating the pump correctly will allow it to come out the top. I've seen suggestions about getting it out the bottom, but a few correct twists and that assembly will come out the top--pulley and all.
Anyway, after buttoning up the PS & WP--the squeaking was back--and it wasn't any bearing.
I immediately guessed an alignment issue, and was right. I used a laser-level from Home Depot set on "line" mode (not pinpoint mode) and carefully lined it up with the crank pulley. Do this with belt off--also taking care to line it up on 2 axes--not just lining up to a groove but also tilting until you see the line ride evenly up both sides of the same groove.
This exposed the fact that the steering pulley--which had come as a separate part from the pump--was off by one groove. I thought I had pressed it on all the way, the press bottoms out when the pulley flange meets the top of the shaft--but apparently it needed a scosh more.
So...since pulling the steering pump had been such a massive job, and I'm inherently lazy (or as I tell my wife--motivated to assess more efficient solutions), removing the PS pump again was not an option.
And since the pulley needed to move inwards, i.e. toward the engine, the only option was shimming each pump mounting bolt with a washer on the backside--i.e. between the pump and the bracket. This was ultra tedious considering that pulley is in the way and the openings in the pulley don't line up with the bolts, and I'm doing this with the van on jackstands.
The solution was to loosen the 3 front mounting bolts and remove that rear angle bracket. Then, one bolt at a time, remove the bolt, and dangle a standard washer in there using a very thin wire--like a bread twist-tie with the plastic removed, and hook the washer with it. Then push the bolt through when you're on-target with the washer. (I first tried a magnet stick but found the twist-tie fishing method to be much easier). Then when you've started the bolt a few threads in--pull hard on the twist-tie and it will pull free.
When done, I checked it with the laser level, and the pulleys were lined up--a standard washer is a bit thinner than a pulley-groove, but two would have been too much. Put the belt on, and squeaking gone.
So--lessons learned--if you change your power steering pump--when you put the pulley back on, measure carefully the distance between the inside rim of the old pulley and the pump mounting surface--and make sure the new pulley is pressed on the proper depth. Looking back I think I probably could have cranked the pulley tool one more time and popped it a scosh closer to the original alignment and I might have saved myself a Saturday morning.
--Jim
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I had to replace whole tensioner assy. I had replaced both pulleys and bearings. Then did alternator. I had replaced AC compressor and water pump 2 years ago. Then I noticed that the tensioner assy was slightly cocked. Replaced it and no more squeal.