squealing belts

[Chryco Psycho]

I would bet on a bad pulley , buy a soft premium belt first though , roughing up the inside of the pulley groove would be my next move .
If you add soap or oil & the squealing stops it I snot the pump for sure it simply has to be a traction issue in the pulley groove .
 I am glad the wheel alignment worked out 

[jordan]

i put on a cheap Autozone belt.  It is very soft and pliable.  Felt pretty cheap compared to the stiffer premium belts I have tried before tonight.  The squealing is gone below 2500 RPM but it is still there, but is much less noticeable.  An improvement but not a cure.  Pulley shims are here tomorrow to be the next thing on the list. 

Working on sealing the thermostat housing for the third time.  Small dribble.  I even used 2 part anaerobic gasket sealer.  Ill try again and re-torque to 30 ft.lbs per service manual. 

I did get my 3 point retractable seat belts installed with no problems tonight!!  Finally something I don't have to do-over. 

Local car show on Saturday.  Mopar show on Sunday.  I hope I can pull it off!!

I have 25 miles on the car now.  The public response to my car is overwhelming!  Lots and lots of favorable comments.  It really sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the lifeless blobs of steel people drive daily.  Now only if it didn't squeal like a pig while I get on it!!!

[Topcat]

What type of thermostat housing are you using?

Aluminum, Chromed, aftermarket, or cast?

I have a thick cast iron type and it won't leak a drop.
It's trouble free. 

The aftermarket chromed one's never worked in the past for me.
There's an alternative of on that has an O ring I've heard that might do the trick.

[jordan]

Its a chrome one. I sandblasted and painted it.  I worried that it would leak.  Should I get a cast one?  Aluminum or steel?  Can I grind the chrome off of the gasket surface to see if it seals better?

[Topcat]

Its a chrome one. I sandblasted and painted it.  I worried that it would leak.  Should I get a cast one?  Aluminum or steel?  Can I grind the chrome off of the gasket surface to see if it seals better?

I've tried the chrome one's more than once and they all leaked.
I found a thick cast iron one and it sealed without any leaks.

[dfrazz]

I've tried the chrome one's more than once and they all leaked.
I found a thick cast iron one and it sealed without any leaks.

   I had 3 leak and they are all chrome.  I switched to cast, no more leaks.

[Chryco Psycho]

Mancini sells a billet alum one , I have had great success with those

[jordan]

I shimmed the water pump pulley.  Looks totally in line.  Still squeaks!  I pulled the pulley off and sanded the belt groove.  Still squeaks.  I sanded the crank pulley belt groove.  Still squeaks!!  I degreased the grooves.  Still squeaks!  If I had hair, Im sure I would have pulled it out by now!!!  Im going to have to just drive it like it is for a while I suppose.  So embarrassing!!!!! I just don't know what to try next. 

I tried to spin the belt while it is tensioned by turning the PS pulley with hand force.  The belt slips on the crank pulley and not the other two.  I think it may be my culprit.  I still haven't tried belt dressing. 

I put a non stock appearing aluminum thermostat housing on today.  It has a boss for drilling and adding a temp sensor if I ever need to.  Ill see if it leaks tomorrow when I get it up to temp.  So far so good. 

[BadJoey]

I tried belt dressing all it did was make a mess on the inside fender walls where the centrifical force threw it off . I changed the P.S pump too no luck .Mine only makes noise under heavy exceleration (burning out) .Does your car steer O K ? If there was a drag that might be it . Mine steers O K . Still makes noise who knows . I wonder if you called Summit or Mancini ? They might know .

[dutch]

Mine was screaming too.  I got a belt which was too wide for the grooves in the pulleys. Gets a bit close to the water pump pulley, but it`s quiet now 

[roadman5312]

Manual steering, good upper body workout, no noise, no leaks. Thats my fix. 

[dutch]

and no brakes with hydro power... 

[jordan]

I messed around with it more today. I did a little more sanding on the crank pulley, but not much since it was hard to reach and not really any fun.  So I said fagetaboutit.  I tensioned it as tight as I could, and decided to take it for a drive.  Not really any noise below 3kRPM.  Just a slight squeal above that when the outboards kick in.  It is hard to hear because the engine and exhaust noise pick up and I really have to pay attention to the horizon because it comes up real fast!!!  Maybe the sanding, the alignment of the pulley, a couple different belts, and a lot of tension is all it took (20 times!) to quiet it down.  Now I won't be too embarrassed to drive it where people can hear me. 

     I stopped at a friends auto shop tonight. His business partner came to to check out the car.  Said it looks like I just bought it out of a magazine!  That was nice.

 Tomorrow I may attempt a long haul (100 miles one way) to a mopar show.  Hope I can make it there and back no problems.  Wish me luck.   

[Topcat]

I found this on Ebay.

Rick sells some pretty good stuff. I've bought quite a few things from him before.
BTW, he's the tech editor on Mopar Muscle.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mopar-Big-Block-OEM-Correct-Fan-Alternator-BELT-383-440-Charger-Road-Runner-R-T-/321619625326?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ae206056e#ht_2939wt_1478

Now if I could find the right one for my Hemi...

[jordan]

Thanks Topcat.  I have A/C and I just got it fixed this week!  My mechanic friend noticed that I only have the belt wrapped 1/4 of the way around the water pump pull and that it is the likely cause of the squeak.  He was able to pull out a short belt that only goes from the crank pulley to the water pump.  A captive belt.  The water pulley was removed and the belt was put on and then the pulley was bolted to the pump.  It is tight and it does NOT squeak!!  I know it isn't the best routing, but it works and it works, so Im leaving it for now.