I have a 97 f150 4.2l, longblock replaced 5000 miles ago. (anyone guess why?)
My truck makes a chirping noise or a squeak when it is first started and off and on until it has been running awhile. sounds like a pulley. any ideas which pulley? could it just be the belt? truck runs better than new, just makes noise.

thanks in advance for your help.

 

It problably the belt. Go buy a Gatorback belt and see if that stops the chirping.

 

Yep!!! Gatorback belt will cure this. I had a Gatorback because my original belt started to squeak at 55,000 miles. When I had my front cover gasket replaced at the dealer at 79,000 miles, they suggested a new belt. The new Motorcraft belt started to squeak after just a few thousand miles.

 

I recently replaced the alternator on my 98. When I removed the belt, I found that the tensioner had seized. I freed it up, lubed it and now it works fine. Before the job, I had the belt chirp at start-up. Now I don't. Check your tensioner because no belt is going to stop slipping without the proper tension on it.

GlennMc.

 

how do you take the tensioner pulley off? is it the torx head bolt in the middle of the spring assembly? It has more of a squeak than a chirp now, i replaced the belt and idler pulley. now i get an intermittent squeak. please help it is driving me NUTS

 

i have replaced the belt, idler pulley and tension pulley and assembly. still sounds like a mouse in a blender please help i am going nutsss

 

Looks like you've replaced everything. Maybe it's not just the belt. You say it makes the noise right after startup? And after it runs a while it quietens down? And you had your engine replaced 5000 miles ago? This is just a possibility, so don't go out buying parts just because I say this might be the problem. Check your power steering and alternator and make sure they are properly installed. It's a "possibility" that when your new engine was put in your truck, that the power steering or alternator may not have been put back on correctly or "mis-aligned", causing the belt to bind and make a squeeling noise. If this is the problem, and it is not corrected, your bearings or bushings in the aforementioned parts will eventually fail. And this just "may" be the noise that you are hearing. This is just pure speculation from the facts that are given, and is only my opinion. I suggest taking your truck to a mechanic and see what they think. Just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks strange. I would've figured it was either the belt or pulleys

 

This thing is driving me crazy. I have had the truck looked at by two different mechanics. Niether of them can tell me what it is since it comes and gos. I have replaced so far, the belt, both idler pulleys, the tensioner pulley and assembly, and the fan clutch. I also have made sure all pulleys are lined up. The only thing I have been told it might be is a bearing in the alternator. any ideas?

 

This may sound rediculous, but do you have a stethoscope handy? If you can get one, try putting it to the alternator and listen to see if the noise is coming from there. If it's not there, try somewhere else. But BE CAREFUL WHEN WORKING AROUND A RUNNING ENGINE! And use extreme caution! I hope you find the problem.

 

I forgot to ask you, how long has has it been doing this? Does your lights go dim at night? The reason I ask is because if it is your alternator, that's a sign that it's going bad. You might want to check it with a volt meter to see how much voltage it's pushing. Just put the + lead of the volt meter to the connector on the alternator, then put the - lead to ground. If I'm not mistaken, I think it should read somewhere betwwen 13.5-14.1 volts. If it reads lower than that, there is a problem with your alternator. Or you could simply take it to AutoZone or Advance and have them check it out. That will tell you if the bearings are going bad in the alternator. If they are going bad, your voltage at the alternator will read lower than it normally would. Hope you get it fixed.