Squealing Fan Belt

[jimmygixer]

For the past while my fan belt has been squealing on my 1.8 tdci in the mornings for a while and then disappears.

But the last week it will continue to do it for a good while longer.

I had the belt off and it looks pretty good. All the pulleys spin freely and the tensioner definitely has good tension as i struggled to take the tension off it.

The one thing i have seen people mention online is that the power steering pulley can go slightly out of alignment which supposedly causes the belt to squeal and wear faster.

I did notice that the power steering pulley on mine does move in and out slightly with the shaft, would this be normal?

The tensioner pulley is free moving and stable, but does make a very light ticking noise but not a bearing grinding noise.

I sprayed a bit of wd40 on the groved face of the belt and the squealing instantly went away indicating its a belt problem I think.

I just wanted to be sure before fitting the new belt, as i dont want to wreck or glaze it.

[Mike77]

Think a new belt would be the first option anyone would point out, cheapest part to fit and mist likely the cause. Just out of curiosity, how does your tensioner work ??? You said you has trouble getting the belt off because of the tension on it, mine is a 1.8 tdci also, and to release the tension on mine you insert a bolt into a thread on the engine block and just wind it in,,, is yours not the same ???

[Fiesta owner]

For the past while my fan belt has been squealing on my 1.8 tdci in the mornings for a while and then disappears.

But the last week it will continue to do it for a good while longer.

I had the belt off and it looks pretty good. All the pulleys spin freely and the tensioner definitely has good tension as i struggled to take the tension off it.

The one thing i have seen people mention online is that the power steering pulley can go slightly out of alignment which supposedly causes the belt to squeal and wear faster.

I did notice that the power steering pulley on mine does move in and out slightly with the shaft, would this be normal?

The tensioner pulley is free moving and stable, but does make a very light ticking noise but not a bearing grinding noise.

I sprayed a bit of wd40 on the groved face of the belt and the squealing instantly went away indicating its a belt problem I think.

I just wanted to be sure before fitting the new belt, as i dont want to wreck or glaze it.

The fan belt may just need tightening, in winter alternators have to take a higher load with windscreen heaters on etc and the battery is less efficient in the cold anyway so takes a bigger load to charge it.

[Mike77]

The fan belt may just need tightening, in winter alternators have to take a higher load with windscreen heaters on etc and the battery is less efficient in the cold anyway so takes a bigger load to charge it.

How do you tighten a fan belt ? It works on a tensioner ?

[Fiesta owner]

How do you tighten a fan belt ? It works on a tensioner ?

I have never had a tensioner, and adjustment - in my day was done by swivelling the alternator on slotted holes, you had to apply a load to the belt and measure the deflection. It has been a few years since I did one!

I would suspect the belt anyway, degrease the belt and pulleys and run without any electircal items on such as screen heaters and lights and see if the squelling stops, if not get the battery tested or charge it up

[jimmygixer]

Think a new belt would be the first option anyone would point out, cheapest part to fit and mist likely the cause. Just out of curiosity, how does your tensioner work ??? You said you has trouble getting the belt off because of the tension on it, mine is a 1.8 tdci also, and to release the tension on mine you insert a bolt into a thread on the engine block and just wind it in,,, is yours not the same ???

To take the tension off you just put a spanner on the tensioner pulley bolt and push it clockwise, and the tensioner is automatic on a spring, same as all cars today i thought.

So how can the tension be adjusted?

[Mike77]

It can't be adjusted on most modern cars, I was just asking because we have the same engine, but different methods of removing the tension.